There are many forms of cancer, but the battle is the same. It is tough, difficult, and energy draining.
I have Basal Cell Carcinoma, which is one of the least invasive forms of cancer. However, if left untreated, it can go deep into the skin and cause major problems. I would like to share some important things I learned during my seven-year battle with Basal Cell Carcinoma.
Never allow your cancer to go untreated. I noticed two small spots, one on the back of my head and one under my right eye, in 2007. The spots were the size of a dot you would make with a pen on paper. I let these go untreated for two years for various reasons. In November 2009 I had MOHS surgery, which allows the doctor to remove one or more skin layers at a time, look at it under a microscope, and if they didn’t get all the cancer removed they continue removing layers of skin until all the cancer is gone.
The one under my right eye turned out to be an ordeal I never want to experience again. Although the spot was small on the surface of my skin, by the time the doctor was done with the surgery I had a wound larger than a Quarter under my eye. My Doctor explained that the Basal Cell Carcinoma sent tentacles out in all directions and that was the only way he could successfully remove all of it.
Due to the large wound under my eye, the doctor couldn’t just sew it closed as it would have caused my eye to droop and I would not be able to blink. He had to do a “mini facelift” where he cut my skin from the corner of my mouth, up along the side of my nose, under my eye to my cheek bone, and then down to just under my ear. He stretched the skin to where he could safely stitch me up. Although I had more than 150 stitches I healed nicely and you cannot tell I had surgery on my face.
Since that surgery in 2009, I make regular visits to my dermatologist to have my skin reviewed for possible links to cancer. Most of my items are a result of dry skin or allergies but three of them turned out to be Basal Cell Carcinoma and I was able to have them taken care of in the early stages.
If you notice anything you consider as abnormal, whether on your skin or you sense something inside your body, please visit your doctor to be examined. If you do this on a regular basis, you will either eliminate the possibility of cancer or you will catch the cancer early, which allows for an easier treatment plan. Please do not allow any condition which might be related to cancer to go untreated for years as I did.
