The Long Road to Mohs
Last updated: July 2020
Tomorrow morning I’m having Mohs surgery for an infiltrating basal cell cancer on my face. My surgery was originally scheduled for two months ago, but because of COVID-19, the procedure was postponed. Having the surgery postponed was a relief yet, at the same time, caused me worry. The surgeon’s office is located in a hospital, and honestly, I didn’t want to have to walk through the hospital to get to my doctor’s office during a time when the coronavirus was spreading like wildfire. On the other hand, I wondered if the cancerous area would be spreading during the delay.
COVID-19 and Mohs surgery delays
I previously wrote about my journey to getting to the point of having Mohs. I wasn’t initially sold on having Mohs surgery. Thankfully, though, I was comfortable with the surgeon during my consult with him. He took plenty of time to explain what he would do and what I could most likely expect. Surgery was scheduled for two weeks later. But one week later it was mandated where I live, that all elective and non-emergency medical procedures were to be taken off the schedule. Once that mandate was lifted, my surgeon’s office called to reschedule.
Hesistant about the COVID-19 test
During that phone call, I was told that because of the coronavirus, I would be required to get a COVID test prior to surgery. I completely understood the reasoning behind this - I want my health care providers who will be operating on my face to be healthy, and they want to know that I am also healthy. But even though I understood why I needed the test, I was petrified to get it. I’d seen videos of people getting the test, and it looked awful.
My journey to get the COVID-19 test
There was no choice but to get it though, so I called the phone number I was given to get scheduled. My surgeon’s office warned me that there were only two people answering calls for the entire state and to not leave a voicemail because they had no time to listen to voicemails. Twenty-one tries later, I got through. It was coming up on a holiday weekend, and the scheduler said that because I needed to get in soon I wouldn’t be able to go somewhere close to my home as those locations were closed on weekends. I was scheduled for 8:00 on a Saturday morning, at a hospital that was nearly an hour’s drive from my home. I was told that I would need to enter the hospital through the emergency department to get registered and would then go to the lab. In my mind, I pictured an emergency department full of very sick people. I was sure if I didn’t have the coronavirus when I went in there, I would have it after I left there.
Should I take this as a sign?
I wore two masks into the hospital, a fabric one and a paper one. I had Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer with me. And I was pleasantly surprised to find out that no one but me was in the emergency department registration area! When I got to the lab, the lab technician told me the scheduler had scheduled me too soon and that I would have to come back on Monday because the test was only valid for 96 hours. I was beginning to think I wasn’t supposed to have this surgery!
Finally ready for my Mohs surgery
I went back two days later, and thankfully the test wasn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined. This particular lab did a throat swab and then one nasal swab. It was pretty uncomfortable but tolerable. This has definitely been a circuitous route to get a surgery, but I think I’m as mentally prepared as I can be for my Mohs. Here’s hoping for no surprises during the surgery!

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