Big Blue Huddle

It's a freak show, it's a monster...no, it's just me this morning:



the other guy looks much worse...LOL

In short, I had surgery yesterday and had a cancer spot removed from the side of my nose...dang that sun! Surgery was relatively painless, except for the many shots of Novocaine in a very sensitive part of one's body. But after the surgery, I had to go to a plastic surgeon to repair the hole in my nose. This required much cutting and pulling skin from around my face before getting stitched up. When I got home, I was in so much pain and thought death would be an attractive alternative...and I bled like a stuck pig even as I went to bed last night. Thankfully, bleeding has stopped and no pain this morning. But I'm having a hard time seeing...LOL

Anyway...been dreading this for the last month and I finally got it over with and can hopefully start getting back to normal.

You got it taken care of which is what matters  best of luck in your recovery


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Holy cow!!!

That's the epitome of "It looks worse than it is!"

Hope you heal up quickly 

Looks like they cut out more than a spot. Was it Mohs surgery?

That's a tough area to pull skin and stitch. Did your Dermatologist try the chemo cream first?

Quote from: Ed Vette on December 01, 2022, 10:01:31 AMLooks like they cut out more than a spot. Was it Mohs surgery?

That's a tough area to pull skin and stitch. Did your Dermatologist try the chemo cream first?

Yes, it was a Mohs surgery. I've done the chemo cream many times in the last 30 years. My skin specialist said it had to be removed and I didn't question her judgement. Maybe I should have. It was only Basil cell, but apparently pretty deep. I'll have a scar, but I don't care about that. My body...including my face...has a lifetime of scars

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on December 01, 2022, 10:05:17 AMYes, it was a Mohs surgery. I've done the chemo cream many times in the last 30 years. My skin specialist said it had to be removed and I didn't question her judgement. Maybe I should have. It was only Basil cell, but apparently pretty deep. I'll have a scar, but I don't care about that. My body...including my face...has a lifetime of scars

I had it done on my scalp. He did one layer and they tested it and didn't need to go deeper so they closed it but it was 19 stitches under and over total. I have a slight crater the size of a quarter. I have a friend who had it done on his nose and you can't even tell he had it done.

Quote from: Ed Vette on December 01, 2022, 10:16:44 AMI had it done on my scalp. He did one layer and they tested it and didn't need to go deeper so they closed it but it was 19 stitches under and over total. I have a slight crater the size of a quarter. I have a friend who had it done on his nose and you can't even tell he had it done.

Fun times..LOL

I grew up on a farm and spent summers in the hay field or on the river that was next to my house. No such thing as sunscreen back in those days. My skin specialist tells me that nearly all my damage to my skin happened between the ages of 2 and 12...the years I spent in the hay field and playing/fishing on the mirror like surface of the Tioughnioga River. And of course, I have very fair skin (blonde, blue eyes, lily white skin).

Wow!  I hope you get well soon

Damn Ric. I'm glad you got it taken care of and that you're ok. It'll heal just fine, and in the end you'll have yet another battle scar to talk about.

*I've also fished the Tioughnioga River, (and the Otselic, Genegantslet Cr, Owego Cr, and many others I've long since forgotten the names of).

Quote from: Sem on December 01, 2022, 11:05:09 AMDamn Ric. I'm glad you got it taken care of and that you're ok. It'll heal just fine, and in the end you'll have yet another battle scar to talk about.

*I've also fished the Tioughnioga River, (and the Otselic, Genegantslet Cr, Owego Cr, and many others I've long since forgotten the names of).

My fondest memories as a kid was the Tioghnioga River. Caught an 20 inch Rainbow on a ball of bread dough when I was 9 years old. Couldn't wait to get back to the house to show my parents. The neighbor kids and my brothers and I built forts on the islands, camped out, swam (once in awhile had to pick off a leech...that sucked, but made us laugh), and of course fished from dawn to night on many days. Now I only kayak down the river about once or twice a year and haven't dropped a line in the water in probably 10 years

The Tioughnioga has made so many changes since I was a kid - islands that were there are now gone, where it used to be shallow, it's now deep...the big trees we used to climb to jump in our swimming hole are gone, and the trajectory has changed. It also used to be a favorite trout fishing destination and when I was a kid, cars were lined up on the road and there were hundreds of fishermen on the banks. Now it's better for Walleyes, Pikes, and even Tiger Muskies. Now it is almost entirely used for canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. Sometimes there are hundreds of kids and adults floating down the river. Never saw that as a kid. The Tioghniogha made national headlines a couple of years ago when kayakers took pictures of alligators along the banks. Everyone thought it was a hoax until the DEC captured two of them...LOL



directions to the nearest service station

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on December 01, 2022, 09:45:26 AMIt's a freak show, it's a monster...no, it's just me this morning:



the other guy looks much worse...LOL

In short, I had surgery yesterday and had a cancer spot removed from the side of my nose...dang that sun! Surgery was relatively painless, except for the many shots of Novocaine in a very sensitive part of one's body. But after the surgery, I had to go to a plastic surgeon to repair the hole in my nose. This required much cutting and pulling skin from around my face before getting stitched up. When I got home, I was in so much pain and thought death would be an attractive alternative...and I bled like a stuck pig even as I went to bed last night. Thankfully, bleeding has stopped and no pain this morning. But I'm having a hard time seeing...LOL

Anyway...been dreading this for the last month and I finally got it over with and can hopefully start getting back to normal.

OK, Ric, WOW, who did this to you? I know all about these things as I have had 3 surgeries for Melanoma, one on the side of my face, which also included a plastic surgeon. In all three, I have never come looking anything like you did.
I am certainly not questioning the reasoning for this surgery, but I have had countless basil cell and assorted other 'spots' removed from my face, nose, ears, etc. and they are always frozen off. I can understand that if it was deep enough, you would need surgery, and I am far from the expert, but I do not understand why you are so beat up around the eyes.
Who did the surgery, an oncologist? Personally, I might look for another guy because, just from my experience, you really shouldn't be looking like that.

Anyway, glad you are doing better and hopefully the recovery will be quick and painless.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on December 01, 2022, 11:43:46 AMMy fondest memories as a kid was the Tioghnioga River. Caught an 20 inch Rainbow on a ball of bread dough when I was 9 years old. Couldn't wait to get back to the house to show my parents. The neighbor kids and my brothers and I built forts on the islands, camped out, swam (once in awhile had to pick off a leech...that sucked, but made us laugh), and of course fished from dawn to night on many days. Now I only kayak down the river about once or twice a year and haven't dropped a line in the water in probably 10 years

The Tioughnioga has made so many changes since I was a kid - islands that were there are now gone, where it used to be shallow, it's now deep...the big trees we used to climb to jump in our swimming hole are gone, and the trajectory has changed. It also used to be a favorite trout fishing destination and when I was a kid, cars were lined up on the road and there were hundreds of fishermen on the banks. Now it's better for Walleyes, Pikes, and even Tiger Muskies. Now it is almost entirely used for canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. Sometimes there are hundreds of kids and adults floating down the river. Never saw that as a kid. The Tioghniogha made national headlines a couple of years ago when kayakers took pictures of alligators along the banks. Everyone thought it was a hoax until the DEC captured two of them...LOL



directions to the nearest service station

Wow!! I never heard the alligator story. That's insane.

Quote from: LennG on December 01, 2022, 12:50:38 PMOK, Ric, WOW, who did this to you? I know all about these things as I have had 3 surgeries for Melanoma, one on the side of my face, which also included a plastic surgeon. In all three, I have never come looking anything like you did.
I am certainly not questioning the reasoning for this surgery, but I have had countless basil cell and assorted other 'spots' removed from my face, nose, ears, etc. and they are always frozen off. I can understand that if it was deep enough, you would need surgery, and I am far from the expert, but I do not understand why you are so beat up around the eyes.
Who did the surgery, an oncologist? Personally, I might look for another guy because, just from my experience, you really shouldn't be looking like that.

Anyway, glad you are doing better and hopefully the recovery will be quick and painless.

I had it done at Syracuse Plastic Surgeons. They were very professional and when I told the surgeon that my butt cheeks were clenched so hard that they are starting to hurt...just trying to lighten the moment...this of course, during the series of Novocaine shots around the eyes, nose, and especially at the edges of my nostrils. My previous Novocaine shots from the morning surgery had already worn off...    SOB that hurts. The PA asked me if I wanted something to squeeze, and I said, "sure, why not" and she gave me a silacone filled breast implant (Size 34D) to squeeze...LOL

The reason it looks so bad is because of all the bleeding under the skin and swelling. I was told it was going to happen. My original skin specialist told me that freezing wouldn't get deep enough and that freezing and topical creams only work for superficial cancer spots...otherwise, I definitely would've chosen that route over Mohl surgery.

Quote from: Sem on December 01, 2022, 12:51:06 PMWow!! I never heard the alligator story. That's insane.

Probably some guys who bought baby alligators in Florida and brought them to New York, only to wonder what to do with them after they started getting too big for a tub...LOL. So what do they do? Go down to the local river and dump them off. https://www.newyorkupstate.com/southern-tier/2017/08/watch_2nd_alligator_captured_in_upstate_ny_river_video.html

Hope you feel better soon Ric.

Bill