Sun damage

[donheff]

I hijacked Paradiseken's welcome message a few days back to talk about my solar keratosis woes. Now I am up at 4:00 AM unable to sleep because of burning and itching so I figured I might as well share more pain.

@X&&&@@X!!! There, that helped.

All I have to say is that you young dreamers should be forewarned and use a boatload of sunblock. It didn't exist back in the day, so I have an excuse. If you want to see what this is like take at look at this guy's treatment diary. His was a little worse than mine but not a lot.

I always thought of myself as having a pretty high level of pain/discomfort tolerance but this constant itching and burning is driving me nuts. I don't know how people with long term or chronic pain can stand it. Recovery from serious burns must be unreal.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I hijacked Paradiseken's welcome message a few days back to talk about my solar keratosis woes. Now I am up at 4:00 AM unable to sleep because of burning and itching so I figured I might as well share more pain.

@X&&&@@X!!! There, that helped.

All I have to say is that you young dreamers should be forewarned and use a boatload of sunblock. It didn't exist back in the day, so I have an excuse. If you want to see what this is like take at look at this guy's treatment diary. His was a little worse than mine but not a lot.

I always thought of myself as having a pretty high level of pain/discomfort tolerance but this constant itching and burning is driving me nuts. I don't know how people with long term or chronic pain can stand it. Recovery from serious burns must be unreal.

I am not lookin'. I have my own diary, thank you very much.
A related aside. I signed on for cancer insurance years ago because
I knew I would have skin cancer eventually and you can't get it
generally if you have had any sort of cancer when you apply.
I've used the insurance and will in the future.

JG

 

[donheff]

Hi JG. Are you out in the Aloha State with Nords or are you dealing with insomnia like me?

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Hi JG. Are you out in the Aloha State with Nords or are you dealing with insomnia like me?

Woke up at 2 P.M. ready to rock and roll. No idea why, but as you can see
the old keyboard is hot. I usually pop a Xanax and go back to the land of Morpheus. Didn't work tonight.

JG

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Hi JG. Are you out in the Aloha State with Nords or are you dealing with insomnia like me?

And another thing ...... Nords and I in the same state would be a good
example of "not enough space."

JG

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Woke up at 2 P.M. ready to rock and roll. No idea why, but as you can see
the old keyboard is hot. I usually pop a Xanax and go back to the land of Morpheus. Didn't work tonight.

JG

Oops, make that "A.M."

Cheers,

JG

 

[73ss454]

I see your double and triple thinking again.

 

[Martha]

Don, I checked out that guys blog. Makes my face hurt reading it. No wonder you can't sleep.

I am very fair skinned. So far avoided any skin thingies.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

The trick is to get to these things early. Then it's easy, even if it means two or more visits a year to the dermatologist.

Sun damage is cumulative over your lifetime, so sunscreen -- while important -- just slows the rate of additional accumulation. Most of us get the vast majority of our lifetime exposure before we are 25 years old, then pay our dues for the next 60 years. Lubriderm with SPF 15 every weekend morning (and presumably every morning after FIRE ).

I learned in our Tucson years that a broad brim hat and long sleeve "tech" type shirt are best for me both for skin and for staying cool. Down here, I go for shorts and a t-shirt usually, cause of the humidity, but on the beach or other long sunny activities I still go for the long sleeves over my t-shirt. It actually feels cooler than letting the sun bake you.

 

[youbet]

I vividly remember, as a teenager, trying to get a tan like my friends by slowly easing into exposure to summer sunshine. Lots of burns and pain. My skin was not meant to tan, just turn various shades of pink and pinkish brown.

With fishing/canoeing/kayaking/hiking/gardening as hobbies, I now buy SPF 45 sunscreen in 55 gal drums, wear broad brimmed hats and tech type long sleeve shirts and long pants. At times, I've needed to wear gauzey white gloves to protect the back of my hands. And, oh yes, always socks since the tops of my feet will burn quickly out in the boat with the sun beating straight down on me.

I visit the dermatologist annually and he keeps a "map" of everything going on. Several suspicious "thingies" taken off so far, but thankfully all benign. Family doc also takes a good look annually.

Exposure to UV rates right up there on the stupidity scale with smoking in my opinion. I only wish that in the days of my youth the common medical advise was not to "start slowly and build up to a good, healthly tan."

 

[donheff]

I can't believe it, the darn dermatologist doesn't have anyway to reach him in off hours. The answering machine says call 911. Thats the last business he gets from me. Now I have to try to get my GP tp prescribe some hydrocodone and sleeping pills for something another doctor is treating me for. I posted a shot on my basement webserver in case the GP needs it and as a preview for my brothers and nephews/nieces who all face this Irish curse

 

[KB]

Wow....I'm really glad I read this thread.

I've never heard of Eufudex and I've had 2 basal cells and a bunch of keratosis removed. I have a new dermatologist who has put me on a 6 month watch, I return in December for the first one.

Don, I can see why you can't sleep. Ouch....your picture and the other guys blog are really an eye opener.

I'm going to show this to my son who is 19, a true redhead with a fair complection. He knows he needs to use sunscreen, but doesn't always. I'm from the era before sunscreen also....and my 2 malignancies were on my ankle and neck.

I do use sunscreen SPF 30 on my face always, and on other exposed areas not as often. This is a good reminder. Thanks and I really feel for you.....

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I can't believe it, the darn dermatologist doesn't have anyway to reach him in off hours. The answering machine says call 911.

Major red flag. Fire the idiot.

I PM'd you, Don.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I see your double and triple thinking again.

My old brain never shuts down. We are open 24/7.

JG

 

[paradiseken]

Okay donheff. Now you scared the bejezzus out of me. I go for the MOHS on my nose (hey, that rhymes) tomorrow. The dematologist will want to know why I haven't started the EFUDEX treatment yet. I think I'll show her a copy of this thread. Just kidding, I will bite the bullet and start. WOE is me!