The fun continues and I am no longer surprised.

For a long time I had a very small bump on the side of my nose. I brushed it off since I have numerous bumps, moles, and freckles. It was just another one right? That is what I thought at first at least.

Early in the start of last year, I scratched the bump because it itched and it began to bleed. That was the start of a whole year of having a wound. When it was not covered in a bloody scab, it was crusted over in wound weep. It would act like it was healing and the scab would fall off only to start all over again.

Of course I messaged my doctor about a month in. I was then put on hold for dermatology to examine it. You would think I would get to see a doctor at that point but that would be too easy. I was instead seen by an imaging technician to get a photo taken of the wound. A week later, I got the diagnosis of impetigo from a dermatologist I never even spoke to or saw. I was given a cream and told to reach out if there are any problems.

The cream did nothing to heal me. A month after I reached back out. I then had a referral put in to actually see a dermatologist in person. This took multiple months for the hospital system to fit me in. Finally I saw a very cheerful guy who took a few seconds to offer a liquid nitrogen spray treatment to help it heal. He gave me a new diagnosis: a growth on an area with rosacea. I asked about cancer and was told that I was too young for that.

The area given cold burn treatment scabbed over and fell off. For once it was not oozing and I was SO happy. I thought the ordeal was completely over and I would no longer have to be so embarrassed by having a nose wound. My happiness lasted around a week. It reopened and was incredibly bloody. Much bigger in size compared to before. I felt throbbing deep in my nose and itching on the outside. I knew then what it was. It had to be a type of cancer. A kind of 6th sense that prepared me beforehand for the news. I just had to get to that point now.

It was just last week I went in for another assessment. It was at a different center and with a different doctor. She was very professional and closely examined the wound. She then performed an aggressive biopsy with my consent. I truly believe she knew as well and did not want to make me panic. With a surgical pen she marked the outline of the wound and cut everything inside out at a fairly deep depth. The part that hurt the worst was the lidocaine shot. I was sent home bandaged and the entire sample sent for biopsy. I bled a lot when home and ended up using quick stop powder to calm it down enough for bed.

I got the results three days later. I was in the health section (ironically) of Safeway with my mom looking for more bandaids, when her phone rang. I saw it was the hospital and I knew before she even answered. They always email unless they have really important news. I had skin cancer. Cancer at 27 years old. It still feels unreal. Specifically I have nodular basal cell carcinoma. Thankfully it is the slowest growing type of skin cancer but it took a really long time to get diagnosed and it will be even longer to get treatment. My margins were not clear on the biopsy and I will need Moh’s surgery.

My surgery date is scheduled for June 19th. Yes, it is a very long time from now. Dermatology is incredibly backed up and because my cancer is considered slow growing, I am not a high priority. It will require cutting thin slices off one at a time and manually checking each one for cancer cells. This can take up to 8 hours and I was told to pack my own lunch. It will be an absolute marathon. To be honest I am worried. I feel like my treatment has been delayed far longer than it should already. I also have no idea how bad the problem actually is inside. I just hope it has not spread too far.

As to why I got cancer, I can think of multiple factors:

1. Family history of skin cancer on my mother’s side.
2. Extensive x-ray exposure.
3. Past use of blood thinners leading to extensive blistering and sun damage.
4. Chronic childhood steroid use for breathing treatments causing skin thinning.

I just pray that the consequences will be minimal.