Emmi’s Easter Sunday Surprise

Short and Sweet

Happy Easter Everyone

Emmi's Highlights:
Bonza Emmi	Isn't Life Just Grand	Ten Steps To Happiness
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News Media Conundrum: Disasters & The Viewing Public

The past twelve weeks have been tremulous to say the least, with all that’s been happening here at home. That said, I have no right to complain nor should I feel sorry for myself.

Why? During this time I saw the worst of what Mother Nature and man-made creations can throw at others, and that my woes pale in comparison compared to the their plight. Not since 9/11 have I been so totally mesmerized and shocked by TV coverage of horrific events.

First we had the floods and Cyclone Yasi in Queensland, followed by the Victorian floods, then the earthquake in New Zealand, and lastly, the earthquake and nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

New Zealand

Japan

Queensland

Cyclone Yasi

Victoria

Australia

Click city and country names for more information

Interactive Map – background image courtesy of Wiki Commons

(Feed & Google readers click here for map)

Thanks you: The Art of Web

We’ve all seen the aftermath of disasters but in their case something was different. Here, we observed the disasters, as with the giant tsunami that rolled into Sendai, Japan, as they unfolded on continuous live TV coverage.

The feeling of helplessness and doom brought on by the footage that included injured persons, was so overpowering that it would rattle even the most seasoned rescuer and make ordinary human beings weep.

Now this brings me to the role of the media. While they have a job to do and knowing that we can switch off in more ways than one, continuous live TV coverage of disaster zones can take its toll on the viewing public. For example, viewers who go on to exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

So when do we say, enough is enough? And what do we do with the ones that have been negatively affected by what they have seen on TV? Should TV networks play an extra role during disasters and give on-air advice on stress and grief management? Should airing time limits be set for TV networks during disasters? For me, writing and talking about it has helped me immensely.

What are your thoughts on the repercussions of continuous live TV coverage showing graphic and horrific images?

How do you cope with televised disasters?

Do you believe the News Media has a duty of care for its viewers while televising disasters?

Australian and international blogs:
Farmers Wifey - Blog from Queensland	Our Great Southern Land - Victoria	Random Meanderings - New Zealand	Yuji Blog - Japan
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Dorsal Nasal Flap – Post Mohs Surgery: Part II

Following on from Dorsal Nasal Flap - Post Mohs Surgery: Part I this pictorial documents my recent:

1. Two stages of Mohs surgery to remove nasal basal cell carcinomas

2. Dorsal nasal flap for nasal reconstruction

3. Dressing removal post-surgery

Mohs surgery involves the removal of skin cancers with a high degree of precision and minimal loss of normal tissue under microscopic control. First developed by Dr Frederic Mohs in the 1930s, it has undergone a vast improvement since then and is now reported to be an effective way of removing skin cancers in cosmetically sensitive areas such as the face and nose.

As with my previous Mohs surgeries there was no prior fasting for a procedure that would see me in the operating room at 8.00am and heading for home at 1.30pm.

Marked area contains nasal basal cell carcinomas

First Stage: While in the operating room my nose was made pain free with an injection of a local anesthetic. Once the visible portion of the skin cancers were removed by scraping, the Mohs surgeon excised a thin circular horizontal layer of nasal tissue (see fig 2) containing a:

1. Multifocal basal cell carcinoma (BCC)

2. Micronodular BCC

3. Small margin of healthy looking skin

On the completion of the first stage a dressing was applied to my nose and I was returned to the recovery room. There I waited for the excised nasal tissue to be prepared and microscopically examined. Unfortunately the results revealed that the cancers had not been completely removed.

Second Stage: I was returned to the operating room where the surgeon removed a layer of nasal tissue from the same area. As the results revealed the tumors had been completely removed on this occasion there was no need for further stages of Mohs surgery.

Post-Mohs nasal defect (fig 2)

It was now time to reconstruct my nose using a dorsal nasal flap. Using the image above to explain the procedure:

1. An incision was made along the outer blue line

2. Skin and underlying tissue bounded by the incision line freed to form a flap

3. Freed tissue rotated down into the defect

4. Wedge shaped wound skin edges above the nose drawn together

5. Fine suturing to hold the skin in place (see fig 3)

For those more technically minded, the online PDF article “The Dorsal Nasal Flap for Reconstruction of Large Nasal Tip Defects” by Dr Marc S. Zimbler, MD, FACS, explains the dorsal nasal flap procedure far better than I could ever give.

Nose three days post-dorsal nasal flap (fig 3)

Returned to the recovery room with a dressing on my nose I was discharged in the company of my wife a short time later.

Part of the post-operative instructions included removing the dressing three days later, and as you can see from the image above my nose looks well and truly on the road to recovery.

Related and Previous Mohs Surgery Articles:
Aldara Skin Cancer Treatment	Dorsal Nasal Flap - Post Mohs Surgery: Part I	Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries	Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries - Part II
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