Skin Cancer

chaslib · Senior Member

Skin Cancer

Ontos45 · Guru

I commiserate with you Libby, but thank God they detected it before it got worse.

Peter

Happywanderer · The Master

Beth54 is going through exactly the same at the moment. Maybe you could pm her.

chaslib · Senior Member

Happywanderer wrote:
Beth54 is going through exactly the same at the moment. Maybe you could pm her.

Thanks for that - I will send through an email to her .....

milo · Guru

good luck with every thing.. my mum had a melanoma at one stage in her life..

its good when you got your health but when you haven't its no fun in the park..

Beth54 · Guru

Thanks for the suggestion Marj. I haven't been looking in this section for awhile. It's too depressing when I could fill up a page myself.

hmm

And Libby & I did have a PM conversation.

-- Edited by Beth54 on Saturday 26th of October 2013 03:56:15 PM

Happywanderer · The Master

That's good Beth, you maybe able to give each other some moral support.
I feel for you and hope all goes well.

D and D · Guru

Somehow I have missed out even though my brother gets a number cut out each year as was my Dad before he died and my Mum. She was prescribed a cream because she had stacks of small pre-cursor blemishes on her face. It wasn't cheap and she had to put it on once a week for 4 weeks I think it was. Her face looked terrible for a while but it cleaned up all the pre-cursors and some active cancers - that was about 5 years ago and she hasn't had a problem since but still has annual check ups. I have them every 2 years and have done for the past 6 years - must get it done before we hit the road in January, thanks for the reminder folks.

Beth54 · Guru

Out of we four siblings, only one has missed out and he has olive skin like our late mother, and she never had any either. They say people with olive skin still need to be wary, but I don't know any olive skinned people who've had any skin damage.

I know of the cream you mention D and D. A friend had it for her arms a few years ago, and they want her to use it on her arms. She's refusing for now, instead she's trying a skin care regime from a Naturopath. She can see an improvement in her skin already.

I have double trouble because some of the meds I'm on for other problems can make my skin more susceptible.

I always wear a hat when outdoors, and putting on sunscreen is just a part of my morning ritual. I have a long sleeve cotton shirt that I try to wear in the sun, but I just find long sleeves too hot. I've been careful since I was 19 but it's my childhood that has done the damage.

chaslib · Senior Member

I believe if nothing else, if this thread has raised awareness about the dangers of irresponsible exposure to the sun, then i am glad i have come forward.... I know, because I wii be paying the price.

If you have not already done so, please see a skin cancer screening clinic and be checked out. Skin cancers and melanoma are silent and sneak up on you when you least expect ....

Beth ..., thank you for your support. And thank you everyone else for you kind thoughts and wishes.

Cheers,

Libby

Gerty Dancer · Guru

You guys aren't alone, I did the dreaded cream treatment on my face last winter and a lot of potential nasties peeled off... my partner goes for surgery next month.
Such is life for our generation, we all loved to sunbake, a tan was a fashion statement. Good luck Chaslib and Beth!

Happywanderer · The Master

That cream would be Efidux, spelling not right. I have some here. Use it on any blemishes on hands and face when they pop up.

Cloak · Guru

Is that Efidux cream a prescription thing or can I pick some up at the pharmacy?

Many thanks.

Steve

Gerty Dancer · Guru

You need a prescription for Effudix Cloak. You have to put it on 2x daily for 3 or 4 weeks, and it gets really sore and red, then the skin starts to peel off. Best to do it at a time (like mid-winter) when you wont be going out in the sun. In theory it takes all the little pre-cancers with it when it peels..

Duh · Guru

I have used Efudix too, here is some info, but read the link right to the bottom;

http://www.mydr.com.au/medicines/cmis/efudix-cream

http://www.perthskincancer.com.au/Treatments-Procedures/Medical/Efudix.aspx

Here's a good personal story with periodic photo's of the treatment, bear in mind she has treated very large areas, see;

http://www.heather-ellis.com/efudix.html

Other than using Efudix, I had Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) on my nose on one side which was removed surgically, unfortunately they had to remove most of the nose from that side including underlying muscle. My skin surgeon cut skin and tissue from my forehead which he used to reshape and make another half to my nose including the nostril flare, the skin patch was brought down from my forehead and twisted just above my nose then laid over that nose half to reform an new nose half.

http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/squamous-cell-carcinoma

One side of my nose (the opposite side looks a bit like Michael Jackson's before he had plastic surgery, while the new side has a Michael Jackson look about it after his plastic surgery with a much smaller nostril.......

Edit: I mostly had Basil Cell Carcinoma, however on my nose it was SCC....

-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 9th of November 2013 11:29:47 AM

Grams · Guru

My sister has had 8 Melanomas removed from her back and arms.

I have had 3 that had just started to change into cancer, removed from my back years ago. I now have a BCC on my chin that will be removed next week. I dont go out in the sun much, in fact I have a low Vitamin D count and my GP encouraged me to get some sun....but I decided to take the vitamins instead.

Both my parents and both my brothers have never had anything like this.

Grams

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Thanks for those web-sites Vic, wish I'd had so much information when I was using efudix, I found it very painful and not terribly effective.

Duh · Guru

I only used it on one occasion Gerty, I wasn't too impressed with it either, but ok for some I imagine.

Good luck with the chin op Grams, hope the can do something about those ones on your back as well.

chaslib · Senior Member

RE: Skin Cancer - the wait almost over

Big Gorilla · Guru

RE: Skin Cancer

Beth54 · Guru

Big Gorilla wrote:
Good luck to all of those with skin problems.I hope the treatments described in this thread will give permanent relief. I was never one for sitting on the beach in the sun for hours on end, so in a way I guess I'm lucky. However I do have an annual check up and what my GP has told me is that I must get at least 15 minutes of sun each day. This increases your Vitamin D levels which is necessary to help keep the body in good shape. I wont go into detail except to say it keeps the calcium levels up which promotes healthy bones. You can read detailed information on Google. I reluctantly do my 15 minutes most days and thankfully my Vitamin D levels are where they are supposed to be.

All very true BG, but may I add that the sun exposure should be done before 10am or after 3pm.

chaslib · Senior Member

I had my surgery yesterday - and was not too distressing - the worst was the waiting and uncertainty. Pathology came back clear - might have a bit of scarring on my nose but at least the graft sight is on my forehead at the hairline and should heal without any problems ....... the actual nose wound is not painful at all, but the graft site is awfully painful and I have used up my daily quota of painkillers already, so will have to rely on the ice packs for some time today. I requested a general anaesthetic and they were happy to put me right out rather than the "light sleep" originally intended. Stitches come out next Monday. So - if you are anxious about having the local with sedation as I was, just ask to be put out for it - you have that right! I was terrified - possibly because I had a few consultations with Dr Google ....... big mistake!!!

Best of luck to you all who are still in a holding pattern

Libby

Beth54 · Guru

I'm glad it went well Libby. I was thinking of you yesterday.

I had a call from a nurse at the hospital who said that the CEO wants the backlog cleared by June. So my GP said if he wants it, it WILL happen. So fingers crossed.

I don't understand why they said 'local and sedation', because in my experience it's one or the other...or a general. I've never had a general, but had plenty of sedated procedures done. And I'm always out for the count.

Anyway, hope you heal quickly. smile

grahos · Guru

There are probably not many of us not affected by cancer, personally or family and friends.

chaslib · Senior Member

Hey Beth - anything further about your situation? Hope they have moved you up the list by now. Mine is now all over (2 weeks ago) and all the gloom and doom I was feeling for all those months was all in my mind. The scar is healing over great- no indentation in the skin - only a small scab now visible and a pale new skin around it. The best advice I can give anyone facing a similar op is

1. Dont worry;

2. If you are anxious ask for a general rather than the local with sedation; and

3: if your situation allows you to choose your own doctor, then find out about him - dont just go by what the referring GP or clinic send you to. I was very lucky to have had a good plastic surgeon and to him it was all a "walk in the park". The only real pain or discomfort after was my forehead where the graft was taken from and this is normal for all skin grafts - because it was closed by pulling the skin from head, every time I laughed, smiled or moved any of my face muscles it hurt like hell. Regarding the care of the wound after, many people apply oils, creams and similar - I was advised against those things.. For the first 2 weeks it was a vaseline type ointment (strangely it is the same that is used for conjuncivitus and is over the counter at the chemist) which created a seal blocking any bacteria. After that a silicone ointment which formed like a skin over the wound - this will be ongoing for at least 90 days - if all goes to schedule the wound should be fully healed, and hardly noticeable (actually it is already). Also - at no time was there any dressing used - I guess the theory is skin grows exposed to the elements, so you treat the graft the same way- just protect it from sun and germs ...... a bit uneasy going out in public for the first 2 weeks, but at least now I can put sunscreen (not that I will be going anywhere near sun) and makeup on top of the silicone skin.

Hope this helps any of you facing BCC or similar types of surgery or cancer removals from your face, or anywhere else for that matter.

The best thing about it all is now - instead of the 3 months I thought before we could resume travelling, we can head off anytime now ...... just need to let the weather get a bit more stable first! Hope to see some of you out and about - NSW will be our playground for the next couple of months.

Cheers

Libby

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.