BCC on Legs
I am scheduled to have an excision of a BCC on my shin in about a month. This is my 3rd BCC, so I know what to expect with the excision. At least I think I do. 😀 My first two BCCs were on my face and shoulder. I had Mohs surgery on my face and an excision on my shoulder, both of which went well and the scars have healed nicely. I'm a little more concerned about this third one though, mostly as to the recovery.
The BCC on my shin has been there for several years and is larger than the others I've had. The dermatologist and I both thought it was just a scar. Finally this year I noticed that it had changed and had it biopsied just in case. It was just a shave biopsy, no stitches, but it still took a really long time to heal. Much longer than other biopsies I had done at the same time on my face and neck (which were negative - yay!)
I know that excisions on lower limbs can be slower to heal, and I'm guessing this one will be a doozy. I'm also worried that just flexing my ankle while walking could pull on the stitches. I know I'll have to stay out of the gym for 2 weeks until the stitches are out, (plus I'm annoyed that spring should be arriving here in Kansas right about the time I'm supposed to limit my activity), but I can live with that. 😀 If anyone has thoughts about wound healing on a lower leg that they'd like to share, I'd love to hear them! Thanks, Christy
Hi Christy,
I am hoping someone else can chime in on healing in the lower limbs. I have only experienced basal surgeries on my neck and shoulder. I can attest to the fact that movement does, indeed, stretch those stitches. As much as I have to move my head and neck as a teacher, I didn't have any stitches loosen, though.
I am sorry that recovery is going to hit you at an active time. That has to be hard for you. Hopefully, your surgeon/doctor will be able to give you some pointers on healing or maybe some ointments to apply that will keep the surgery site from being so dry and prone to tugging at the stitches.
Congrats on those negative biopsies, by the way! That's great news! Keep us posted on your surgery and recovery! Best wishes! April, SkinCancer.net, Moderator
Thanks, April, for the encouraging words! I had my excision on Tuesday, and this one is definitely a lot more sore than previous ones. I'm pretty comfortable as long as I have my leg propped up with an ice bag, but walking and driving are not much fun. I'm sure it will get better every day. Stitches will be in for 3 weeks (a week longer than I thought) so I'll be babying it along for a while. Looking on the bright side - the surgery part is behind me, and now I can focus on healing. And when I read about people who have to put off treatment for financial/ health insurance reasons, that always reminds me to be grateful for the ability to access good medical care!
You have such a positive attitude! That helps tremendously when coming with recovery issues. I'm hoping this moves very quickly for you and you are back to your normal routine very soon! I'd love to hear how you're doing in a few weeks! Wishing you the best! April, @Skincancer.net, Moderator
Hi
, I wanted to make sure your healing went well. Thinking of you! - Nina, @SkinCancer.net Team Thanks Nina! My shin has healed up really well. I'd say I was completely back to my normal routine within a week of the stitches being out (so a month after the excision). No complications, just another scar to remind me to be religious about the sunscreen! This BCC looked a little different from my first two, so it was also a good lesson about what to watch out for.
That's wonderful,
! I'm glad it was a smooth healing process, and thank you for providing a timeline so that others can learn from you. There are so many ways BCC can present, it's often confusing! Hopefully you won't have any more recurrences for a while, but if you do, don't hesitate to let us know! I also want to let you know that if you want to share more of your story with the community, you can always do so here: https://skincancer.net/stories. Best to you! - Nina, SkinCancer.net Team
