Really?

If you get sick to your stomach, don't read this post!

I just had a gut feeling that something wasn't right with this mole on my chest about a year ago...

I just wanted to get in a "Before" shot. (I know you can't tell which mole it is because I have so many.)

I finally, after much procrastination, made a doctor's appointment. He agreed that it looked suspicious and punched out a circle of skin. The biopsy came back 10 days later. Sure enough, Basal Cell Carcinoma, or in other words, CANCER! What? I can thank all those summer days at Raging Waters while in Junior High. Sunscreen? What's that? And I don't think we ever wore it as children. I was always burned. This kind of skin cancer is best case scenario if you get a cancer diagnosis. I put off treatment for several months. Options - Topical ointment that burns your skin away and doesn't have a great cure rate. "Scrap and Burn" (as one doctor called it) which would leave a gaping, deep wound, but has a good cure rate. Or, "Mohs" best cure rate, least amount of scarring. They remove layers of skin and check it under a microscope until there is a cancer free sample and then stitch it up. This technique came highly recommended by a few doctors. I decided this would be my best option. I went in on the 27th of January, I have second guessed this decision MANY times over the last week.

The doctor went deep enough the first time around. Bottom layers were cancer free.

Really? This looks horrible! I was warned that the stitch up would look strange. The Doctor sews it up like this so gravity won't pull it open. Over time, it will flatten out? He also said that I needed to lay down as much as possible over the next two weeks so this can heal. Ha, ha, ha! I said to myself, ok, right, not happening. 3 kids, a household to run. I wasn't expecting to be down at all. I even planned lunch with my mom and sister for the next morning. Wow, was I surprised. As soon as the anesthetic wore off, I was flat in bed. And forget about getting up the next morning. When I would stand up, it felt like this wound was ripping open. I have stayed down for about a week. I didn't realize how much this skin on your chest moves with everyday activity. I am on the mend now, thank goodness. Sadly, this is just the beginning of my dermatologist visits. I was told that I am young to have this diagnosis and I'm to be in the doctor's office every 6 months for a check. More fun to come for me I'm afraid :(