October 7, 2005
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MY DAY WITH THE DOCTOR
Well, the big operation day has come and gone and I am an inch taller- that’s the height of the bandage covering the top of my head.
I been to dermatologists on many (too many) occasions but this was an experience.
The doctor, a Mohs surgeon (one of the fancier types of dermatologists) was concerned over the diagnosis of the Bangor Pathologist and insisted on reviewing all the slides, reports, and MRI scans. He concurred with the diagnosis of LMS (Leiomyosarcoma) and said he would do a “slow Mohs” which means cutting the tumor out then letting at least two pathologists look at it and then coming back and cutting a “safety zone” around the clear margin of the tumor; altogether a hole about the size of a silver dollar.
He did this, and by the way, discovered another basel cell carcinoma nearby which he cut out at the same time, the analysis of which showed TWO more carcinomas, which were also removed. This meant another dollar-sized hole.
Incidentally, covering these things up meant a much larger trimming and sewing job.
The other pathologist brought in to look at the excised tumor disagreed with the diagnosis. He said it was a AFX (Atypical Fibroxanthoma) but as the treatment was the same - the argument is academic, and will be a long dry report in some obscure med journal, I suppose. Both of these types of tumors are fairly rare as skin cancers and can be deadly.
All this took from 1 PM until well after 5 PM in the operating chair. At one time there was the surgeon, two PA’s and four nurses all standing around admiring the cutting and sewing. For a while there were four of them all with their hands on/in my head.
I looked at the result with a mirror. Frankenstein’s monster has nothing on me!
The surgeon is a happy man. He said everything came out perfectly with absolutely clear margins and no sign of any other linkage (or leakage). He thinks I should have no more trouble with these.
As a matter of fact we just got back from dinner out (I did get some pitying looks) but aside from my head feeling like I am wearing a to-tight hat, no problems.
Continued next morning--Now I know how custer felt after Little Big Horn.
Comments (4)
Ouch! Here's hoping they gave you something to keep the pain under control until it heals.
You're one tough guy, and I have every confidence that you'll be up and about, and probably out sailing or fishing, in no time. (And you can take comfort in the fact that both pasttimes come with hats)
Having learned the hard way, I stay out of the sun whenever possible. Not much pain,just looks like I've been scalped - as I have.
Yikes! I guess you sorta got a facelift out of the deal?
Glad to hear it's over and that you are on the mend.
RYC: Thanks for the encouragement regarding painting. T's mom is into watercolors - she is very good. We have one her pieces at our house. She had her first gallery show not too long ago - being a good philanthropist, she donated the sales of her pieces to a charity. She started with oils years ago, and graduated to watercolors about 5 or 6 years back. Some of her pieces look almost like pictures of the subject, while others are more abstract recreations of her feelings of the subject. Either way, her stuff is fun to look at. Lately she has taken to painting pictures of Norse gods - her impression of Thor was pretty cool
My favorite piece she painted is one of her and her sister as children walking through woods in snow. It's adorable. She painted it from how she remembered it - not from a picture. I think that is amazing. I hope to have that sort of skill one day.
You sound like a more stable man than Custer (seems) to have been. I truse you will be in top form soon.