Day 39 - Healing Day 9

Okay, I'm not sure whether this is healing day 9 or 10. I seem to be a day off somewhere.

Either way, today is the first day where I'm not in any pain, though I was still flaking like a snowsquall this morning. The itching hasn't been too bad either. Mind you, as I've mentioned before, it seems to get worse in the evenings. Fingers crossed it doesn't tonight!

I didn't have to use any Aquaphor today, which is good because it really does block your pores. I used some calendula cream that I got from the homeopath. Today is the first day that I've been able to use it without it stinging.

Most of the feeling in my chin has come back and my forehead isn't feeling nearly as tight either. My face is still pretty light red/pink but it looks like I've just had a reaction to something or perhaps a bit too much sun (no comment). What a difference 6 days makes!

Day 37 - Healing Day 7

I woke up this morning with a forehead many Hollywood-types would be jealous of. Well, except for the red color and dry skin flaking off that is. There was not a wrinkle on it. It was very painful to move and my chin remains very tight unless lubricated with Aquaphor. So much that it's hard to move my mouth to even speak. The skin is not coming off in chunks anymore, but in annoyingly small pieces that are hard to get off. Very itchy too.

The center of my forehead and my chin are still somewhat numb, leading me to think that there is still considerable peeling to happen in those two particular spots.

Two different people this past weekend suggested Cannabis oil would have been a much better way to do this than the Efudex, making about 4 people this week that mentioned it. That video sure gets around. I first heard about cannabis oil about a week before starting treatment. I asked around and no one seemed able to get me any. At the time I chalked it up to some of the other alternative therapies everyone and their uncle seemed to be putting forward. Perhaps I'll put some feelers out again.

Day 35 - Healing Day 5

It's quite interesting so see how fast some of the red is fading. People are commenting that I look better than I did yesterday.

I suppose thats good. I don't necessarily see it, but showers are somewhat less painful, and sleep is becoming easier to get.

I'm still using the Aquaphor to not only combat dry skin, but to relieve the pain that comes with the extremely tight feeling I have across my forehead and chin.

Day 33 - Healing day 3

Well, those who've walked before me are right.

You struggle through 30 days of applying this stuff to your raw, sore skin - only to discover that it doesn't end then.

I think I got a total of about 45 minutes solid sleep last night, thanks for the constant itching/pain. People have asked what the pain feels like. I can probably best describe it as that feeling you get when you first realize a mosquito is biting you, but all over your face.

For whatever reason, as I've mentioned, it gets worse at night. My chin feels fine during the day, relatively speaking, but last night the pain was radiating through my jaw. Very similar to the feeling you get when you bite into something really sour and you get that achey feeling and produce excess saliva.

Again, I did the running back and forth to the sink splashing cold water on my face, followed with Aquaphor (I don't own stock in this stuff - honest!) and then laying in bed with a cold towel placed over my head/face.

Fun times.

On the positive side, I have noticed that some of the reddening is less intense, and fading from parts of my cheeks.

Day 31 - Healing Day 1 - Could be graphic...

I could also name this "the lost day". I didn't get a wink of sleep last night until about 6 am.

The itching and the burning kept me up, applying cold compresses and Aquaphor. Unfortunately, this makes you an itchy, gooey mess. My face was sticking to the pillowcase (which you go through many of when you do this) As a result, I think I dropped off about 6 am and napped until about 1 pm. The day goes pretty fast when you do that, with it starting to get dark already at 2:30 in the afternoon. (cloudy and grey outside).

After slopping on this vaseline-like product called Aquaphor several times overnight, THIS is how dry my skin was this am on my forehead.

I had a shower and let me tell you, I could very easily live in there right about now. Once the skin gets moist it doesn't crack and hurt and I get some relief. Several minutes out and the tightness starts again.

While I was in there, I gently tried exfoliating as much as I could without rubbing my skin raw. The skin was coming off in chunks. It's no wonder my chin doesn't have any sensation, the dead skin there is similar to the heel of my foot.

I got out and immediately put more Aquaphor on it. It still hurts, but not nearly as much as without it.

On one of my visits to the washroom last night, I noticed several dark spots appear that are dried blood that has scabbed over. They just seemed to come out of nowhere. I'm assuming these are the nastiest bits that we're trying to kill off. This one here is located close to that white spot where my first AK was burnt off a year or so ago.

Day 30

Today is the last day of applying the fluorouracil (Efudex) to my forehead. I can't believe I made it. There were so many times I was ready to quit, said "enough is enough" and a few days where I put it off for an hour or more while I debated about it. I probably should do an extra day for good measure, but I won't.

I've got one more application tonight to do.

Already, I can see where the rest of my face is getting redder/dryer as the cream does its thing. Apparently, like most chemotherapy, it is cumulative, so it's still working even though I stopped two days ago.

My chin doesn't hurt as much today, which is great, because anything brushing against it, being clothes, blankets etc, hurt like the devil! Yes, shaving hurts, but not shaving drives me batty because it's almost as if the facial hair in that area is now super sensitive

For some reason, the pain and itching is the worst in the morning and then starts up again in the evening.

Day 28

Tonight was my last application on my face below my eyes.

Overall, a fairly good day with very little pain, except while in the shower this morning. I

tried not to touch some of the skin that was falling off.

If things go the way they have been, I should start feeling more pain tonight after midnight.

My chin has been very sore as there's some very deep-rooted action going on there.

Shaving is very painful, even with a new blade. Especially on the chin area thats swollen. Note: I only use triple bladed razors. I can't even imagine attempting to shave, even under normal circumstances, with a double or even single bladed razor. I have an electric somewhere, but can't seem to find it.

Only two more days for my forehead!

Interestingly, the lone, circlish, whitish spot on my forehead (seen at top photo on the right) appears to be where my first AK was burnt off (2 years ago?). There is a smaller white spot under it that appears to be damage-free area from the first spot being burnt off.

The bottom photo shows the inflammation in my chin. It's very tough skin and feels similar to how your cheek feels when you have freezing at the dentists. Also darker than the red around it.