Hello all,
This is a good thread. I'm glad I found it! I have a very light completion, blond, 7/8 Norwegian + 1/8 Danish ancestors. On day 14 of my treatment, and I am sooo happy to be at the end. It does scare me that 5-FU is considered Chemo. I knew that, but reading it here reminds me again how powerful it is, and how careful you need to be not to get it near your eyes, or mouth. My dermatologist didn't prepare me for how mental this would be. Time has slowed to a crawl. for the last 5 days the pain is not bad, at about a 7 out of 10, but sometimes climbing up to a 9/10, but it is constant pain and stinging, which is the mental part. It is hard for me to sleep (I woke up and couldn't sleep at 2am so that is why the late post). I can't wait to be not thinking about this.
Spanky,
I too also almost quit on day 12, but forced myself to do the treatments yesterday, and today which is day 13. I just procrastinated the last treatment all the way to midnight. Only 2 more applications to go through tomorrow. I think I might have asked you this in another thread, but how are things going for you 20 days after treatment? I am anxious to know.
I am also sure my dermo will be surprised at how red I am. Amazingly red over most of my cheeks and nose, more than red, I would say deep red or maroon in some spots. My forehead is only 20% as red as my cheeks. That is because I always wore a baseball style hat most of my life when I was outside which covered my forehead (thank goodness for that). The last 7 years I wore a hat with a wide brim that encirlces that hat and the brim is impervious to light, and I have been religious about applying lots of spf-30 or more sunscreen the last 10 years too. I rarely go without a shirt the last 20 years or more. I guess that was not enough. Funny how my friends teased me about that wide-brimmed hat over the years (which I laughed with them, but never took it off), but no one has made fun of my red face when I go out the last week or so.
I am worried I am not peeling at all going
into day 14. I called the dermo last week, and they said I would start peeling after the treatment ends. Right now my cheeks feel very tight, dry, stinging, and ready to crack and fall off. I guess I will find out Monday if that is normal
Wish me luck.