Half way freak-out and Efudex vs phototherapy

Hi SpankyB thanx for the reply-I am noticing that there are several aras on my face that are in the erosion stage-black freckled skin fell of and cracked- I have dc'd application in these areas.  My lower jawline is at the brownish faze so I keepon applying and my forehead is the slowest to respond but I do have at least 11 visible ak's just getting pink up there.   To me it looks like I wil have to complete the total of 28 applications-even if only spot treating in some areas.  QUESTION- I dc treatment on 2/28 will this be a long enough time to heal so I look presentable at a family gathering to pay respect to my dad who passed away last year from Lymhoma-I kinda don't want to look ghastly and take the focus off the memorial.  Be well and thank-I hope the worst is halway over

Hey Brian-Small world I completed my master's at adelphi university which I believe is in your neck of the woods.  I still wonder why your doctor prescribed 14 days of carac applied 1x a day-mine prescribed 28 applications 1x a day mmmmmmm.  Anyways -I hate this stuff -I have been running roughly 40 minutes a day instead of 70 minutes and feel a little drained cuz I am less active-I eat more outa comfort which I don;t really care that much about-but it's more comfort food-I usually eat pretty clean ...another uuuggghh-I am gonna cut myself some slack right now cuz it is 3 a.m. and I have stomach cramps from the weird combination ofjunk food I consumed in the past24 hours.  Keep on chattin with me really helps me stay me lol heather

Luvlivin...my condolences to you on the loss of your father.

When is the memorial service? 

I'm on day 9 of healing and if I had to cover the pink with make-up I could for a day.  My skin is healed but slightly pink with just a bit of flakiness.  Nothing major.

 

luvlivin,

     I graduated from Hofstra, just around the corner from Adelphi. I too am concerned about using Carac for only 14 days and I go back in sometime next week, I'm going to ask. Although, at day 10, it must be working because another "brown" spot just fell off today. I assume that this was another AK falling off.

     I stopped going to the gym out of embarrassment over my red face. It's just as well because I feel like I am more tired since I started this therapy.

    It's easy to get down about this stuff. The week before I started treatment I was a bear to be around, and I found it very hard to sleep. What helped me was knowing that it's only February, and both my kids are not currently active in their sports, so I didn't have to risk missing any games. Spring is just around the corner, and you'll be glad you did this now (I know I certainly will). 

   I am also going to do more research on Photodynamic Therapy. This seems like a viable alternative in case I have to go thru this again sometime in the future.

 Brian

Hey spankyb and Brian-rough day I felt the crawling sensation non stop-  My face is pretty much leathery all over now-open sores in some spots-and am emotionally exhausyed from this stuff.  Spankyb the family gathering is 3/9 I hope I can get my hair touched up before then.  Brian I feel like crap right now-I dunno I thunk I may throw in the towel this saturday-that would give me 23 outa 28 days completed-I have an active 22 month old -my momma in law is here for the next 6 days to help me out cuz my husband is a work addict and no he is not having an affair haa haa lol he is an immigrant from Kawait and has the mentality of a workhorse-This treatment is really scary...would you think I could dc in the areas that are cracked and leathery and forge on with my forehead and nose that are bright and blotchy red?  My PA isn't very supportive-she felt it was "unnecassary" another derm wrote the script in her same practice-Well obviously I needed  this carac stuff cuz I sure as heck responded to it-I totally look forward to hearing from you guys-help me put things into perspective so I don't feel so alone and isolated in my big house on the hill-smiles OUCH Heather

luvlivin--

 I was also prescribed Carac for 28 days, but stopped at 23 since I felt that based on my skin condition (which sounds very close to yours) the medicine had done its job.  I did not consult with my demotologist on this, but based it on my own research and sense that another 5 days would not provide additional benefit.  I first saw my demotologist two weeks after concluding treatment (per her initial instruction) and she indicated the treatment had been a success and all the AK's had been eliminated.

Much like you, I had some areas of the skin that were quite leathery with some cracks developing.  Other areas, including my nose, were bright red, but the texture was not as leathery.  Interestingly enough, I knew I had some AK's on my nose and was wondering why the skin didn't become as leathery as other parts of my face.  However upon healing, all of the AK's were gone.

You may want to have a dermotologist take a look at your current condition.  From what I can tell, people react differently and while the initial prescription is generally for a set period of days, the timing and nature of how your skin reacts to the medicine may require more or less time than prescribed.

 You should look decent around one week after you stop treatment (won't notice much change for the first few days however) and probably look quite good after two weeks.  I can say that the treatment does leave your skin very soft and smooth. I am a 54 year old male (despite the female icon on my member indicator) so was doing this for health vs. cosmetic reasons, but the way your skin looks and feels is a major side benefit.

Also, I have had a number of AK's frozen in the past, however this was nowhere near as effective as the Carac--you can definitely feel that the rough, scaly patches of the AK's are all gone.  While you feel bad right now, I am sure you will be very happy with the results once this is over.