Just got through a nasty case of nose cancer. I had a stubborn sore on the top front of my nose that just wouldn't completely heal up. I started getting suspicious about it and went to a dermatologist. They biopsied it and sure enough it came back showing the presence of basal cell cancer. It sounded like they were just going to scrape a few layers of skin to remove it and then repair the spot. What an upsetting shock I got. The cancer went all the way down to my nose cartilage and all the way out to the front tip of my nose. The surgery was as if the surgeon took a mini backhoe and went about a third of the way up my nose, dug down, and dug forward straight out through the front of my nose. The whole front part of the rounded part of the tip of my nose was gone. I could not figure out how it would be possible to repair such a deep crater with so much missing tissue. I had the repair surgery done about 3 weeks ago which involved taking skin/fat from the side of my neck and graft it on. This past week I had the stitches removed and got a good look and under the circumstances she did a wonderful job. Not exactly the same looking but it's better than what I thought. She said the entire healing process will take about a year. I know a lot of us quads like to get out in the sun and enjoy the warmth of the rays. Please be carefull. I don't know if sunscrean lotions really protect as much as advertised. I'd still got a little burned with it on. If you ever have a sore on your face/shoulders/ back or really anywhere that is being stubborn in healing up, get it checked out asap. Basal cells seem to be a common problem on the face. They are very slow working and not life threatening if caught and removed early enough. Fortunately my surgeon was able to remove all the cancer. She feels that the cancer started internally maybe as long as two years ago. I dodged a bullet. Tim http://THEQUADLINK.COM
