Thursday, January 30, 2014

January 2014 Upper Chest

What a hassle!  One little spot near my collarbone continued to be angry after my neck treatment a couple months ago and continues to get rougher and uglier.  I know if I wait til my February appt, it'll have to be a surgery spot and I can't keep paying surgery bills.  The reason this is a hassle is I'm working 7 days a week, often 18hr days and constantly in the public eye.  So with no sleep, it's hard to cope with the hassles, uglies and pain of an Efudex treatment.  But....paying another year for surgery #6 is worse!  So, I started a new round of Efudex New Year's Eve and made it 18 days before I just had to stop.  Work was climbing all over me and I just couldn't keep adding more to the things to do list.

Just like all other treatments, what starts as a single spot quickly spreads and this time spread into 2 pretty dramatic locations.  Obviously, as the reaction spreads, I expand my application.  During the highest reaction days, my work schedule was so crazy, it was all I could do to treat, so no photos of the highest reaction this time.

Been off the treatment about 10 days and the scabs are all completely gone, but there's a new rough spot, in a different location of course!  Guess I'll have to tackle the whole chest after work goes back to regular hours middle of February....better than a surgery bill :)

 The spot that started it all.




Sunday, January 26, 2014

November 2013 - Neck Summary

Well, working 6 & 7 days a week takes all the writing time away, so the "short version" is I've treated the front side of my neck and as treatment progressed, I had spots pop up behind my ears, along the back side of my hairline and even 1 spot inside my left ear.  But with work schedules had to call it quits after 19days because I can't keep up with everything.

There's a spot appearing near my right collarbone I really would like to pursue, but planning to wait til spring.  Below are some pix from treatment.

For anyone looking for additional details, my original posts from October 2011 are absolutely the most detailed and check out the tips page too.  I learned a lot more than my doctor EVER dreamed of telling me!

Just like the other times, the itching drove me crazy.  Add to it that it's colder weather, but I couldn't have anything around my neck made dressing for work awkward to say the least.









Once the scabs come off, the itching decreases, but it's still there!  It's been almost 2 months and I'm surprised there's still some redness, but glad to see it looking so normal.