rvb Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 (edited) Seems strange, not yet 30 yrs old and a desk jockey. Biopsy came back as basal cell on my nose. Getting it cut out next month. Guess I'll have to be carefull on the range from now on. Always wore a ball cap and had a beach umbrella on the range cart. Sun screen gets sweated off in 5 min so I didn't always bother with that, but in the peak of summer I sometimes put some on. Going to have to figure something out to better protect myself from now on I guess. You wouldn't think an average of 3-4 days per month outside with matches/practice would be that bad, although I did work construction in college and spent a lot of time outside on house remodelling this summer. Oh well. More of an inconvenience than anything I think in the grand scheme of things. -rvb Edited December 12, 2007 by rvb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 My sister gets a lot of those. best info is that they result from some kind of exposure event at an early age, that makes you more prone to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 Wow, that sucks...fingers crossed that it's just a one-time thing! Having lived in Southern MD for almost ten years I know what you mean about sunscreen getting sweated off quickly. Did you ever try putting it on maybe half an hour before you leave the house? That seemed to help me a bit. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pstmstr Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 Wow, that sucks...fingers crossed that it's just a one-time thing!Having lived in Southern MD for almost ten years I know what you mean about sunscreen getting sweated off quickly. Did you ever try putting it on maybe half an hour before you leave the house? That seemed to help me a bit. R, I hope your's turns out to be very small and minor thing. I had to go in for one on the side of my left nostril about 2 months ago, I ended up being in surgery for almost 3 hours until they got it all and had to take part of my nose off. I still have to go back in April for another skin graft and it still isn't going to look like it did. I now wear a Tilley hat and plenty of sun screen. Watch your ears too and the back of your neck. I kind of blew this type of stuff off before, but never again. Everyone please take care to protect yourself, this has not been a fun experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouSlide Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 Ryan, the best I've found is Bull Frog SPF 36 Quick Gel...it passes the "Louisiana summer" (humid) as well as "southwestern desert" (dry) tests for me. Best of luck, buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvb Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Had my surgery on Friday (Mohs Surgery). Been layed up since, but going back to work tomorrow. Today was the first I got out of the house (went to a movie with the wife since it was MLK holiday). Friday/Sat I couldn't even go upstairs to use the bathroom w/o things bleeding. Been sleeping in the living room lazyboy cause I'm afraid I'll end up rolling over in my sleep and ripping stitches out (got 17 of em). The mohs surgery itself was cake... the reconstruction worked sucked. My nose looks like I was attacked by a pit bull. Hopefully I'll get back to shooting and dryfiring soon. I stopped at Bass Pro and bought a goofy looking fishing hat to keep sun off the ears and stuff better at matches. -rvb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el pres Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Glad everything went fine for you! What was it that made you go have checked, frekel, discoloration??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Hope it all works out for you. People with light complexions, light hair and light eye coloring are typically at the highest risk for skin cancers. Those with dark complexions, hair and eyes, are less susceptible, but by no means immune from them. What I really don't understand are those who willingly spend their winters in tanning beds. FWIW dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisStock Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 4 weeks ago, I had the top of my right ear removed due to basal cell carcinoma. They had a mobile oncology unit in the parking lot. The doc made a slice from the top, sent it outside, and 45 mins later came the answer. "Nope, basal cells still present". Another slice a bit deeper, off to the oncology lab, same results. By the 4th try the results were negative, thankfully, as I was running out of ear to remove. The doctor reshaped the remaining cartilage, took a graft from my upper facial cheek so that the skin color matched, and assembled everything with 18 stitches and some super glue. I had the last stitch removed last week, and you can hardly tell what happened. I have had patches of this evil removed from my shoulders and forehead in the last 2 years as well. This particular issue was kicked off when my spouse caught my ear with the electric clippers while giving me a hair cut last year. The doc told me that since I have already had it several times prior, that any major skin trauma could possibly open the door to the nasty little disease again. When I think of growing up here in Florida, topless, shirtless, shoeless, and the gazillion sunburns and fun, it's a wonder I survived to adulthood. I sure have had some fun getting here though I considered the basal cell as the bill for fun times , is all. No more, no less. Good luck with yours, you're not alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvb Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Glad everything went fine for you! What was it that made you go have checked, frekel, discoloration??? I had a scratch that wouldn't heal. First noticed it around memorial day! after several weeks of it not going away I started self medicating (neosporin). it started to look better, like it was turning into a scar. Eventually I noticed the scar growing, and the edges were becoming inflamed. Got nervous and started googling. in oct I went to my primary care and he thought it could be a viral thing and put me on antibiodics for a couple weeks. Then I went to the dermatologist in nov when they did a biopsy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvb Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Thanks, everyone, for the well wishes and stories. I've now heard of a LOT of people who have had basal cell. stay safe out there! -rvb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el pres Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 (edited) Man thats rough, goodluck with everything!! I just Googled Basal Cell, didnt even know there was more than one type of skin cancer. Yikes, all those sun burns for fun... Edited January 26, 2008 by DIRTY CHAMBER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinMike Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I've got an at-risk complexion and I wear a big ol' wide brimmed hat. Looks funny, but better than surgery. I switch to the ball cap when it's my turn to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j2fast Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I had a scratch that wouldn't heal. First noticed it around memorial day! after several weeks of it not going away I started self medicating (neosporin). it started to look better, like it was turning into a scar. Eventually I noticed the scar growing, and the edges were becoming inflamed. Got nervous and started googling. in oct I went to my primary care and he thought it could be a viral thing and put me on antibiodics for a couple weeks. Then I went to the dermatologist in nov when they did a biopsy. Just about the same thing here, I had a place on my neck that started getting flaky, dry, itchy, and just wouldn't go away. I already go to the dermatologist at least once a year because my family has some history. At the time I already had a checkup scheduled with my PCP and wasn't going to the Dermo guy for several months so I asked the PCP. He gave me some prescription cream which did nothing. So a few months later when I went to the dermatologist he immediately said it could be basal cell so he took a biopsy. Long story short I had the same Mohs surgery and all seems to be good now; this all happened about 2 years ago. I was kind of lax before but now I always have a couple of the Coppertone Sport sunblock in my bag to lather up with at matches or any other time I'm outside. My recommendation to anyone who has a suspect spot on your skin is to go to a dermatologist. To use a bad gun analogy, you probably don't want to take your race gun to the guy at Gander Mountain for some custom work. Not that I'm damning all PCP's but if you can go straight to the person that specializes in your problem not the one that took a couple classes in it. Especially with folks like us that spend large amounts of time outside in the sun, don't take any chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hope you're feeling better Ryan and to see you on the range soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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