When the worst part is the healing

Not a pretty profile

Ellen, the physician assistant at ECP (the light therapy), said that my Mohs surgery for invasive squamous cell carcinoma was on a small area and would be no big deal. All things considered, it is definitely no big deal, but for the week in which it is healing, it is.

For a small spot that was barely visible (the resident called the BF into the exam room to make sure they had the right spot), it must have gone relatively deep. It only needed one "pass," but it required internal stitches and a running stitch with maybe eight loops. 

Though my blood pressure was a little high, I wasn't worried about the procedure itself. Dr. Schmultz, at the Mohs surgery center at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, in Jamaica Plain, does such a good job of giving the anesthesia that you barely feel it. Also it was quick, and we chatted for most of it about such relevant topics as making sure I was taking niacinamide (same as nicotinamide) which has been shown in studies to cut down on skin cancer risk. I asked about a product, Tru Niagen, which has the same active ingredient and a big anti-aging marketing campaign. She said it was all the same and she wondered how long it would take for someone to make money off of it.

The anesthesia had worn off by the time we got home. It started to ache. As directed, I took 10 mgs. of oxycodone. It helped with the pain but it affects my sleep. You would think it would knock a person out, but it puts me in a strange state. I took a sliver of Ativan. I tried to read but couldn't focus. I doubt that I got much sleep.

Since then it has hurt on and off. I don't remember the other healing processes being as uncomfortable. Maybe I just forgot. Maybe it really is more uncomfortable due to positioning which causes the area to stretch every time I move my head. I haven't played tennis or run and have just been walking. Yesterday and today I went to yoga because I felt like I needed more. My mental state is not great. The other night, when I washed it and applied Vaseline and a new Bandaid, I must have activated something because it itched so much I thought I would never get to sleep unless I took a Benadryl. I took the Benadryl and woke up hung over. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I get the stitches out.

Here's a little something I wrote about having four stem cell transplants. I figure I've had more pain in my life than the one I'm having in this healing process. Still, the pain you have at the moment is the one that hurts and it doesn't make it much easier to think about times that were worse.