Skin Cancer Update
(The Fun Continues)
Here is an update on what’s been happening with my skin cancer battle.
As I stated in my last post, I didn’t want to pay over $900 for the Imiquimod, so I found a Canadian pharmacy online that had gotten positive reviews and was selling a generic brand for only $160.
I was supposed to start my chemotherapy back in the end of August, but it took almost three weeks for the drugs to arrive in the mail. It said on the website that due to customs and issues with sending prescription meds of national borders that it would likely take up to 15 working days.
So, I got my drugs a few days ago, but now I don’t want to start taking them because I’m about to start a month long west coast JAG Fitness tour and I don’t want to be on a fitness tour, giving talks, playshops and classes with a rash on my face.
So, I’m going to wait until I get back to start the treatment. Then, after I’ve been on the chemotherapy for a month, I go back to the dermatologist so she can check out what happened.
In the meantime, nothing has really changed. I had a little scare with there seemed to be a redness on the tip of my nose and it was tender to the touch. But it lasted for only a few days and then it went away. I don’t know if this is a behavior of actinic keratosis or if I just had another kind of issue.
In my original post, when I said i was going to find a cheaper alternative to the over $900 Imiquimod from Duane Reade, an anonymous comment was left by a pharmacist who cautioned that I may be getting counterfeit medications. The stuff I got is called Imiquad.
I googled it and it appears to be legit. At least I couldn’t find any sites that spoke of bad experiences with the stuff. If anyone knows anything about Imiquad, please comment here.
The only other thing I have to report is that I think I may have found another spot. It’s down on my neck near the collar line of a T shirt. It looks more mole-like than the spots on my nose and forehead. If it is something, it seems like it’s more akin to the ‘age spot’ that was removed and send to the lab and came back as
actinic keratosis.
Of course, it could just be a mole or an age spot. Nothing to panic about.
I’m sorry I don’t have more to report. I was sort of hoping that by this time, I’d have some gory pictures to post. But I will post them in November when I get back from the JAG Fitness tour and start my therapy.
Here is an update on what’s been happening with my skin cancer battle.
As I stated in my last post, I didn’t want to pay over $900 for the Imiquimod, so I found a Canadian pharmacy online that had gotten positive reviews and was selling a generic brand for only $160.
I was supposed to start my chemotherapy back in the end of August, but it took almost three weeks for the drugs to arrive in the mail. It said on the website that due to customs and issues with sending prescription meds of national borders that it would likely take up to 15 working days.
So, I got my drugs a few days ago, but now I don’t want to start taking them because I’m about to start a month long west coast JAG Fitness tour and I don’t want to be on a fitness tour, giving talks, playshops and classes with a rash on my face.
So, I’m going to wait until I get back to start the treatment. Then, after I’ve been on the chemotherapy for a month, I go back to the dermatologist so she can check out what happened.
In the meantime, nothing has really changed. I had a little scare with there seemed to be a redness on the tip of my nose and it was tender to the touch. But it lasted for only a few days and then it went away. I don’t know if this is a behavior of actinic keratosis or if I just had another kind of issue.
In my original post, when I said i was going to find a cheaper alternative to the over $900 Imiquimod from Duane Reade, an anonymous comment was left by a pharmacist who cautioned that I may be getting counterfeit medications. The stuff I got is called Imiquad.
I googled it and it appears to be legit. At least I couldn’t find any sites that spoke of bad experiences with the stuff. If anyone knows anything about Imiquad, please comment here.
The only other thing I have to report is that I think I may have found another spot. It’s down on my neck near the collar line of a T shirt. It looks more mole-like than the spots on my nose and forehead. If it is something, it seems like it’s more akin to the ‘age spot’ that was removed and send to the lab and came back as
actinic keratosis.
Of course, it could just be a mole or an age spot. Nothing to panic about.
I’m sorry I don’t have more to report. I was sort of hoping that by this time, I’d have some gory pictures to post. But I will post them in November when I get back from the JAG Fitness tour and start my therapy.
Comments
Hi jason,
I was prescribed this cream by a dermatologist (NHS) to apply to 2 separate basal cell carcinoma lesions anterior shoulder and small of back (2 years apart) Neither lesion was excised i just applied the cream as directed and the lesion first became very red and inflamed then crusted over and slowly disappeared. No side effects at all and fingers crossed no more lesions. hope this helps.
all the best, lorraine (NIA & Facebook)
@Elena, thank you for your thoughtful comment, and I'm so sorry to bring down your post workout high. ;)
This is what I get for refusing to ever wear sunscreen. I hated the stuff, never wore it. And when I was a teen and early twenties, I was all about being tan. Deep dark California tan.
When I escaped the sun and moved to Seattle, I tried to avoid the sun whenever possible and I still do, but I just don't like wearing sunscreen.
What exactly do your doctors have to say about this? You just seem awfully blase, considering you just found what might be another spot.
I'm not trying to lecture- just concerned.
BTW, I, too, have always hated sunscreen, but I basically don't tan- just burn- so it's become a necessity on those rare occasions I expect to be out in the sun. I find that the new aerosol sprays are at the very least less greasy and "icky" then the lotions are, and they're easier to apply- also, for those of us with thinning hair who don't like wearing baseball caps, they're a godsend.
And it's more than vanity that tells me to wait on the treatment. I'm also concerned that if something odd happens, that i won't be able to go visit the doctor if I'm on the road.
She agreed that waiting would be the best thing in my situation. If we were dealing with cancerous cells it might be a different degree of urgency, but at this point we have the luxury of dealing with actinic keratosis, which is only a pre-cursor to cancer.
Since I've been harvesting this condition for the past twenty years, I don't think another five weeks is significant in the big picture.