Cancer On My Nose

This is a blog that I wrote 5-1-2007. It was the first blog of many that I wrote about having cancer on my nose. I am letting you read what I wrote then so I can catch you up on what's been happening.

. . .

As if I haven't had enough health problems lately - now I have skin cancer on my nose. Actually, this isn't new. During the last few years Dr. Maughan has burned two skins cancers on the tip of my nose.
I was upset because it left a small divot, like an acne scar. When I went back and showed him a second cancer had taken its place, he empathized and said that there would now be a deeper divot, and sadly, there is.
During our winter stay in Arizona I noticed a skin cancer just above the divot. It grew, fell off, grew back, and fell off again. I knew I needed to get in and get it checked and actually planned on making an appointment with Dr. Maughan in February when we came for Quincy's baptism, but I didn't. Darn it!
By the time we got back home in April and I finally got to the doctor's office - it had grown - and now I have another divot that is quite large, but not as deep.
Now I'm worried because it's been a week and it looks to me like the cancer is growing back. It could be a scab, but I've never seen a yellow bumpy scab before.
I need to call Dr. Maughan's office and hope the doctor says everything is normal. I'm afraid that's really hopeful wishing!
Oh, I forgot to mention that Dr. Maughan burned a cancer on my wrist, and cut out another one on the top of my head. Oh, my goodness! I want this to stop!

. . .

It didn't. In fact, I've had two since then.

July 2007 I was told after a biopsy that I needed to get to the University Of Utah hospital and have Mohs surgery. What they do is cut and biopsy until the cancer is totally gone. They had to do this three times before they got it all, and like a dummy I asked for a mirror to see the hole in my nose. It was huge!

The doctor can't sew up a hole because there would be a crease, so he had to cut good skin from the top of my nose to the tip and under the tip to almost my upper lip. Like a dummy I asked for a mirror again! I almost passed out when I saw the scar. It was terrible!

It's been two months now and you'll be happy to know that my nose has healed. You can't even see a scar at all. My nose is still red, but just looks like I have a sunburn. I have to go back to U of U in three weeks and the doctor will do laser which will get rid of the red.

I'm happy with my new nose. It was disconcerting at first though because I would look in the mirror and was shocked at the lady looking back at me. It didn't look like me at all. My nose is more narrow than it was. And I was upset that my nostrils were showing more than they used to. The doctor said that my nose is very tight and will be for six months, and that my nostrils will relax. It is a pretty nose now. The doctor did a great job. He said I have a 98% chance of it never coming back. I sure hope it doesn't!

I'm really a very lucky lady! I could have died of cancer. They got the cancer. It shouldn't come back. And I was left with a very nice nose.

One of my friends who sold Real Estate with me had cancer on her nose, but she lost half her nose and there is a huge hole in her cheek. She has had skin grafts so there is no real hole, but there is a huge dip in both her nose and cheek. A niece of our sister-in-law lost her nose and has to wear a prosthetic nose for a year. It will take that long before the doctors can do skin grafts.

I'm very grateful and have to use my favorite saying: It's A Good!