Day 39 - Pink!

This blog is to help others contemplating this treatment.

Day 39 Final Post - Pink!

This is my final post and the past week has just been about recovery.  My face is still very pink and I suppose that will slowly fade, but it's still disconcerting.  There is no itching or pain anymore. Shaving is back to normal too (thank God).

I'm still applying Paw-Paw ointment as noted in the previous Blog post, hence the 'shine' in today's photos.  I'll be using it for some months yet.

In summary:

• This was a tough gig for long periods;
• Staying indoors and out of the sun was difficult, that surprised me more than I thought it would. I may not be suited to living in Canada in the winter 😊;  
• I still have to get a blood test to check my Vitamin D levels as a result (yes, seriously);
• I'm glad I'm through it, that I made it, and I'm glad I had the sense to read other Blogs before starting, to get the lay of the land;
• The reason I'm glad, is that everything I read indicated to me that if I'd done only a small part of my face, say forehead, I wouldn't have come back and completed the rest.  And that is true, I wouldn't have;
• It was challenging, they said it would be, and I won't be doing the treatment again (at least not whole face), I might entertain (and have to do) the back of my hands and that V where every shirt gaps at the top of your chest;
• In my opinion, the worst days on the treatment are not at the end of applying the Efudix ('the summit': which I thought was logical) but are the first seven days of the healing phase;

• Finally, this treatment wasn't an elective thing for me, and it may not be for you.  It was strongly recommended that I start immediately to pull the threat of solar keratoses and  precancerous squamous cell carcinoma into line.  So I did.  It was also timely in terms of season as this treatment would not be possible to undertake in warmer months of the year.  Ultimately, you take the doctor's advice, decide whether to heed that advice, and do what is necessary.  If you are facing the same decision then I wish you well with it.  I hope my documentation has helped you find the courage, through the knowledge of one additional 'data point' or 'case study', to make the decision that you need to make.  It is an important one.  If you go ahead, know that many have gone before you and their stories are abundant on the web.

Good Luck.

I'll make one further post in the future, to show what the passage of months has done to help the 'pinkness' subside.

Day 32 Left - May 23

Day 39 Left - May 30 - Pretty in Pink

Day 32 Right

Day 39 Right

Day 39

Day 25 - 5th Day of healing

Day 20 - Last Day on the Juice - 'Summit'

Day 9

Day 1

Learning:

Sunscreen

What are non-melanoma skin cancers?

Non-melanoma skin cancers are the most common cancers in Australia, however most are not life-threatening.

There are two main types: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. A third group of lesions called keratinocyte dysplasias includes solar keratosis, Bowenoid keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma in-situ (Bowen’s disease). These are not invasive cancers, however may require treatment as some may develop into non-melanoma skin cancers.

In 2015 there were 642 recorded deaths in Australia from non-melanoma skin cancers.

Cancer Council of Australia