Mohs Surgery Recovery - Day 1.

So the surgery was yesterday. The past 24 hours or so has been an interesting little journey. The emotional aspect was something that I hadn't expected. Janice and I were both exhausted when we finally settled down last night. I don't think either one of us expected terrible news yesterday. It's just not common with basal cell carcinoma. You really don't know until the day of the surgery. So even though we kept telling each other that it wasn't probable we knew deep inside that it was possible. The news that he was able to remove all of the cancer without taking all of my nose was fantastic to hear. I also found that I was much less concerned about my appearance after I got home. At least until the bandage came off this morning. It's not exactly what Janice wants to see first thing in the morning.

"Hey Honey! How does this look?"

I learned a few things about my body last night. First, the skin on my head is much more loose than I imagined. As I lay my head on my pillow it pulls on the stitches on my nose. In other words, my nose hurt all night. So I tossed and turned all night as it hurt. They don't give you pain medication for Mohs surgery. So Tylenol is my friend this week. I push the hours between taking it. But it hurts right now so I will take some soon.

When I first took the bandage off this morning it really didn't look too bad. But as the surgeon promised, it is swelling throughout the day. And the color is turning a little darker. And it still won't stop throbbing. I have learned more about neosporin and polysporin than I really wanted to know. My doctor was very specific in recommending polysporin. They actually advise against neosporin.

Summed up day one is relief, swelling and pain. Tomorrow I will go back to work. I'm going to try and take it easy but I know that is a tough promise to keep in my line of work. One more photo for you.

If you start protecting yourself young you can prevent this. Hats, sunscreen properly applied, they both help. If you're like me and didn't take care of yourself make sure you get a regular checkup. You know what, get a regular checkup even if you did take care of yourself. It can't hurt. Early detection matters.