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Seniors and Cancer - Basal Cell Skin Cancer on the Eyelid
My Experience With Skin Cancer - S.M. Female Age: 83
I recently had surgery to remove a basal cell skin cancer from my lower left eyelid. I first noticed it about 4 years ago. It started as a small red pimple that grew larger very slowly.
About two years ago my ophthalmologist decided to remove it. It came back after several months but wasn't quite as big or red as it was before. The ophthalmologist did not comment on it after that.
Six months ago I was having unrelated skin problems and saw several different dermatologists. All performed a complete body check for skin cancer. The last dermatologist I saw noticed the roundish pimple on my eyelid and suggested that I have it removed and checked for cancer. About a week later it came back positive. Two surgeries were scheduled - Mohs surgery to remove the lesion followed by reconstructive surgery. Both surgeries were outpatient surgeries.
The Mohs surgery was performed using a local anesthetic. I sat in a chair that reclined into a table. A protective lens was placed in my eye to protect it from potential harm. The surgeon then took a section from my eyelid and sent the tissue out for analysis to see if all the cancer had been removed. During this time I returned to the waiting room.
It took about 45 minutes before the report came back. As there was still an indication of cancer I had to have a second section removed. Once again I waited about 45 minutes in the waiting room until the report came back. This time it came back clear and I was allowed to go home.
My eye was bandaged so I don't know how much of the eyelid they took off. Pain was not severe at any point. I took a 325mg Tylenol at bedtime and that was sufficient for pain.
The next day I was scheduled for reconstructive surgery. The surgeon determined that the procedure could be done using light sedation which I was very pleased to hear. I was told to be at the hospital at 11 AM and the surgery would begin at 1:30 PM. I was expecting that a skin graft would be required to reconstruct the eyelid. The surgeon decided that a graft was not required and instead pulled and stitched the edges together. He did have to cut around the eyeball to allow the skin to be pulled without pulling on the eyeball (this is perhaps the only time I've been happy to have some loose wrinkly skin).
Because of the light sedation I recovered quickly and was released from the hospital by 5 PM. Pain was manageable with low-dose Tylenol though I was given a prescription for Tylenol and codeine which I didn't take or need. My eye bled and oozed infrequently for the first 24 hours.
After surgery care consisted of (for 48 hours) placing gauze soaked in ice water on my eye, changing the gauze every 15 minutes with fresh icy-cold gauze. Also, every morning, noon, and night I have to put a small blob of ointment into my eye to prevent infection. The ointment is required for several weeks and is tapered off from 3 times daily to 2 times daily then one time daily before stopping altogether. I also have to wear an eye shield at night to prevent rubbing or itching my eye.
As of this writing it has been a little less than a week since my surgery. My eye is healing and is less red and puffy that it was right after surgery. Pain has not been an issue and I have not had any other issue related to the surgery at this point. I am not scheduled to have my stitches removed for another week so I am hopeful that will go well.
Conclusion
Apparently my ophthalmologist never checked the tissue he removed from my eyelid for cancer. I recommend that if you have an area of concern anywhere on your body and have it removed by a doctor, confirm that the tissue will be checked for cancer. The earlier you find skin cancer the smaller the incision will be to remove it. This is especially important when it is on the face.
If you are diagnosed with a similar problem stay positive! Although surgery is never a pleasant experience, it was not nearly as bad as I thought it might be.