Hi All,
Can I remind everyone that the sun is getting stronger and if you are not already using a lick of a high factor suncream after your radiotherapy treatment first thing every morning, you should be now.

I've just come back from holiday in Portugal. We went knowing it would be spring weather rather than fierce sun by choice, but the weather was lousy, windy and cool. However I see it was the same all over Europe. Amazingly just 2 days good weather,despite wearing a sunhat had my radiotherapy protected white neck stripe coming up very slightly.

I must have caught just a little sun despite trying hard not to. That one day when it throws up the old mask shape is a great reminder to be very very careful in future and do all that can be done to avoid the sun.

Now that it is 18 months since my radiotherapy finished I notice more and more small red broken veins particulalrly on the extra treament side. I am sure this happens when the skin gets very exposed, usually unwittingly in too strong sunlight in a car when you just ignore the fact that sunshine is happening.

Kind regards to all Pauline

A timely reminder Pauline.

As a matter of passing interest when I finished my radiotherapy I was told to use an unscented moisturizer every day. When I asked for how long I was told """For ever"""!

The recommendation was also given to try and avoid, as much as possible, direct sunlight.

Like a slave I've adhered to both instructions.

HI Pauline, I hope you had a nice break.
I went to India a year after my operation and with sun bock found it no problem.
It did make the scar more visible.
I used to smear my neck with sun cream.
If I could not go on the beach it would devestate me, I am not sure if its pre old age but I do find it so relaxing to lie in the sun and do nothing.
I think basically to walk around is such an effort and I still get tired very quickly.

Paul

Well you must have tougher skin than me Paul. I agree with pikeman - stay well clear of it. You can sit under a shade and still feel the benefit of lying on a sun lounger.

My skin is very white normally and never liked sun much before the radiotherapy so I have been very careful of sunburning all my life. I think that is why my burn pictures on my website are so bad. Now after a few minutes in unprotected sunshine I feel an intense heat and burning on my face and neck that starts to speak volumes to me so know I am even more photo sensitive than ever before. The old mask shape comes up very fast I find and I don't like it.

Every time I get caught in the sun even with protection I also get more tiny broken thread veins - these are particularly bad on the side that recieved an extra week of treatment right down to my cleavage.

Maybe as a man you don't wear many low necks, but after radiotherapy I find I don't like higher necks, they really irritate me and I have to cut out all the neck labels as my back neck was also treated too. I have to wear scoop necks even in winter and expose a lot of decollette skin just to stop clothing irritation where the therapy happened. This is fine in central heating, but a bit annoying in winter gales!

I was also under the impression that once you have radiotherapy the treated area should not wittingly be exposed to the sun as it can cause skin cancer more rapidly.

I don't think skin creams totally protect anyway - they certainly don't always prevent skin damage. My doctor happily prescribes Roc factor 25 suncream so it's worth asking for if you have an annual prepayement certificate.

Sorry to hear you are geting tired easily. I also feel more tired than last year too, but think I was so full of beans and rejuvenated after feeling so frail that I may have overdone things such as redecorating the whole house etc!

Have you had a thyroid test? I had one a few months ago - we should have them at least once a year after radiotherapy to the neck. But I hate them taking my blood as now seem to have no veins left for this purpose and land up with half a dozen punctures a mere half an inch of blood in a test tube. Anyone else found this with blood samples.

Hi Pauline, Well I guess my skin is more used to it as I was always away not like now stuck in doors.
I never used to have any veins to take blood but now they are evident everywhere!
I hate looking at my body now and my face well I have covered up all my mirrors and the next step taking them down when I have the energy to redecote.
Before Pikeman tells me to get out!
Its a nice day here but will not go out.
I have a Pub 4 doors from me and already they are drinking then they will be all off up the road to watch the Arsenal parade form the Islington Town hall.
It was a nightmare here last night as well as Arsenel won at home and the drunks were everywhere it really unerves me! :boxedin: Basically because my speech is limited and they tell me my tongue movent is virtualy nil.
What did we do to deserve this :banghead:
maybe its just me but beginning to wonder now.

Take Care Guys

Paul

Hi Paul.

Well life is a bitch. You don't have tohave done anything to be hit with the """C""".

Me, well I guess I deserved it. Smoked, drank, kept irregular hours, loved rich foods. No my surprise was TONGUE cancer.

Given your comments I'm not going to say a thing other than I've seen people with far more disfigurement than you.

Anyway, I thought you'd already started re-decorating

Hey Paul,

It doesn't matter if your speech is not perfect. You know, I have been trying to understand the English for years.

By the way, my husbands English.

Rosemary

Hi Paul you may be going through a bad patch at the moment but just let me say that your emails to me have really helped so how about trying to use some of that good vibe on yourself .
By the way Pikeman I must agree with you I too enjoyed life to its full however it does have a nack of coming back to bite you :yikes: .
Cheers Maurice

As time and thoughts have passed on this issue I am convinced that the causes of this are genetic. I've never ever smoked and never drunk a great deal , but still got SCC.

However I always hated passing someone smoking or being near them as they polluted my air so to speak. In other words some of us are more sensitive than others to smoke including I think some smokers.

I am convinced a genetic predisposition to a particular cancer is the root of this. I have though always worked with fibres and fabrics and I also sprayed some chairs with a stain repellant about 2 years before diagnosis. I tried to protect myself from inhalation, but think now maybe I failed and got it from the spray which I think back then had carcinogenic irritants. I think someone not genetically predisposed might survive using such a spray.

A great aunt of mine and her son both died of throat cancer. They were smokers, but even though I have never smoked I bet I have that same gene that something I inhaled like the stain repellant spray helped tip me over the edge one day.

Ok its just my theory. Anyone else got any theories as to how they got it?

Pauline

I worked in a glue factory for 1 1/2yrs. I was diagnosed with tongue cancer six months after leaving, I sometimes think the inhalation of the glue spills had something to do with it. After leaving the glue facory I worked in a card factory where I used a glue gun also.

That is my theory

Good Morning Pauline and Marion,
I am interested in your comments regarding adhesives since I too am a mouth cancer patient and I was involved in the manufacture and use of adhesives for about eight years before I retired in 2001.But I don't think there is much chance of a connection because of the timing and,also, whilst I supervised trials in factories I rarely came into contact with the products,in fact my work was largely theoretical and for the most part my contact with the products was to walk past a sealed drum from time to time,
If you can remember the names of the products and the manufacturer I would be more than interested.I always had and still have an interest in the safety aspects of chemicals which people are expected to use in their daily work routine.It is my belief that I ,and anyone else who has the knowledge and ability to understand chemistry have at least a moral responsibility towards those who don't.A chemical product which is used in textile printing in many areas of the world is a known carcinogen and to make matters worse is a known mutogen.This product has not been used in the United Kingdom for more than ten years due to articles which I wrote on the hazards associated with the substance.
The recognised medical problems generally associated with adhesives include respiratory,liver and kidney complaints.I can't think of any connection with oral carcinoma. But I have been out of the business for four years and of course non of us know everything.
Marion I am quite sure it is no more than a coincidence that one of the large users of an adhesive produced by my former employers is based in Northamptonshire!
Keep Smiling
John