CancerCompass message board discussion started by Davedeal on 6/11/2007 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,13112,0.htm Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ I am 45 yrs old, married, and have a 11 year old son. I had mohs surgery on May 23rd for 2 skin cancers, one on my check and one on my right temple. This has been very difficult to say the least. It is on my mind always. I am very self conscious of the scars. My wife is wonderful and says they are hardly noticeable. I also have have several AKs on my face that will lead to the topical treatment, I am sure. Did everyone sort of check out of your normal routine during treatment? What about working? I don't feel like the same person since the biopsy came back positive. I have a hard time sleeping and concentrating. Just looking for a little light at the end of the tunnel.Thanks                 Davedeal Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/11/2007 Davedeal wrote:I am 45 yrs old, married, and have a 11 year old son. I had mohs surgery on May 23rd for 2 skin cancers, one on my check and one on my right temple. This has been very difficult to say the least. It is on my mind always. I am very self conscious of the scars. My wife is wonderful and says they are hardly noticeable. I also have have several AKs on my face that will lead to the topical treatment, I am sure. Did everyone sort of check out of your normal routine during treatment? What about working? I don't feel like the same person since the biopsy came back positive. I have a hard time sleeping and concentrating. Just looking for a little light at the end of the tunnel.Thanks                I was one of the people who did check out during Efudex treatment because after a few days only I had an extensive reaction on my forehead, cheeks nose and areas of my neck and chest. I felt that I dealt with it better at home than trying to explain myself to other people. it looked awful. I was at home for around 3 months before I felt confident enough to go out as when the skin was healed it left my face very red which took time to go away and still comes back when I am hot or exercising. Its rather a peculiar red as the areas that were affected come up so it looks a little odd, but this I can deal with. A lot of people on this site did work and I admire them for it.I am 66yrs and I suppose really should have got over being concerned about vanity but I could not in this case. I am however very pleased now as the skin is good and complexion clear, no marks left at all.I think it is best to do the treatment in the winter and always remember to wear sunscreen 60 or higher and a hat. I curse those good days at the beach when I was a child in England, but then who knew the dangers.Sorry this reply is not too encouraging and you also may not have such an extensive reaction!  Samra Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi,I had a BCC removed via Mohs procedure on March 22nd.  I was in denial about the scar I would have before surgery and so I too have had my life disrupted.  Very upsetting.  I don't like the scar, although I have to say with each day I am more used to it.  It's right in plain view in the skin over my left incisor.I'm giving myself one year and then I promised myself I would try laser for redness if it still exists and Sculptra, which was recommended by my dermatologist for the divot where the hole was.  This is a 49 year old woman who never wears make up and professes to not be vain at all.  People tell me "it's not that bad" were getting a rather prickly "because it's not on your face" response for awhile.  Almost 3 months post surgery I'm not giving that response everytime.  :-) I've decided to begin Efudex treatment at the end of the week.  I want to deal with the AKs I have and hopefully stave off any further cuts to the part of my face that people see most.I understand how you feel.  I do think it will get better for you.   Now I am advocating sunscreen to loved ones and total strangers alike.  I'm scared about the Efudex treatment, but I don't like the thought of the AKs turning into anything else because they are literally ALL OVER my face.I hope this helps.  Mark August 23rd on your calendar and see how you feel then.   Tracy   Tracybird01 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi Samra,I see that you have some residual redness still.  It's something I am worried about because I flush so easily as it is and I exercise several times a week.  I understand we are all different, but it worries me some.  Did you use Carac or Efudex?   I am looking into short term disability for a week or two during the worst of the treatment.  I don't do well with no sleep and I understand sleeping is not comfortable because of the itching and burning.  Tracybird01 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/11/2007 Tracybird01 wrote:Hi,I had a BCC removed via Mohs procedure on March 22nd.  I was in denial about the scar I would have before surgery and so I too have had my life disrupted.  Very upsetting.  I don't like the scar, although I have to say with each day I am more used to it.  It's right in plain view in the skin over my left incisor.I'm giving myself one year and then I promised myself I would try laser for redness if it still exists and Sculptra, which was recommended by my dermatologist for the divot where the hole was.  This is a 49 year old woman who never wears make up and professes to not be vain at all.  People tell me "it's not that bad" were getting a rather prickly "because it's not on your face" response for awhile.  Almost 3 months post surgery I'm not giving that response everytime.  :-) I've decided to begin Efudex treatment at the end of the week.  I want to deal with the AKs I have and hopefully stave off any further cuts to the part of my face that people see most.I understand how you feel.  I do think it will get better for you.   Now I am advocating sunscreen to loved ones and total strangers alike.  I'm scared about the Efudex treatment, but I don't like the thought of the AKs turning into anything else because they are literally ALL OVER my face.I hope this helps.  Mark August 23rd on your calendar and see how you feel then.   Tracy  Thanks Tracy. I wish you the best during your treatment. It takes a lot of courage. I will mark my calendar for Aug 23rd. Please let us know how it goes. Are you taking off work?Dave    Davedeal Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT I am looking into short term disability.  I will probably start working from home as soon as I go fully hideous.  Then depending on sleep or the lack thereof and pain or the lack thereof, I'll work or not.My boss suggested the Short term disability.  So I don't feel so bad.   Tracybird01 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/11/2007 Tracybird01 wrote:Hi Samra,I see that you have some residual redness still.  It's something I am worried about because I flush so easily as it is and I exercise several times a week.  I understand we are all different, but it worries me some.  Did you use Carac or Efudex?   I am looking into short term disability for a week or two during the worst of the treatment.  I don't do well with no sleep and I understand sleeping is not comfortable because of the itching and burning. The redness is not so bad as it only appears with exercise (4/5x week) or when I get hot, it seems to appear mostly at night before sleep I can actually feel the redness coming at that time. During the day there is nothing only if I irritate my face such as rubbing or around my nose if I am not careful, as I said its a funny red as all the affected spots appear. its not the usual red face after exercise, even the spots on my neck show up. The Derma told me it would eventually disappear. Now though I do not care as it is a little price to pay for getting rid of all the AK's etc.I am curious though as to who removed your lesion was it a Derma or Plastic surgeon, I had a BCC removed from my face and really there is only a little scar, it was removed by a plastic surgeon. I used Efudex 2x day for 21 days.Hope this helps. Samra Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/11/2007 Tracybird01 wrote:Hi Samra,I see that you have some residual redness still.  It's something I am worried about because I flush so easily as it is and I exercise several times a week.  I understand we are all different, but it worries me some.  Did you use Carac or Efudex?   I am looking into short term disability for a week or two during the worst of the treatment.  I don't do well with no sleep and I understand sleeping is not comfortable because of the itching and burning. I also used vaseline with hydrocortisone for the itching and burning it was the only thing that helped. I tried other creams but the burning was too much I had to wash them off immediatly. I did resort to a few sleeping pills during the worst of the treatment as I felt I would be able to handle things if I was not so tired. Fortunately for me I did not work so did not have that worry!!! Samra Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 6/11/2007 Davedeal wrote:I am 45 yrs old, married, and have a 11 year old son. I had mohs surgery on May 23rd for 2 skin cancers, one on my check and one on my right temple. This has been very difficult to say the least. It is on my mind always. I am very self conscious of the scars. My wife is wonderful and says they are hardly noticeable. I also have have several AKs on my face that will lead to the topical treatment, I am sure. Did everyone sort of check out of your normal routine during treatment? What about working? I don't feel like the same person since the biopsy came back positive. I have a hard time sleeping and concentrating. Just looking for a little light at the end of the tunnel.Thanks                I am 40 years old, almost 41, and since late January of this year have had 40 biopsies with 34 coming back as basal and squamous cell cancer. 16 have have been surgically removed and I am preparing for treatment on the next 18. I have also used Efudex on my entire torso, shoulders and have just finished treating my ears. I have a daugther that is almost 15 and a son who is almost 23. The first round of treatments were very difficult. I had surgery every week for 2 months while using the Efudex at the same time. I won't say it wasn't a horrible time, because it was. I will never do both treatments at the same time ever again. I ended up with a staph infection on my entire torso. On a more positive note, once I made it past the first week of healing from the Efudex, things started to heal very rapidly. It seems to have taken years off my skin.  I ended up missing about 2 weeks of work mainly due to the fact that I had some huge incisions on my legs PLUS the topical treatment and was in pretty bad shape. I have worked the entire time I have treated my ears. I probably will work from home during the time I treat my face in the fall.  I understand your feelings of fear and uncertainty very well. Personally, the longer this has gone on - and realizing that this will go on with me for quite awhile - I think it is VERY important to continue your regular routine as much as possible. It is very easy to get caught up in surfing the internet looking for info, etc., that can be good, but it can also take on a life of its own! Since my incisions have healed, I have worked really hard at continuing to excercise daily, work, etc.  It sounds like you are getting good treatment. Keep a very close watch on your skin and have them look at anything at all that doesn't seem right to you - that is how ALL of my skin cancer has been found! I would also get going right away on your Efudex treatments - It doesn't cure skin cancer but it is very efficient at pulling out the pre cancer and sun damaged areas and helping to clear them up - It can also help to bring out the skin cancer that is there that needs to be biopsied as those areas will not heal as well as your other skin after treatment. You can work to avoid future surgeries by using it. Keep your chin up! I know it is emotionally a very difficult thing to comprehend and deal with. You may have already been using the Mederma, but I have found it to be very helpful at lightening and softening the scars. I don't know if any of this is helpful or not - just know that you are not alone and hang in there! Floridagirl Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi Samra, That is encouraging.  I exercise 4-5 x per week as well and it concerns me that I'd flush heavier than I do now without the treatment. I can do that for awhile.  The gentleman on topical chemo mentioned that he was feeling as though his sweat glands in treated areas were not working as well either.  Do you also experience that? My Mohs procedure and closure were performed a the same location.  I think the scar is larger because it's still new, and the location is so prominent to anyone looking at my face.  The doctor who closed was not a plastic surgeon.  If I were to go through that again I will opt for a plastic surgeon to close the wound.  It has already improved so much, so I am hopeful for the future.  People kept telling me that time will heal it, but I was very, very impatient.  Good lessons for me I suppose. Tracy  Tracybird01 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi Tracy:I did find that I sweated more easily and became extremely HOT something I do not normally experience, it was hard to continue on the treadmill for 1 hr, but I did as I did not want the whole treatment to take over, I had to keep some control. Now though back at the gym I do still experience feeling hot rather than sweating although I do that also. It seems that although I sweat it is not so free as before, difficult to explain really. I see my Derm tomorrow as I have noticed a spot come up on my nose again it seems overnight to me, I hope its not "here we go again!"Sylvia Samra Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi Sylvia, I know that feeling well. That is exactly what catapulted me into the dermatologists office last Thursday.  That is when she began talking about Efudex.  I was so concerned I was going to need another Mohs and it's in a very difficult spot.  It ended up being nothing much!I'll hope the same for you.Tracy    Tracybird01 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Have any of you been offered radiation therapy for your skin cancers??Most derms to offer it and it is Malpractice not too.  Particularly if the surgery is going to be cosmetically disfiguring or cause a  functional problem. To the man who has multiple cancers Most can be treated in one course of therapy and the AREA of involvement ie precancers can be treated also and as opposed to the creams the effect is usually permanent.  The secret of radiation treatments is they can treat the cancer and "clean up" the area so no more cancers will develope.  The derms do not want you to know this for obvious reasons.  They make a fortune off the MOH's.Some derms still have radiation machine in their offices, but I would recommend going to a radiation oncologist.  So if the derm tries to say radiation is not used seek another opinion.You can use radiation or surgery anywhere on the body.  Which is better depends on the location and number as well as which gives the best results.Reasons for irradiation;1. Patient choice, some have had so many surgeries they don't want anymore2 Medical; Some are on blood thinners and it would be risky to treat or on area (legs) which may not heal well.3. Cosmesis; irradiation given properly leaves NO scar and of course leave the nose , eyes, lips and ears looking normal4. Function; operating on the lip or eyelid can cause functional problems5. Multiple areas;  Can be treated at one time.  It is also cost effective because the cost stays the same essentially whether treating one site or 5 or 6 sites.6 Areas can be treated;  This means that not only the cancer but the surrounding precancerous area can be treated which reducies the number of future problemsMost Derms never offer it.  The side effects are local only/ no systemic and less than the creams besides being more effective.  Photodynamic therapy is horrible.  Skin cancers are an epidemic and there are so many that it take all professionals to treat them even primary care.  My concern is we are seeing ADVANCED skin cancers which require more treatment and are spreading to other areas because pts avoid or cant get in to see a derm or have treatment in a timely manner.SCCA is the same cancer as Lung Cancer or other head and neck cancers , let it grow and it will spread.  Even basel cell can eventually spread. Witchdoctor Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT I had Mohs sx  to my lt cheek May 22, 2007. Was not a experience that I would have picked to deal with in this lifetime. I am female and vain so I am having a  hard time dealing with this. I have a great sense of humor which I think is my saving grace, I refer to my reconstruction sx as looking like a greater than sign on my face! Ironic because I hated math. I call it my Alien cheek because I canot feel it and it looks different. BUT   I  Look at it  as this , I could be hooked up to a IV providing me with chemo, but I am not. You have an 11 yr old daughter, she is happy to have her Dad, and you will be around for a long time, the scars are temporay!!! You as I are lucky to have a spouse to stand by you and support and love you, that my friend  may be more than others without this diagnosis experience in a lifetime.  I wish you well and inner strength!! Mohssx2007 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 7/4/2007 Mohssx2007 wrote:I had Mohs sx  to my lt cheek May 22, 2007. Was not a experience that I would have picked to deal with in this lifetime. I am female and vain so I am having a  hard time dealing with this. I have a great sense of humor which I think is my saving grace, I refer to my reconstruction sx as looking like a greater than sign on my face! Ironic because I hated math. I call it my Alien cheek because I canot feel it and it looks different. BUT   I  Look at it  as this , I could be hooked up to a IV providing me with chemo, but I am not. You have an 11 yr old daughter, she is happy to have her Dad, and you will be around for a long time, the scars are temporay!!! You as I are lucky to have a spouse to stand by you and support and love you, that my friend  may be more than others without this diagnosis experience in a lifetime.  I wish you well and inner strength!!  Mohssx2007 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 7/4/2007 Mohssx2007 wrote: On 7/4/2007 Mohssx2007 wrote:I had Mohs sx  to my lt cheek May 22, 2007. Was not a experience that I would have picked to deal with in this lifetime. I am female and vain so I am having a  hard time dealing with this. I have a great sense of humor which I think is my saving grace, I refer to my reconstruction sx as looking like a greater than sign on my face! Ironic because I hated math. I call it my Alien cheek because I canot feel it and it looks different. BUT   I  Look at it  as this , I could be hooked up to a IV providing me with chemo, but I am not. You have an 11 yr old daughter, she is happy to have her Dad, and you will be around for a long time, the scars are temporay!!! You as I are lucky to have a spouse to stand by you and support and love you, that my friend  may be more than others without this diagnosis experience in a lifetime.  I wish you well and inner strength!!   Mohssx2007 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hey Dave,I'm new to the site and just read your post. Whats your status today? Are you sleeping and regaining your concentration? I hope so. Thanks to all the folks who responded to you for encouragement. I know what you feel like Dave. I've been dealing with BCC's for over twenty-five years (should I thank my Irish mom?) and periodic treatments annually are the norm. Fifteen years ago was my first efudex treatment. Then came the Mohs on my cheek, talk about a scar, but hey...it's the new norm for me. Better than a mela huh? Followed by routine office visits which included freezings, scrapings and the like. Last night I applied my last treatment of efudex again at 2x@14 days. This time Dave, I did schedule time off (three weeks). I went into the first week of treatment working, because I knew I could get away with it. But into the second week, the blotchy redness started, followed by the burning and itching. All you read on this site of peoples experiences, just kind of glob them all together and thats what you can expect. But hey...it may be milder for you (although probably not. Hows that for encouragement?). Hang in there Dave. It only lasts for a short time. Its just something you gotta do, period. And one more thing...I learned today from this site that vaseline applied to the worst areas has some comforting value. Around my nostril/cheek area hurts the most, but the jel absolutely helps.  elevatormike Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 7/17/2007 elevatormike wrote:Hey Dave,I'm new to the site and just read your post. Whats your status today? Are you sleeping and regaining your concentration? I hope so. Thanks to all the folks who responded to you for encouragement. I know what you feel like Dave. I've been dealing with BCC's for over twenty-five years (should I thank my Irish mom?) and periodic treatments annually are the norm. Fifteen years ago was my first efudex treatment. Then came the Mohs on my cheek, talk about a scar, but hey...it's the new norm for me. Better than a mela huh? Followed by routine office visits which included freezings, scrapings and the like. Last night I applied my last treatment of efudex again at 2x@14 days. This time Dave, I did schedule time off (three weeks). I went into the first week of treatment working, because I knew I could get away with it. But into the second week, the blotchy redness started, followed by the burning and itching. All you read on this site of peoples experiences, just kind of glob them all together and thats what you can expect. But hey...it may be milder for you (although probably not. Hows that for encouragement?). Hang in there Dave. It only lasts for a short time. Its just something you gotta do, period. And one more thing...I learned today from this site that vaseline applied to the worst areas has some comforting value. Around my nostril/cheek area hurts the most, but the jel absolutely helps.  Thanks Mike, and everyone else for responding. Yes I am starting to feel back to normal. The scar is fading a bit, so I guess in time it will be ok. I still need to do Carac treatment. I think I will do it in September if I can get the huevos. Like you said, it's just something I got to do. Dang it! This site is great. I have learned a lot and misery loves company. Are you doing OK? You have a week until you go back to work? Did you go on disability?         Davedeal Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hey Dave,I was thinking about you.  One thing about the Efudex.  It made the rest of my face so red I stopped even being able to see my Mohs scar.  4 month post surgery and I don't pay the scar much attention anymore.  Like someone else said, it's the new normal.  It has faded, softened and generally blends into the rest of my face.I started Efudex on 6/15, I finished on 7/5 after 3 weeks.   I did not have the amount of reaction I expected.  But it did catch a BUNCH of stuff.  One thing I tried was to up my intake of Oemga 3 and 6 in my diet.  It seemed to help with the inflammation without holding down the therapeutic reaction for me.  Today is roughly 2 weeks post treatment.  To look at me you'd still see some peeling and minor pinkness.  I'm calling it going from angry fire engine red to slightly peeved pink.  Someone at work stopped and told me how great my skin looked.  After the last 4 months it really made me feel good, funky scar and all.   Tracybird01 Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hello Tracy,Thanks for thinking about me. I'm very happy for you. Sounds like things are turning out very well. You give me encouragement to go forward with the treatment. My Dr. gave Carac for a 2 week treatment . He dosen't like to go longer unless absolutely necessary. I am shooting for September. My Mohs scar is fading some also. My Dr said he could do dermabrasion on the scar if I choose. He did say if I do the Carac treatment then I probably would not need the dermabrasion. Thanks again, and I hope to here from you soon. God BlessDave      Davedeal Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi Dave,I hope two weeks is all you need.  That would be great.  I've been looking into laser treatments to soften the scar and reduce the redness a bit.  All those years of sun exposure have left me with other spider veins - telangiectasies or something like that.   I'm still not sure and still promising myself I will wait for 1 full year before trying anything.  Keep us posted in September.Tracy    Tracybird01 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hello,I am writing because I noticed that you had some facial flushing after the Carac/Efudex? treatment. I am experiencing this too, after Carac. Maybe you would be so kind to give me some insight. I applied the Carac cream earlier this year just (2008) on my nose and now, it has been about 3 months, and I too have facial flushing, mainly in my cheeks and sometimes in my nose. The flushing feels like a great amount of heat rising into my cheeks and is uncomfortable, then my  cheeks turn bright red. The flushing occurs when I lie down, when I exercise and when I am exposed to heat. When I rinse my face with cool water, the flushing goes away. Also if I am in a hot area, I have to rinse my face and also get out of the hot area to relieve the flush. Sometimes I can cool the flush with a handheld fan.    I did the Carac cream from Jan 9-30 this year only on my nose for some small precancer spots. It went very well with just a couple of small scabs and healed up about 2 weeks after I stopped using it. Right after that, in mid Feb, I travelled from my home in Florida to Montreal for a long weekend. Because of the dry heat indoors in Montreal, my skin where I put the Carac, on my nose, became very red and felt like sunburn. I waited a couple of weeks and then saw my dermo, she prescribed one week of Topicort cream (a steroid) on the nose, followed by 1week of Protopic cream (on nose)     . I ended those 2 creams on about March 15th.I had mild facial flushing a few times starting around Feb 15th, maybe once or twice a week, but it didn't last very long and it was when I was in a hot place without air moving - like an airplane or hot restaurant. Around March 17th the flushing started at night when I would lie down and seemed to last longer and happen more often. It continues today.My dermo thinks it may be Rosacea like symptoms caused by the Carac and it will pass in a couple of months. I am hoping it will pass.  How is your flushing doing and did you find anything that helped to prevent it? This flushing is very inconvenient, as I have to avoid many places. Thank you so much for sharing your information. I hope this finds you well.Lavande     lavande Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT