In a previous blog, I mentioned I was scheduled to undergo MOHs surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma from my chin. I thought I’d provide an update before we get into today’s topic.
I had the surgery yesterday and everything went well. As confirmed with the MOHs procedure, they removed the rest of the cancer cells, the margins are now clear, and the cancer is gone. If you’re not familiar with MOHs surgery, it’s a specialized surgical technique used to remove skin cancer, particularly in sensitive areas where preserving healthy tissue is essential. It involves removing thin layers of cancerous tissue, examining them under a microscope, and repeating the process until all cancerous cells are removed. This procedure has a high cure rate.
The most painful part of the surgery is the initial numbing. Lidocaine is injected in the area in numerous spots. Once the area is completely numb, the surgeon makes their initial incision and removes the first sample. That sample is cut into extremely thin layers, dyed, and then viewed under a microscope. If the margins are clear, the surgeon can then close the wound. If cancer cells are still visible in the margins, the surgeon will go back in and remove another layer of tissue. This process is continued until the margins are clear.
My incision is about 1 1/2″ in length. Since it’s on the face and so visible, internal and external sutures are used to close the wound. My surgeon tried to follow the normal curves of my chin so the scar will be less apparent once everything heals.
This morning, there’s still quite a bit of swelling and bruising around the incision. Once the swelling goes down and the wound begins to heal, I doubt you’ll even be able to tell. You have to be thankful for modern technology that allow surgeons to work such miracles.
How does this relate to Myasthenia Gravis? It’s a separate issue, but provides me with a chance to discuss anesthesia for someone with MG. The anesthesia used for this procedure was what they call a “local anesthesia”, where lidocaine was injected directly into the site. This type of anesthesia generally causes no issues in someone with MG.
General anesthesia, however, is a completely different story. General anesthesia is the type commonly used for longer or more extensive surgeries. It presents unique challenges for someone with Myasthenia Gravis due to already compromised neuromuscular and respiratory systems. Patients with MG are at increased risk of respiratory complications, prolonged paralysis from muscle relaxants, and potential worsening of MG symptoms following surgery.
If you have MG and must undergo surgery involving other than just local anesthesia, then it’s extremely important your doctor is aware that you have Myasthenia Gravis. In most cases, a different type of anesthesia can be used that causes less complications for someone with MG.
That’s also the reason I recommend you wear some kind of medical alert identification.
Let’s say you’re in a bad car accident and are unconscious, but your injuries are severe and require immediate surgery. Since you were unconscious, you’d have no way of informing the doctors you have MG unless you’re wearing some type of medical alert identification. I wear my medical alert identification right on my watch band. It can be easily seen, identifies that I have MG and can be turned over and the QR symbol scanned to bring up a list of my medical conditions and medications.
If you have MG or any other type of chronic medical condition, then you should be wearing some kind of medical alert identification. There’s no reason to take chances on something that could become serious very quickly.
Oh, and by the way, get your skin checked. Those little devils can sneak up on you!