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Hi. My dad is almost 87 with stage 5 parkinson's. He had a lesion on his ear and it turns out it's Basel cell carcinoma. The dermatologist wants to do the 3-4 hour removal procedure. It's not easy for the poor guy to sit that long, not to mention getting him there and back. Is this procedure a "nice to do" or like "super important to do" given his age and health?

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As said, its not aggressive. I would let it go.

I had one removed on my cheek. This is what they did to me.

The doctor scraped the area trying to get all the cancer. Sent me out to the waiting room with a big old bandage. Some how they test what they took out and can tell if they have to repeat the procedure. I was lucky they got it all on one try. If not, they would have scraped some more, tested, and continued till they got it all. Thats what takes the time. I would not put Dad thru it.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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A three hour procedure in which he will b SITTING?
I would get a lot more information on the plan of care and the procedure here.
I am sorry you are dealing with this.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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No. My MIL had a squamous spot on her shin. She has moderate dementia and memory loss. The way she reacted to the biopsy procedure (drama like she was being murdered) meant we weren't going to pursue it. It wasn't bothering her. She always had 0 tolerance for pain when she was younger. She recently passed away last December. We have no idea from what, but she went quickly and peacefully and not even on any morphine. Her heart gave out.
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Reply to Geaton777
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I would not do it. Basal is the least aggressive type of skin cancer and it seems cruel to put dad through such. My dad had a large squamous cell skin cancer removed from the top of his head, requiring a skin graft from his thigh. It took a full year to heal, and was honestly ridiculous. Dad was in his late 80’s and told the dermatologist that I thought it was a mistake. Doc got all huffy and said it could have killed dad. I asked when that would have been and he said in 20 or so years. So yes, it was ridiculous and cruel to put him through it. Doctors, especially surgeons, are trained to cut, sometimes the compassion lags far behind. I hope you’ll leave your dad in peace
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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ElizabethAR37 Mar 12, 2025
Agreed. I am 88 and would almost certainly elect NOT to have this surgery.
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