Not One Size Fits All: My Mohs Isn’t Your Mohs, and Yours Isn’t Mine

This year, I had my first Mohs surgery. I’ve had skin cancer for over 25 years, but this was the first time my doctor said I didn’t have the option of an excision surgery for my skin cancer area. I was nervous to have the surgery, so prior to my surgery I read multiple articles on what to expect during the surgery, and I also read multiple articles on what to expect after the surgery.

Comparing Mohs surgery experiences

What I’ve discovered from this, though, is that my experience didn’t quite fit into what some other people experienced. Basically, just as we may all experience skin cancer in different ways, we may also experience Mohs surgery in different ways.

Showering

One article I read about aftercare instructions said to not rinse the surgical area directly with water. However, my surgeon told me to shower as normal after the initial 24-hour period with a pressure bandage was over, and the wound was then just covered with Steri-Strips, washing and drying the area every day.

Topicals

I read where someone said to use Vaseline or Polysporin to keep the surgical area moist during healing; however, my surgeon said to only use Vaseline unless he instructed otherwise, and he specifically said to not use Polysporin or Bacitracin-type ointments.

Invasiveness

Several people had commented that having Mohs surgery is no big deal. I was at the surgery center for 7 hours, and it took three rounds of surgery to get all the cancer removed. During round #2, my doctor was talking to his nurse and said “when I put her lip back together.” He had to reconstruct my lip after the surgeries. That felt like a big deal to me.

Pain management

Several people I know who have had Mohs told me to be sure to take my pain pills after surgery that the doctor will give me, but my doctor didn’t prescribe any pain medicine. He told me to use Tylenol as needed and to call him if it didn’t end up being enough for my pain.

Tips for Mohs on mouth and nose area

So, I’m not going to tell you what to expect. I will share with you several tips, though, that may be useful if you’re having Mohs surgery, especially in your mouth/nose area:

• Make sure you have Tylenol at home, as your doctor may instruct you to not take Ibuprofen as it may increase risk of bleeding.
• Make sure you have ice packs at home (or bags of frozen peas work well too)!
• You may want to have a baby spoon at home. I found out the day after surgery I couldn’t open my mouth enough to be able to use regular-sized silverware. Fortunately, I had saved a baby spoon from when my kids were babies, and I ended up using that for nearly a week.
• You may want to have straws at home. I could not put a cup up to my mouth to drink, and the only way I could drink was with a straw.
• You may want to take a photo of your surgery area every day or two, so you can see the progress you are making. Your doctor may also ask you to send them a photo. Mine requested that I text him a photo a week after surgery, and then 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 9 weeks after surgery.

Mohs recovery differences

Remember that Mohs surgery, and recovery from it, aren’t one size fits all. Whether you’re having Mohs for the first time, or this is your 10th time, it may be helpful to read of others’ experiences but keep in mind that may not be your experience. Your surgery and recovery may depend on several factors: where your skin cancer is located, how deep it is, how much tissue is in the area to work with, or how much reconstruction needs to be done (whether during surgery or post-surgery).

No comparison needed

The lesson here? Don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t feel that just because someone you know seemed to have a miraculous recovery from their surgery, something must be wrong with you because yours is taking awhile. Don’t worry if you need to take Tylenol multiple times a day (or pain meds, if your doctor prescribed them) to try to keep your pain under control even though your friend didn’t need any pain medicine after their surgery. Everyone’s skin cancer is different. Everyone’s surgery experience is different. Everyone’s recovery is different.

Most importantly, follow the care instructions given by your doctor. Don’t hesitate to contact your doctor’s office before surgery or during healing if you have any concerns. You are your own best advocate, and if you think something doesn’t seem right or feel right, be sure to ask your doctor about it.