skin post tx

[cheflady]

hi all just wandering if anybody having probs post tx with skin hubby about 10/11wk post tx and he keep erupting with strange looking blobs especially on nose and if a midge bites him they are going septic also now allergic to plasters never as been before and the sun isnt suiting him at all before he just turned brown now like a lobster if anybody can shed some light on the matter we would be very grateful, he was 24wk triple tx with incievek Cheers Jules

[mzkity]

Well I finally got into see the derm. Took 2 weeks to get in. By this time the rash under my eyes went away. But my face was still a little broke out. So he gave me a prescription for Clindamycin Phosphate 1% lotion. It's a topical antibiotic with moisturizer.
As for the crusty/patchy dry spots he just froze them. He said there nothing to worry about, they are not precancerous.
I was thinking my skin was so dry that when I stopped the ribavirin the oil coming back to my face just clogged my pores. Before going to the derm I used benzoyl peroxide (flcyclist) it was helping.
I wish there was more on post treatment issues. But hopefully this type of thread will help others.    Kitty

[cheflady]

sound advice never thought a midge would get a response like it did! Cheers all

[BoceprevirGal]

  I am still a bit run down from my tx, and I am almost 10 months post Tx. If I eat too much bread, I have to ward off a bladder infection.  I think what-ever was our "achilles tendon" towards bacterial infection, before we treated,  tends to be our hot spot, the first 12 months post Tx, as I am proned to that sort of thing when I get stressed.
  I havent had any skin issues, but I never did before Tx.

[Dee1956]

Hi there, I had problems post tx as did Gerbils on here.  It takes a while for the body to recover from the tx.
MZkity has a good idea of going to a derm to tx it until your body recovers

I also had a boil and started to use anti bacterial soap to make sure I did not get an infection.

Good luck
Dee

[flcyclist]

As dontworry_behappy1 stated, "one of the things you should really watch for is bacteria infections.  Your body is run down and it's takes time to recover.  Staph infection is something you should watch for."

At over 1 yr post eot I've had a few issues with pimples/boils on the face and chin.  I finally got some OTC cream with benzoyl peroxide which helped to clear and dry them in about one week.  I haven't had issues with the sun.  

Hey ceanothus, I do know what a midge is.  I call them flying teeth. lol.

[dontworry_behappy1]

Thanks

[mzkity]

I forgot about the rash. It's overwhelming! I don't know what to treat. The rash is under my eyes and does seem to clear up then comes back sometimes the very next day!  I've used Retina-A 0.5% and it helps for a bit, but then other stuff pops up! I don't want to go the cosmetic route and spend a fortune on something that's just post treatment. I'm going to the derm!!

Didn't know what a midge was either! Thanks ceanothus!

[dontworry_behappy1]

My skin is not burning or tanning also.  I did notice that sun will make you break out.  I have been out in extreme sun and gotten no tan just red which seems to go away.  I guess you burn and it never turns to tan.  

[ceanothus]

My entomology background from decades past is re-emerging to briefly make me a pesky know-it-all. Midges are a type of fly: Order Diptera, Family Ceratopogonidae, usually most abundant near lakes and marshes. Some don't bite but others are fierce biters. The infamous no-see-ums and sand flies are both types of midges. Their bites are tiny but painful, as they slash open the skin with tiny serrated mouthparts and then lap up the blood. Nasty little creatures, and they don't even have the decency to be repelled by normal insect repellents.

As for the skin issues, yes my skin continued to have problems long after tx was over. In fact, my skin is still not completely back to normal even now and I'm 9 months post-EOT. I continued to get ever-smaller rashes throughout the first 5-6 months and at this point They have shrunk to just one bump per area affected, but they are most common on my face. They come and go, so at times I've thought it was finally over, but then it returns again. It has gotten less all the time and the bumps I have now are barely noticeable (except to me), so I do still expect it to completely normalize eventually. In the meantime I am finding that even though the bumps do not resemble zits, they are nevertheless fairly responsive to application of neutrogen's "on-the-spot" acne treatment. If I put it on the bumps at night they are usually much better by morning, and sometimes are completely gone.

My skin is also not responding to sun the same way it used to. I'm very pale but will be in the sun a lot on vacation next month so I've been trying to get a little bit of protective tan now so I won't burn quite so easily then. It isn't working. I'm using spf 20 sunscreen which should let a small amount of uv past, but it might as well be a total block, as my skin is simply not tanning (or burning) at all. I'll just have to pray that I never slip up once with my sunscreen while on vacation in July and August, or that my skin retains this odd characteristic of seeming to have a built-in sunblock.

[Reidmusic]

For the first few weeks post-treatment I was having some angry looking pimples appear on my neck and face. It has gotten better and the only skin issue I'm still having is the dryness around my temples and ears. It feels like sandpaper. I'm really sorry your hubby and Mzkity are going through this and I hope it clears up quickly.

[cheflady]

many thanks i will go on chemo site thank-you and Kitty that unreal his nose also looks like it had a visit from your bumble bee! He also as been getting crusty patchy thinks on his back and if he rubbed them hard they fell off. Very odd indeed Kitty let me know what dermatologists say. Many thanks again you guys

[mzkity]

Hi Jules!! I'm absolutely devastated by my skin. I thought it was just me. I almost lost it last night. My face is broke out like a teenager. But there is so much going on I'm just going to the dermatologist. My nose looks like a bumble bee landed on it. I wake up and go over everything I ate, what I did trying to determine whats causing this. I'm used to "skin issues" as i have severe actinic keratosis that's basically sun damage. But this is to much.
I was going to the derm anyway because during the treatment I was starting to get these crusty/patchy dry things on my back. I had them before but they multiplied so fast It had to of come from one of the drugs. Not an answer for you but glad you posted. Maybe someone will come along and help us!!
I'm  6wks  post was on peg/ribavirin, did 23wks total.  Kitty

[dontworry_behappy1]

Many don't like the term chemotherapy when it comes to Hepatitis C treatment.  There is a lot to gain in post treatment if you take this into consideration.  Read about it and understand that lots of what your experiencing is very much post chemotherapy.  One of the things you should really watch for is bacteria infections.  You body is run down and it's takes time to recover.  Staph infection is something you should watch for.  I agree the exposure to sun has produce red and not brown and I don't remember that with cancer chemotherapy.  Lots of the same things do happen post treatment Hepatitis chemotherapy as cancer chemotherapy.  read "chemocare.com" and get some really good information about chemotherapy
and post treatment issues.

What is a midge? : )

DWBH