Nose Job

I submitted to the knife at the Vancouver Skin Cancer Clinic on Wednesday. It was a nine hour marathon, mostly waiting with the other eight or so individuals with similar problems. There was lots of time to compare notes. I was surprised to discover most people were returning for a repeated treatment. It's a one day, snip, test, snip, test and reconstruct procedure. My nose was sliced six times, each time a little more taken, until all the "basel cell" had been eliminated.

The final reconstruction took about an hour. A piece of fresh skin was removed from over my clavicle and sewn into place over the nose. All through, a cauterizing tool kept the blood vessels in check and added a little olfactory ambience. I was able to watch the nose being excavated by crossing my left eye, which happens to be a very nearsighted eye, and could focus perfectly. As the hole in my nose grew, I was reminded of those dentist visits when the drill enlarges the cavity and the tongue dives in and feels around thinking, "Man is this huge!" From my one eye view the hole seemed enormous. Just before the reconstruction was to begin I was left alone in the room. I hopped up and took a photo of my diminished appendage. Look at your own risk!

With any luck I'll post the finished view in a week or so. I go back next Wednesday for the follow up and to have 50 plus stitches removed. The shoulder hole was laced up with dissolvable thread. The surrounding skin will gradually stretch to fill the gap. At one point, both the doctor and nurse were busy sewing over me. Threads fluttered over my eye lashes, the nurses head was down close to my gaping shoulder. I was the zombie having his body pieces sewn together before he rises up and walks!