On Tuesday I had to see my plastic surgeon and his nurse, as there are two areas of my scar that haven't healed. It turns out I am too healthy, and have overgranulation, or "proud flesh". Silver nitrate was used to burn the excess back (ouch!) to enable the wound to close over. A troublesome stitch was also cut out. They may have to repeat the procedure a few times, but hopefully healing is not far away.
The surgeon commented on my significant hair loss near the scar, saying that the hair follicles are sometimes damaged beyond repair by the tension the skin is put under. He spoke about hair transplants and other procedures to address this, but said he wouldn't consider anything like that for at least 12 months, as we need to monitor the area closely to see if the cancer comes back.
It seems that despite the fact that the pathology indicated all of the tumour was removed, I have a reasonably high risk of it recurring. I've since studied it online (as you do!), and the risk is increased if the tumour is large (greater than 2 cm) or aggressive (in my case, infiltrative and morpheaform). Also, the risk of a new, separate tumour appearing within the next five years is 50%. So I probably need to prepare myself for the likelihood I'll be doing this again sometime!
That said, I know I'll never have another tumour this large. I'll be monitored every six months for the rest of my life, so anything new will be caught quite early.
On a brighter note, I visited the hairdresser today. I've been going to the same salon for 11 years. My original hairdresser has left, but the other (Grace) is equally skilled in the way she cuts my hair. I knew she'd be up to the task of hiding my scars and bald patches.
What I didn't know was that since I saw her last she has begun making customised wigs for people with cancer. She had breast cancer a couple of years ago, and lost her hair after chemotherapy. She now sees people in similar circumstances, and has developed the art of enhancing what is there and hiding the problem areas. So I was definitely in good hands!
Here is the end result:
This is by far the shortest my hair has ever been. She even used the shaver on my neck! It is a graduated bob, like I've had before, and she manages to make the hair look much thicker at the back by encouraging it to curl under at the bottom.
I was a bit disappointed, because I've spent the majority of my adult life avoiding a block fringe. But it is the only way to effectively hide, and protect, the damaged areas on my scalp. She brought the hair forward from quite a long way back (there was a technical term for it which I can't remember) to make the fringe. But as you can see, it does the job of hiding everything!
My days of wearing my hair in a ponytail may be over, but at least I don't need a wig!
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