Skin Cancer. [Basal cell carcinoma]
Some of these images contain the sight of blood so please be aware of that fact.
This image was taken on the 5th of
May 2006 click
on it
to see a larger image.
In 1998 I noticed a small blemish on my right leg, it looked like a spot but did not develop a head. I realised after a while that it was not disappearing like a spot on the skin normally does. After several years of having this mark on my skin I was advised by a friend to show it to a doctor, who on seeing the blemish said in good old plain English, "It is benign, so it is nothing to worry about." So I did not worry about it for several years after. But then it started itching and was getting bigger and it did start to worry me, so I went back to the Doctor. This time when he looked at it he said again it was nothing to worry about but if it does worry me he would refer me to another Doctor in the same medical practise who specialises in skin disease. I told him I would like it checked out by this other Doctor. He gave me the Doctors name and I organised a check-up for the week after.
When I went to see the Doctor she also had no idea what the blemish was but did say it was not benign, she recommended I go to see a skin specialist at another health centre. An appointment she said she would organise herself.
So I waited patiently for this appointment to arrive through my letterbox.
This image was taken on the 3rd of July 2006
click on it to see a larger
image.
After a few weeks a letter arrived asking me to go to Westward Park to see yet more doctors.
When I got there I was seen quite quickly by a male Doctor who looked carefully at the blemish on my leg and then he spoke. "Please wait there a minute whilst I go get someone else to have a look."
I waited for a short while and he came back with another male Doctor who then examined the blemish and quietly spoke to each other and then one spoke in a louder voice. "We need to organise a biopsy to determine exactly what it is." In other words they did not know what it was. I was told that an appointment to see another skin specialist at St Luke's hospital was needed.
So I waited patiently for this appointment to arrive through my letterbox.
This image was taken on the 9th of November 2006
click on it to see a larger image.
After several more weeks my appointment arrived and off I went to see some more Doctors. When it was my turn to go into the examination room there was a Female Doctor ,a Male Doctor and a Nurse in there. None asked me to sit down so I just took it upon myself to sit on a chair. They asked me some questions and then asked me to go into the other room and take my pants down, both Doctors examined the mark on my leg and put a line around it with a pen, then I was asked to put my trousers back on. I sat there for a while not knowing if they had finished examining me when I heard a voice asking me to go back into the other room, so I did. The lady Doctor told me it was indeed skin cancer and they needed to do a biopsy to determine exactly what type it was. I was told to wait outside and the biopsy would be done next door in a short while. I was unsure of what to expect in the other room. I was under the impression a small sliver of skin would be shaved off my leg where the blemish was.
Two hours before I went to the hospital I took this image.
click on it to see a larger image.
I was called into the outpatients theatre and was asked to take my trousers off and lay on the bed. This I did with a bit of discomfort to my pelvis, but I managed to climb aboard and awaited to see what was going to happen. A Nurse put a cloth across my midriff and a Doctor started to put something cool and wet on my leg to disinfect the area. "I am going to inject local anaesthetic into the area it may sting a bit." said the Doctor. I did not watch him do it but I can say I fealt it. He squashed my skin together with his hand and placed the needle into my skin, at this point it stung like hell, he seemed to shove it too hard and I got the impression he had shoved it straight through my skin and squeezed the plunger on the syringe, a lot of the contents went all over the poor Nurse who was very calm about it and said "I caught it with my apron." "Sorry about that." replied the Doctor. I lay there pretending I was somewhere else and wished he would hurry up and get some of the stuff in my leg. Eventually my thigh went numb and he took his biopsy sample and then stitched it up, 'Hang on.' I thought to myself, 'Why am I having stitches.' I had a look to see what had been done and realised they had taken a lump out for the biopsy and not a sliver, there were four stitches in my leg. I was asked to get dressed and went home and awaited the biopsy results.
Hours after the biopsy I took this
picture. click on it
to see a larger image.
During the next few weeks I took these
images of the healing process.
I received a letter to say that an appointment had been made for me on the 22nd of March 2007. Then several weeks later I received a phone call asking me if I could go to Bradford Royal infirmary on the 5th of January 2007, they had brought it forward by three months. [I did not know why] I honestly thought that the job was done and the blemish was gone forever, unfortunately I was wrong, so I acknowledged I could go on the 5th of January 2007.
The day before [4th of January] I
took this image.
On the 5th of January 2007 at 10.00am we arrived at the hospital and I booked in at reception for my operation. I was told they were running half an hour behind but I was the next patient to be going into theatre. I have never been to an appointment at the hospital that was actually running on time. The only pain I fealt during the operation was from the local anaesthetic as it entered my leg, after that I only fealt slight sensations has my flesh and skin were cut out and removed. The Doctor and staff were excellent in every way and I give them credit where it is due, well done.
The day of the operation, but
beware
it contains pictures of blood
