Fuck Cancer, Part 2

So... I just got another diagnosis for cancer. I went in for my yearly check-up and the biopsy came back positive for cancer. Fortunately this time it's just squamous cell carcinoma, not melanoma like last time. They had me go back in to take more skin from around that spot, to make sure they got it all. It was a procedure called Mohs surgery. It took a few hours because they analyzed what they cut out immediately to make sure they got it all, while I waited in the waiting room with all the other old men.  

Side concern, I had to wait over a year last time before I was eligible to donate blood again. I'm up to 8 gallons now. (67 donations) 

It's not as traumatic this time. Catching it early last time made the experience mild, as compared to how traumatic I imagine it can be for some people to get a cancer diagnosis. But the issue to me is that the spot is on my face. I just hope the scar isn't too bad. 

This spots back story:

This was just a spot that had progressively begin to bother me more each year. When I was a teenager, struggling with acne, this spot was bothersome and unlike most acne, it wouldn't pop no matter how much I squeezed. Washing didn't help either, it was just irritating. I eventually got tired of the irritation and took plyers to it, squeezing as hard as I could. I recall it not being a very productive pop, but it popped and I let it heal. Over the past decade, it has progressively become more of a nuisance. Every few days, I've been able to get it to pop like a zit with just a slight squeeze. The scar tissue had built up such that this area healed very quickly between popping's. There were hairs that would grow in and around the area, adding to the irritation and I would tweeze them regularly. Last year, I mentioned this spot to the dermatologist and he froze it, but that freezing had little affect after it healed. This year the dermatologist decided to "punch it out". It bled much more than he anticipated. Needing just a few stitches, the biopsy healed quickly. 

At the second procedure, The surgeon remarked at the amount of scar tissue in this area. In fact, if you look closely, you can see just how deep the scar tissue went. It's the white tissue at the center of the hole, just above the dark red spot that was the vein they had to zap a lot in order to get it to stop bleeding. 

Here are the pictures: 

Warning!

They are graphic! 

This picture was taken after the biopsy had healed and before the surgery. 

It's just that little spot on my cheek. 

It's graphic! 

Ready? 

There is no turning back, no unseeing it!

This shows where they cut extra skin away to prevent the scar from being bulky on either side. The scar line is intended to go along my smile line, in order to help it better blend in. 

Although I didn't have a mirror, and while the area was quite numbed, I could tell that the surgeon was separating the surrounding skin from the tissue inside and underneath the opening, much like when you're skinning a deer. I imagine this helps the stretched and healing skin reattach to the new area. Preventing any odd shaped areas as it heals. Six internal and 17 external stitches later. 

Here is what it looks like a few days after the surgery. (Stitches will be removed in a week.) 

As there is no more eloquent way to end this post, so I'll just say it...

#FUCKCANCER