Sube,
I had a basal cell carcinoma removed on my face about 4 years ago now.
It was not painful at all but I cannot remember now what they used to freeze me with, which just goes to show it could not have been so bad because I do not remember.

I do know I had to see a specialist who does something called " moe's surgery" because it was the face.
You can google it and that will explain it.

Really I am not the brave type but this was no pain.
Good luck...

Sue, don't be so hard on yourself. I too am a big chicken but that is ok with me. It is what it is. The important thing is that you get done what needs to be done and as I tell anyone who makes fun of me "that is why God made drugs". There is nothing wrong with taking a valium or Ativan as long as your gp agrees. You know yourself better than anyone. I have had multiple surgeries (3 C sections, Colectomy, gallbladder, and just recently a breast biopsy) Dentists scare the devil out of me so I get nitrous oxide. Just do what you need to do and as I said don't be so hard on yourself. As far as stitches I can tell you that it really is easy and I can honestly say it is not even uncomfortable. Good luck.
Satine

Sue- good luck. I'm a big baby with the dentist and always calm my nerves with music. Otherwise I echo what Julie said talk to the scheduling nurse. I'll keep you in my thoughts.

I'm so bad that when I picked up my husband after he had oral surgery, I am the one who passed out. Seriously.

Last year I had a basal cell removed from my forehead. The doctor had prescribed an Ativan and it worked so well that I didn't care if she removed my entire head. I felt nothing.

It takes about 2 seconds to take out the stitches and you will not feel a thing. I didn't even need sedation for that :-). You won't either.

You'll be ok just like I was and you will wonder why you worried so much, just like I did.

If you need it, absolutely ask the doctor for something to help calm you down. You are not asking for a long running prescription, just a pill to help with this scenario. My mother gets nitrous just for her teeth being cleaned and has to take Xanax for a Pap smear. It is what it is but these medicines help her get the important things done.

I never actually understood the point of bravery. I mean unless you are in armed combat. I am a total baby, too.
No one else can judge whether you "need" something or not. I would talk to your doctor. There is no reason to suffer.

I"m glad to hear you were vigilant and that you have such a benign form. Hope it is resolved quickly and with a minimum of angst!

If you need to take something, I'd ask.

I don't like the idea of being in a chair or anywhere that I can't get out of. I'm not a fan of fillings but can make it through those. I'm just glad when it's over. When I had braces, I had to have surgery to remove my baby eye teeth and attach chains to the impacted adult ones to bring them down. I look beeeautiful for a few months. Anyhow, I wanted to be put out for the procedure. When I mentioned it during the consult the dental sugeon chuckled and mentioned kids have it done all the time and it's no big deal. I was 22. My thoughts were,"yeah whatever, good for them, I'm getting put out for this sugery." And I did just that. I don't think I had dental insurance at the time, but I paid the extra money. At least you didn't ask for anesthesia. :)

Nitrous for the dentist? Music? You guys are amateurs. I get "conscious sedation" for dental work. Triazapam plus nitrous plus novocaine. Like Marlene said (which made me LOL) the dentist could drill my entire head to bits and I'd be thanking him. DH has to take an entire day off for me to get a crown or root canal (and lucky me, I have lousy teeth), which is half annoying and half entertaining for him. He calls it "Suzy goes to Woodstock."

Tish, I think I love your mom.

Oh and Marlene, we are clearly soul mates. I picked up my DH from sinus surgery years ago -- when they brought me into the recovery room, there was a minuscule drop of dried blood on his johnny/gown. I must have turned green because the nurse came in and asked if I was okay, and brought me a chair.

You should see the big production when I had to change my little bandage the first few days. I'm mostly fine with it now. Baby steps...

I've had it removed 3 times from my face.
Once by a dermatologist and twice by a plastic surgeon .

If your plan covers I would go with the plastic surgeon.
Better drugs...better scar ...and they get a clean margin.

Ask the derm.if he will be using the Mohs surgery.
You don't want to do this twice (like me).

I went to the dentist to get a tooth pulled and my doc gave me a med to take before.Why not as long as someone drives you .

The next visit to have it removed should feel like nothing more than the biop.sensation.(I guess I should have lead with that one)

I tell my doc that I don't want to know what's coming next.
Don't tell me when your cutting...Don't tell me when your cauterizing ...Don't tell me when you're stitching...That all adds to my anxiety.Just let me listen to my ipod :)

Your not a baby...
My 2 last wrist surgeries I requested general over local because
I wanted to feel like you do when you have a colonoscopy . Remember nothing !!!

I am a big baby when it comes to medical/dental things. I'm having mohs surgery soon for a basal cell carcinoma near my eye. The scheduling nurse already said the doctor was going to give me some Ativan.

Good luck with your surgery!

DO NOT let a dermatologist remove a larger area ... DO USE a plastic surgeon.

Squeamish peeps don't read the rest ...
I found a basal cell carcinoma on my scalp, right where I had my part. When I went back for the excision things did not go well. The dermatologist had to remove more than he thought and scalps are not saggy/elastic like other parts of the body. He was NOT able to stitch the wound closet. Really! I had to drive myself home with an open scalp! Wound healed, but with an ugly wide scar that could not grow hair. I ended up having to switch my part to the other side to cover the 'hole". Moral of the story ... use a plastic surgeon for anything more than a tiny biopsy.

I am sitting here with 3 band aids on my face from biopsies I had done today. One is definitely basal cell but I'll need to wait for the results on the other spots. They did tell me a plastics guy would be in on the surgery. I normally avoid doctors like the plague. :(

(((Sueb20)))

It's called Mohs Surgery, not Moe's Surgery. Lyban, that was funny. I'm really not laughing at you, but that cracked me up.

There are dermatologists who specialize in it, and that is who you should see. I've had it done several time. Don't hate me, but I am one of those people who is not bothered by the sight of blood or by surgical procedures. You get a local anesthetic injected and you don't feel the rest of it. Once it is healed you are left with a barely visible white line. I really have to look hard to find it.

I suggest that you don't look at what is under the bandage while it heals. I got up and looked at the incision while it was still open just because I was curious. It kind of looked like someone had used a hole punch on my face. Interesting.

Good luck!

Sueb20,

I was diagnosed with melanoma on my left forearm and had a wide excision done to make sure that there were clean margins. If you're having a wide excision, and you have any questions about it, I would be happy to share my experience.

Did the doctor mention how deep they will be going? My excision went down to the muscle, however that might be because it was melanoma - it might be different for basal cell or squamous cell.

I don't have any personal experience with Moh's surgery, but from what I understand about the procedure, I think that it can take a long time to complete. I think that they remove a layer, check for clean margins, and continue removing layers and checking until they are confident that they've removed all of the cancer. You might want to discuss with your doctor if you would be a good candidate for Moh's or if a faster excision would be better for you. Maybe someone here that has had Moh's surgery, can give a better idea on the time-frame of the procedure....

The stitch removal for your biopsy should be very fast and pain-less!

Please ask your doctor for Valium or something similar if you need it!!! I had general anesthesia for my surgery, and am happy that I was not awake for it!

As the others have said, if you are having Moh's surgery, find a dermatologist or plastic surgeon that specializes in it!

Best of luck to you! I'll be thinking of you!

An "8 cm blob" is not tiny. I would request an appointment with a plastic surgeon. You need to make sure they get it all.

And I would go back and slap that receptionist. I tried to use a 5 letter word starting with B in front of slap and got a warning from GW.

There is nothing wrong with getting a little Valium to relax you before you go in.

My sister has had several removed. The first few from a derm and she was left with big white scars. The others were removed by a PS and the scars are barely visible.

Good luck!

Certain doctors specialize in the Moh's method. Here in our area it is generally a dermatologist. Baylorbear is correct in that they go layer by layer and it can take a long time but it is very precise and takes the least possible amount of tissue. I just went through this a few months ago with a very close friend. She had a place on her nose and she started with a dermatologist surgeon, who performed the Moh's surgery, but then she left his surgery center and went to the hospital, where a plastic surgeon closed the wound. Wonderful results. For the Moh's surgery, she was just numbed. The plastic surgeon put her under. For a place on your leg, you will probably be fine with numbing, but if you feel that anxious, they can give you a little something for nerves.

I think the length of time for a Mohs procedures depends on how far the cancer has progressed. If they find a clean margin quickly, the procedure is over quickly. First they take some skin, then you go sit in a waiting room while they biopsy it, and that is repeated until they get to a clean margin. I'd sit and watch tv and eat goodies until called back. No biggie.

Sue and Nan...so sorry you are going through this. Sue..by all means take whatever you need to to get through it and insist on it beforehand.

I was all intent on natural childbirth with my first until I was in labor and it went on and on. My ob/gyn suggested an epidural and I resisted at first. I remember her saying " it's the Cadillac way to have a baby." I finally gave in, and while I hated the feeling of being paralyzed from the waist down, I was out of pain. With the next two, I ordered the epidural at check-in...lol. Why suffer if you don't have to?

I don't know how the decision to do Mohs surgery vs. non-Mohs is made, but this isn't going to be Mohs. I will actually be going to the Mohs dept. on Fri. to get the stitches out, so maybe I'll ask how that decision is made when I'm there! The dr. doing my surgery is a general surgeon, not a dermatologist and not a plastic surgeon. If it was on my face, I'd be more worried, but frankly. this is on a part of my leg that is near a fairly unpleasant looking dog-bite scar from when I was about 12 years old, so I'm not too concerned about this new scar. It is kind of funny how I've managed to keep all my scars limited to one specific area of one leg.

And OMG, that was quite a typo on my part, it is 8 MM, not CM!! Sorry! Duh. Now you all know what a complete wuss I am. It is very small!

I'm glad to hear that it is 8MM and not 8CM! My scar is 6CM, so it's pretty big. You should end up with a much smaller scar!

Good deal Sue. Glad to hear that was a typo.

Good job catching it.

Sue,
I think the decision for using MOHs surgery is when it is on the face.
They do not want to take off more than is necessary when on your face.
I am sorry for my misspelling of MOHs earlier.

Lyban, your misspelling of Mohs was funny. I got a giggle out of it and I really hope you don't think I was making fun.

Going to get my stitches out this afternoon. Pray for me.

Kidding. I'm not that bad. Thanks to all for the input.

Joanie, I ordered the epidural at check-in after my first baby, too. Why be a hero? My first labor was 16 hours, the next one was 24. That's heroic enough for me. (The third one was painless for me but DH did have to travel to Korea to bring her home!)

Sue, I hope you did OK! I was thinking of you this afternoon.

Beth P.

Beth, you are so sweet, It was totally nothing. The worst part was sitting in the waiting room for 15 minutes, first observing two men who both had clearly had pieces removed from their ears! (I had to go to the Mohs dept. to get the stitches out because my dr. in the regular dermatology dept. doesn't work on Fri.) Then this wacky guy just talked at me for 10 minutes, even asking me "so, where's your cancer?" I soooo wanted to say "on my va-jay-jay" because he was bugging me, but I didn't. Then he says, "oh, getting the stitches out is the most painful part." Thanks, fella. He was wrong. I felt nothing. I did, however, make her put a tiny bandaid on it because I am like a 3 year old.

The worst part, though, was having this nurse show me how much they will take during the excision. My little red thing is 8 mm by, I don't know, 3 mm? Small. And they're going to dig a hole the size of a quarter, it looked like! And -- no exercise (I usually walk for an hour 3-5 times a week) for 2+ weeks after. That is a bummer.

Finally, I got a lecture about sunscreen. Sigh. I know. The damage was done in the '80s, before skin cancer was invented.

Glad to hear all went well Sueb! Count me in as another
"baby"....had to lie my head down on the nurse's desk to
have my flu shot and request she put on a bandaid after.

You did good Sueb. I am the biggest baby of all at the dentist!

Btw, you are a hoot!!! :-)))

My SIL, a sun worshipper, had a basal cell carcinoma removed last year. I said did the doctor tell you to stop suntanning? Her reply was he said it was caused by the sun years ago. Notice how she never admitted if he told her to stop tanning and choose to only repeat the part about prior exposure. I said well current sun exposure could be creating future skin cancer. She just said "oh" because that hadn't occurred to her. She was here last week and spent hours on a beach chair in full sun and no sunscreen. I just don't get it.

Sueb, if you play your cards right I can just picture your husband producing a little blue box to calm your nerves or cheer you up after your excision. Good luck - with the procedure and your "you were a brave girl" gift!

Glad to hear the lesion is mm and not cm. That certainly makes a big difference in the size of the chunk they will take to get clear margins.

I survived my big "surgery" yesterday. I did take an Ativan an hour before, which I guess helped me get through the door but didn't relax me as much as I'd hoped! I did take a long nap when I got home, though.

The worst part was the multiple novocaine shots, which I think were administered through a very large sword. After that, though, I didn't feel anything until the middle of the night last night when it abruptly wore off!

Anyway, it's over, and just wanted to let anyone who's having a similar procedure know that except for the novocaine, it really wasn't a big deal. I am very bored today...watching TV and laying low. My leg definitely is very sore but Advil helps!

I am so glad that it is all over for you. Relax, catch up on lots of tv, and take good care of yourself.

I'm glad you got through it ok. I agree that the deadening shots are the worst part.

I went to the dermatologist a few weeks ago and she was determined to have a spot on my wrist removed. I told her it was a graphite tattoo from being stabbed by a pencil in the 3rd grade but she wasn't convinced. She wanted it cut out because it has an irregular shape. I had to tell her several times that I distinctly remember the day Joe Richardson did it as we both went for the desk cubbies at the same time. Thanks Joe.

Glad you are well and it's over with!

Feel better soon, SueB

Yay! Glad to hear it wasn't too bad. I have a bunch of similar cancers on my face and go for my Moh's surgery consult next week. I just want it done and over!

Sorry I missed all this, but am happy to hear all went well. My Mom had that type of skin cancer twice.

And now Hugh Jackman and I have something in common. I was actually laughing at the news the other night because they mentioned it about 5 times between two different news shows. You know how they mention an upcoming story and make it sound so much more dramatic than it is -- I thought he was dying or something and then when they got to the story, he had the same skin cancer I had! Little thing on his nose. Well, I have 10 stitches so I think mine should have been on the news too.

I have to wear a dress to an event in two weeks and I'm not happy about showing off my leg! Usually I'm all about the black dress and black stockings, but I was planning to wear a gray lace dress I got several months ago and wear either very light gray or nude stockings, but now I'm not so sure...although it's not like anyone would notice, probably.

Glad everything went well, Sue!

Marti-I also have one of those pencil "tattoos." 2nd grade, compliments of my "boyfriend" Richard Williams.

Glad things went well! My mom said the novocaine was the worst of it, too. I had several things biopsied earlier this summer, and lucky, they were all benign, but I will not be skipping my yearly check with the dermatologist any more. It had been 3-4 years.

I don't think we should be surprised about Hugh Jackman. Australians have higher rates of skin cancer due to the thinner ozone layer.