The biopsy at the dermatologist's office had been painful because of the needle they use to inject Lidocaine. I was anxious about going through that again. Some people who had the surgery had recommended bringing an ice pack to deaden the area. I remembered that a few years ago, I had cyst removed and I had requested a topical Lidocaine cream to be applied to the area ahead of time. I feel that sometimes surgeons fight this because it's an extra step and it takes time for the cream to work. But my dermatologist recommended that I call the surgeon and request a prescription, and for Valium as well. He wrote the prescriptions for me, and my husband had them filled, and we spoke to his office about my desire to come in early and have these medications take effect. This took some negotiating and some double checking to make sure that there would be no snags.
To have those medications was the best thing ever. We arrived an hour and a half before our scheduled appointment at 8:30 am, and the nurse applied the Lidocaine to my nose. It's a white cream and it is supposed to be covered by a Saran Wrap-type covering for it to take effect. I sat outside in the waiting room, which was almost empty, and since everyone who goes to this surgeon is there for the same thing, no one stared. A few minutes before my appointment, the nurse called me in and took me to their exam room. It had a dentist type chair, quite comfortable, and strong lights. I took the Valium under the nurse's supervision at that time. A few minutes later, we were taken to the operating room. It had a nice poster of trees, and a big window with trees outside. There was another dentist-type chair, but there was more equipment here, big lights that moved and trays with surgical tools.
The personnel make a huge difference. Everyone at this office was upbeat and caring and sensitive. They made sure at all times that I was okay. My husband was with me all the time and allowed to sit next to me and hold my hand. It was cold, and the nurse offered me a blanket, which I held on to the entire time I was there. One of the best things I did was to bring a comfortable cotton hoodie. It saved me from being uncomfortably cold. Part of that was the air conditioning, but another part, I'm sure, was my nerves.
I had dressed comfortably: long yoga pants, comfortable and soft with no tight waistband, a cotton t-shirt with a wide neck for easy removal, and slip ons. I brought my big purse with a snack, a granola bar (that was a great idea, as I later got hungry and headachy and if I hadn't eaten, it would have been worse), my iPhone with the Kindle application so I could read a little here and there (I like to read about people in dire straits, about to lose their lives, running from cannibals and such, to help put things in perspective), and a crossword puzzle book from the New York Times. I also had a book with me but did not open it, as the Kindle was enough. Later on, I got really thirsty, and my husband went and bought me a bottle of water.
The Lidocaine had taken effect and so had the Valium. The doctor came in and asked if I had any questions. I think I did, but don't remember what I asked him. He was kind enough to ask whether I wanted him to tell me what he was doing or not. I did, and he spoke the whole time. He also was encouraging, as it's invasive and not comfortable to have someone working on your face. He and his staff were very sensitive to that, and that helped immensely.
They cleaned the area and placed a drape around my face. I was told to close my eyes to protect them in case they dropped anything. The doctor drew a circle around the area with a blue felt pen and said that this was the area of incision. He gave me a mirror so I could see where he had drawn. Then he injected the Lidocaine and I barely felt it. They injected several times, with decreasing sensation, about twenty times around the area. This part, which many people say is the most painful, was not that bad because of the previous application of the numbing cream. Smart move!
The excision itself did not take long. They asked if I wanted to see, and I did. It was not bleeding a lot, a round red area. Then the nurse dressed my wound and they both said they hoped that was it. Now came the waiting to see if they had gotten it all.
I had previously asked to wait in the exam room if available, instead of the reception area. Something about sitting right next to people and doors opening made me nervous, with such a fresh incision. So my husband and I sat in the exam room and waited for about forty minutes while the doctor analyzed the tissue. I could only hope that they had gotten it all, because at that point, with the wound dressed, there would be no further procedures and the next step would be to allow it to heal naturally, just like the biopsy.
They had taken a lot of pictures, before, during and after, which I had given consent for. The doctor not only has a stellar resume and is one of the few in the area with the experience of ten thousand cases, but he also teaches. Anything to further medical science, especially as simple as letting them take pictures, was okay with me.
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