Pimples can appear anywhere on the body without being disturbing. However, some of them may be more dangerous than they seem. That’s what happened to Brett Exton, a 55-year-old Welshman. The little bump on his eye that he had mistaken for a stye turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer. He told his story to the British media The Independent.
The bump reaches the size of a cherry tomato
As he prepares to leave on vacation in Mexico in August 2022, Brett Exton discovers a bump on his right eyelid. The latter, at the level of the eyelash, does not worry him, he thinks of a stye. However, the days pass and the mass begins to grow. Brett goes to a hospital in Mexico, where doctors empty the lump before resealing the wound.
Back home in Bridgend, Wales, he finds that the bump does not heal, on the contrary: it grows until it reaches the size of a cherry tomato. Brett Exton then goes to the emergency room in Bridgend, where a doctor simply give her a cream promising him that the effects will be felt in A few days. However, no improvement takes place. The Welshman recalls: “Out of sheer frustration I put on my coat and drove into Bridgend town and then went straight to Specsavers (an optician’s centre).”
Cancer: he receives 4 surgeries in a few hours
After being examined, Brett is referred to the Princess of Wales Hospital. A week later, following doctors performed an eyelid biopsyhe was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer usually caused by exposure to the sun. He learns of the announcement at 9 o’clock in the morning and had surgery at 4 p.m.. “I failed regarding 4 or 5 hours to understand that I had cancer”he explains.
Brett undergoes 4 surgeries. The first is a biopsyfollowed by the amputation of his upper eyelid which contained the tumor. Then, half of his lower eyelid is removed in order to replace the missing upper eyelid. The last operation aims to reconstruct his lower eyelid. For this, doctors use skin from his palate. Today, despite not having an eyelash on his right eye, the traces of the operation are invisible.
Squamous cell carcinoma: “It’s a life-changing operation”
If Brett was lucky enough to get out of it and to still be alivethis cancer and the operation that followed did not remain without impact on his daily life. “People see the operation over, they think the healing is over, but… it is a life changing operation“, he assures. “I live with a permanent dry eye. I’ve tried creams, I’ve tried drops, I’ve tried everything… not a single medicinal solution works“, laments the Welshman.
The 50-year-old adds: “If I go out, the cold air blowing on my eyes makes me cry, it’s very pleasant. It’s heaven to be outside because indoors, dry air and central heating make the situation 10 times worse.”
Beyond these symptoms, this event left other consequences:
- eyestrain ;
- general tiredness ;
- headaches ;
- depression.
In effect, his mental health has been greatly affected by this cancer. Brett still tries to stay positive: “I’m happy to be able to look in the mirror and not see an awful image, but the side effects are really disabling.” The father of the family adds, fatalistic: “Some days, I am really depressed.” According to him, staying active helps keep her spirits up. He remains grateful to the doctors who detected his cancer and were able to cure him.
The Welshman insists on the importance of listening to your body and watching for any abnormal symptoms. “Be very careful… Parts of your body are sending messages to tell you that you are not well‘” he concludes.
