CancerCompass message board discussion started by whitey1 on 2/24/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,21292,0.htm Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Well, now 4 full weeks after stopping the 5-FU, Efudex 5% two time a day, and below is a photo.  For us thick skin - arms/legs folks, this is really a slow heal.  Have used the Aquahor, etc., even wrapped light gauze to keep clothing from irritation, but this is taking so long to heal.  Still some open sore areas 28 days after stopping application.Any others out there with experience on arms, and info. on healing time??Thanks,  WhiteyHere is left arm today - 4 weeks after 4 weeks treatment:http://i26.tinypic.com/34eep2o.jpg whitey1 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT have you seen a dermatologist.Did you have sunspot damage. As you may know, dermatologists use 5FU in a cream to burn off sunspots ( solar keratoses). I had significant sunspot damage which the 5FU has almost cleared up without anything like your experience ( my oncologist made an appointment for me between 1st & 2nd treatments0.Hope you get some improvement. waynew Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Waynew, Yup - read my post again....I'm recovering from 4 weeks of Efudex/5-FU treatment 2 time a day and now 4 - FOUR - weeks later this is my "healing" stage.  My post is asking if others who did ARMS OR LEGS have experience in healing time. Most on this board are face/head treatment and using Carac. Very different protocal and reactions.This was on last day of aplication, 4 weeks ago.  Mostly scabs, but not sores and swelling.http://i26.tinypic.com/2nlgspl.jpg whitey1 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Whitey,My heart goes out for you.  My Gosh, this has to be torture for you. Alas, I am applying to face only but have found very thick skin on the flares of my nostrils that don't seem to want to peel like other areas. This 'thickness' makes it feel as if there is a coating of some dried substance on my skin.  After seeing what you are dealing with I can only imagine what will happen with my nose.While I cannot offer any help I can offer sympathies and prayer.  I'll be watching this thread.  Thanks for sharing what you are experiencing. TruthsKeeper Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Well that does not seem to promising for me I hope my skin is not as thick on arms and legs!  When I stop I will only have 5 - 6 week till my cruise. I am on day 9 of apply Efudex 2x a day still has not been too bad.  Are you using any antibotic oinmtent or cortizone cream to help the healing process?My prayers are with you!  Keep us posted on your progress as I am curious to see how fast you heal.  I may be wearing long sleeves and jeans the entire time I'm gone.Oh well!Thanks,Tanya  tanyaec Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT October 06-Jan 07 I treated both my entire arms (at once) and then afterwards lower legs.  The arms healed up in about 6 months and the legs almost a year.  I was using a combination of remedies-For two weeks I applied tazorac to arms one time a day-After two weeks I applied efudex 5% 2 x's a day and got a brisk reaction-dc'd efudex treatment after 13 days-arms blistered and oozed- I then used tegaderm patches to expidite healing as well as Biafine (rx) it was awful scabbed and oozed crusted and etc....My legs I followed same protocol just took longer  but the reaction was the same oozzing,crusting,swelling once again I used tegaderm patches aquaphor and emu oil-  I was using this protocol for my skin condition dissiminated superficial actinik pokeratosis (dsap) it is linked to ak's well I have had verg good feel blessed resolution-I think you may be experincing something in where you need to get a second oppinion-When my 100's of lesions oozed,blisterd and scabbed they basically fell off and there was new skin exposed-I would get a second opinion-Best to you luvlivin Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/25/2008 luvlivin wrote:October 06-Jan 07 I treated both my entire arms (at once) and then afterwards lower legs.  The arms healed up in about 6 months and the legs almost a year.  I was using a combination of remedies-For two weeks I applied tazorac to arms one time a day-After two weeks I applied efudex 5% 2 x's a day and got a brisk reaction-dc'd efudex treatment after 13 days-arms blistered and oozed- I then used tegaderm patches to expidite healing as well as Biafine (rx) it was awful scabbed and oozed crusted and etc....My legs I followed same protocol just took longer  but the reaction was the same oozzing,crusting,swelling once again I used tegaderm patches aquaphor and emu oil-  I was using this protocol for my skin condition dissiminated superficial actinik pokeratosis (dsap) it is linked to ak's well I have had verg good feel blessed resolution-I think you may be experincing something in where you need to get a second oppinion-When my 100's of lesions oozed,blisterd and scabbed they basically fell off and there was new skin exposed-I would get a second opinion-Best to youWow, it took that long to heal, maybe it is because you used a combination of meds?  I am on day 11 applying Efudex 2x a day and last night was the first really "hot" night for me. I am doing the upper and lower part of both arms and legs.  Havent' had alot of spots show up yet a few and those that have been there for a long time it  doesn't  seem to be doing anything to them and those are the ones i wanted gone.  I am only doing this for 3 weeks because of my trip on April 19th.  I guess if I have to do it longer than 3 weeks it  is  going to have to wait until I get back home.  Do you think i will be healed by April 19th?Thanks,Tanya tanyaec Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Tanya, what is your skin type?  Do you have darker pigmentation or very fair, etc?  It makes a BIG difference on the effect of 5-FU on arms and legs.  As I mentioned to you on an earlier note, my arms really had many AKs and I'm in my 50's, having worked in Florida sun, etc.  Your cruise in April will be very close to treatment - 5 weeks post - and you will not be "healed" by then, so expect to have some scabs and tenderness still. You are undurgoing a very intensive chemo treatment, and should follow your doctor's advice.  I would not cut the treatment short just because of your vacation.  You will not be eager to do this again soon, so be sure to complete the full length as directed.  You are too far along to bail out, so best of luck and hopefully your side effects won't be too severe.BTW, just today my scabs stopped bleeding and oozing - is that a word? But those who have been through 5-FU on arms/legs know what I'm saying.  So in my case it took just about 5 weeks to get to the fist level of healed skin layers.  What a ride!  Hope the AKs are dead. Image of my arm last weekend, I started New Year's day.http://i26.tinypic.com/34eep2o.jpg Whitey whitey1 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Tomorrow will be day 15 and i'm beginning to think my Dr. misdiagnosed me dispite the two BCC i've had removed.  I still have not reaction.  The spots on my legs are doing nothing?  I have a couple of "pink" spots that have come up on my arms and legs but nothing more?  I'm only supposed to do this for 21 days.  I would have thought I would have more reaction.  I am wondering if these spots could be something else?Tanya tanyaec Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT For the past four days my arms finally have "healed".  The open scabs and sores have closed up and I've been able to wear clothing  on my arms without burning or using steroid cream for pain.  WOW!  Never expected (nor did my doc) that I would have such side effects and intense reaction to the flourouracil.  This is strong chemo.I did 5-FU twice a day for 28 days on both arms and hands.  It has taken 6 weeks to heal over the open raw skin.  Still a few deep scabs, doc says are the serious areas and most likely BBC or worse, and redness will take another month or more to fade.  Doc says I cleared up perhaps more than 100 AKs and prevented cancers, but what a severe treatment.  Some posted that their doc recommends doing this once a year??? No way.  Mine actually said perhaps every 5 or 6 years maybe.Hopefully they will develope the Dimericine type drugs quickly through the trials so folks won't have to endure this suffering.  Anyway, good luck to the rest of you in treatment! I'll be following the discussions. And I'll now be appreciating all of you who comply with full treatments and you'll have my admiration for your endurance!Whitey Here are photos for comaprison4 weeks after 4 weeks 5-FU:http://i26.tinypic.com/2nlgspl.jpg 6 weeks after:http://i26.tinypic.com/17tvnm.jpg whitey1 Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Your arm looks so much better still a bit red but I assume that will also go away over the next few weeks.  Did n't you say you used something prior to using the efudex?  that may have been someone else who posted.  I am calling my derm today,  I have been putting this on for over 3 weeks now and still nothing?  I don't know whats up but I think I have PK's (porokeratosis) and not AK's (actinic porotosis (sp?))  which I have read are harder to treat.  I dont' know but I'm stopping treatment even if he wants me to use somehting else with it becasue of my trip in April.  If he does want to do a different regime I will start when I get back the end of april.  Have you heard of anyone else that has not had a reaction to the efudex?Thanks,Tanya tanyaec Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/29/2008 tanyaec wrote:Tomorrow will be day 15 and i'm beginning to think my Dr. misdiagnosed me dispite the two BCC i've had removed.  I still have not reaction.  The spots on my legs are doing nothing?  I have a couple of "pink" spots that have come up on my arms and legs but nothing more?  I'm only supposed to do this for 21 days.  I would have thought I would have more reaction.  I am wondering if these spots could be something else?Tanya  kmbutl Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Tanya, I'm on my 2nd treatment in two years for spots on my legs, and I also have minimal reaction . I spent last summer with little red spots on my legs after treatment (they never faded completely), and now I'm doing it again. I'm 57, and also had two SBCC's removed two years ago. I'd appreciate any feedback that you've had. My dermo kind of poo-pood my question when I asked  why it didn't seem to be working. kmbutl Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT I did it for 21 days as my Dermo instructed and nothing, beside a couple small spots that appeared and some burning sensations like a sunburn and hot flashes at night.  It did nothing to the spots that were already on my legs.  I did a little more research and found that it is effective on AK's but not PK's (porotkeratosis)  I think that is what I have.  There is no cure for PK's but it is not as threatening as AK's in turning into a more serious form of skin cancer.  I have not went back to my Dr. yet because of my trip schduled April 19, I will when I return and see what he says.  He may say try it longer I don't know and maybe I should have before quiting completely but I did not want to take the chance of being miserable on my trip.  So if he says do it again I will have to start over.  I really thin it is not going to help.  I tell you what has helped with the look of it is Obagi and Triluma.  It has helped fade them.  I was using Obagi on my face any way and I said what the heck I'll try it on my legs and it has helped with the overall appearance.  Triluma is a cream my other skin specialist I go to gave to for fading a couple dark spots on my hands (I guess you call the age spots), so I am putting it on my legs too.  Keep me posted on your progress and if you have any reaction with this treatment.  I will let you know what the Dr. says when I go as well.  Hope it works for you this time!Tanya tanyaec Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 4/2/2008 tanyaec wrote:I did it for 21 days as my Dermo instructed and nothing, beside a couple small spots that appeared and some burning sensations like a sunburn and hot flashes at night.  It did nothing to the spots that were already on my legs.  I did a little more research and found that it is effective on AK's but not PK's (porotkeratosis)  I think that is what I have.  There is no cure for PK's but it is not as threatening as AK's in turning into a more serious form of skin cancer.  I have not went back to my Dr. yet because of my trip schduled April 19, I will when I return and see what he says.  He may say try it longer I don't know and maybe I should have before quiting completely but I did not want to take the chance of being miserable on my trip.  So if he says do it again I will have to start over.  I really thin it is not going to help.  I tell you what has helped with the look of it is Obagi and Triluma.  It has helped fade them.  I was using Obagi on my face any way and I said what the heck I'll try it on my legs and it has helped with the overall appearance.  Triluma is a cream my other skin specialist I go to gave to for fading a couple dark spots on my hands (I guess you call the age spots), so I am putting it on my legs too.  Keep me posted on your progress and if you have any reaction with this treatment.  I will let you know what the Dr. says when I go as well.  Hope it works for you this time!Tanya Are those creams over the counter Tanya? I did my last treatment (2nd time) of six weeks on my legs last night...just red spots. I also have been researching other types of keratoses, and wonder if this treatment will do anything. My son is getting married Sept. 6th and I don't think I'll be doing any bare legs! kmbutl Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Triluma is a perscription that your derm can give you.  It is for melasma but mine said it would work on the spots on my hands as well.  So I decided to try it on my legs.  Obagi is over the counter with skin care or spa places it is not a prescription.  I will keep you posted on how it works.Tanya tanyaec Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thanks Tanya, I'm going to look for that cream. Karen kmbutl Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/25/2008 luvlivin wrote:October 06-Jan 07 I treated both my entire arms (at once) and then afterwards lower legs.  The arms healed up in about 6 months and the legs almost a year.  I was using a combination of remedies-For two weeks I applied tazorac to arms one time a day-After two weeks I applied efudex 5% 2 x's a day and got a brisk reaction-dc'd efudex treatment after 13 days-arms blistered and oozed- I then used tegaderm patches to expidite healing as well as Biafine (rx) it was awful scabbed and oozed crusted and etc....My legs I followed same protocol just took longer  but the reaction was the same oozzing,crusting,swelling once again I used tegaderm patches aquaphor and emu oil-  I was using this protocol for my skin condition dissiminated superficial actinik pokeratosis (dsap) it is linked to ak's well I have had verg good feel blessed resolution-I think you may be experincing something in where you need to get a second oppinion-When my 100's of lesions oozed,blisterd and scabbed they basically fell off and there was new skin exposed-I would get a second opinion-Best to youI have been diagnosed with 'dsap and was prescribed Soriatane plus effudex.  I haven't started the treatment because I am horrified by the potential side affects of Soriatane.  So I am curious as to how effective the Tazorac/Effudex has been for you--obviously, the healing time is long.  I've tried Levulan, CO2, etc already with poor results.thanks. nancy123 Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi, I also used Carac on my arms. A month after ending the application, my arms are still red. Has anyone applied Carac to the arms and have the red marks eventually disappeared? How long does it take? I have been wearing long sleeves now for two months. Ugh! h20girl Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT