lisag
"Well 3 weeks into this horrid treatment with pain and no decent sleep I have had to stop treatment. I woke to my cheek bone so swollen it pressed up onto my eye. Inside my throat was sore and feeling restricted as if narrowing. Was advised by my doctor to stop the treatment. I had a lot of oozing last night and the itching was maddening. I am hoping that using for 3 weeks should still have done the trick. I had lots of erosion with the first 2 weeks. "
Thinking of you @LisaG - that must have been frustrating and yes, that does sound maddening! Keep us updated. Here for you. Thank you for this update and sharing. Warmly, Margot, SkinCancer.net Team
Thanks Margot. You would think after using this cream 3 times I’d be use to it but this round has had its challenges to say the least.
@lisag Well, when it comes to Efudex, maybe you just hit your breaking point? It can be really tough and sometimes the side effects are just unbearable. Now that you've stopped, are you already starting to feel better? I hope so!
-Eileen, SkinCancer.net TeamThanks Eileen will do
"Does anyone know if I can use some paw paw ointment whilst still using efudex parts are in the healing stage and some are not but it is so stiff and painful. "
"Feeling sore and down. Just want this time to be over. "
@LisaG, you're not alone in these feelings, and I'm curious which treatment you're dealing with. I would guess Efudex by the sound of it, but perhaps a tough surgery too? People don't understand how draining skin cancer treatment can be. If you want to share more, I'm happy to connect you to some stories or conversations. I'll be hoping for relief soon! - Nina, SkinCancer.net Team
Hi Nina
Yes it is efudex. I have used it before but not on such a large area and it’s just horrible. Much worse than last time. I’m in the mid of the 4 weeks but am thinking 3 should be enough. I’m catching the peripherals coming up. So much differing advice on the net. Even dr to dr. The large area has erupted it’s just those coming out around the edges that haven’t erupted. Wondering do I stop or do I continue just that area until they erupt?
Any advice would be great.
Good to hear from you.
Regards
LisaLisaG, I don't know if it is any help but I experienced similar symptoms with Efudex. The main actinic keratosis areas erupted very quickly and after just 3 days I had red sores all over my scalp. However, this was not the end of it. At three weeks I had almost had enough but new areas started to show up. My wife who is a very experienced registered nurse said that this was the chemotherapy working on the potentially cancerous cells. Apparently it attacks any cells that are dividing even if they are not cancerous. Normal skin will grow back quickly and the cancerous bits will have been destroyed. I stuck it out for just over four weeks but felt I needed a few more as there are still some marks (not raised however) just under the skin. I will be seeing my dermatologist tomorrow and asking her about these.
My feeling and my wife's advice was to stay the course even though I wanted to give up. The pain means that it is working and that is what matters, it is worth it.
Hang on in there and just accept that the pain is worth it in the long run. I am so happy that a forum like this exists as we all think we are on our own but we are not. Funnily, at Castle Hill Hospital they have a cancer unit where people can meet and talk over coffee/tea but when we went there, the other cancer patients did not view skin cancer in the same league as theirs. Strange, we felt quiet let down. Thank you skin cancer.net for an arena we can talk in.