After being diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) on her nose, our patient wanted treatment without the lengthy NHS wait. She visited our Newcastle clinic where she underwent surgery with Miss Jane Kerby.
“I chose to have the surgery done because the BCC was on my nose in a prominent position. I had waited for an NHS appointment to confirm it was a BCC (that took a couple of months) and then discovered that the wait for surgery was 9-12 months. I wanted the surgery to happen as soon as possible to enable me to get on with life
I found the initial consultation a positive experience and the option of a skin graft rather than a flap seemed a more cosmetic option for surgery in the middle of my face. My hopes were for a cosmetic option as well as removal of the BCC and in a better time frame than the NHS
I looked into options available and the reviews of the skin surgery clinic impressed me as well as the fact that the surgeons worked at RVI
The surgery was quite daunting despite the reassurances of the staff! I found the anaesthetic injections into my nose very painful but that only lasted for a short time.
The rest of the surgery was fine! It was uncomfortable for a while after the surgery and i was grateful to be able to speak to the nursing team a couple of times for reassurance and advice – this was particularly valuable
Unfortunately for me the BCC was infiltrative and so not all had been removed with the surgery. I then had another BCC identified on the other side of my nose so I needed further surgery and then a type of chemo cream for 6 weeks. I can’t pretend the experience was pleasant but I felt very supported by the whole team. Ms Kerby spoke to me regularly keeping me up to date with results and treatment options. I had different questions the second time round post surgery and knew I could ask them without any judgement or issues.
The chemo cream was difficult – my nose was very sore. I sent photos into the team for advice and that was helpful (I wasn’t sure what to expect and would have found it helpful to see some photos of the skin reaction with the cream so would be ok if you wanted to include these)
I would definitely recommend the skin surgery clinic to anyone in a similar situation. The professionalism and care is exemplary; they are compassionate and approachable. it enables you to have the surgery in your own timeframe without the long wait. While i know a BCC isn’t dangerous to leave it was so much better to have it removed when I wanted it rather than worrying for another 9-12 months”
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