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                |    |       Joined:  Dec 2003  Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2    Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)   |           Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)    Joined:  Dec 2003  Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2  |    Make sure you are not using anything before your radiation treatments as they may alter how it affects the skin.  I wasn't clear if the radiated area is turning red or other places on your face.  My neck turned red and was actually bloody towards the end of treatment and I used Donburo soak I bought at the drug store.  It is a zinc oxide product only to use when you skin is actually weeping but it cleared the mess up in a day.  I found a pure organic aloe with no alcohol that helped the dry peeling skin for the non-radiated areas.  I got the aloe at Whole Foods.
  On another note I just participated in a study where they "punched" out a few layers of skin to freeze to attempt to do some genome mapping and other research to see if there is a reason some people react so differently to similar doses of radiation.  They didn't tell me I may have a little hole punching looking scar maybe forever but I wear it proudly as another "badge of courage" to further research for all survivors of oral cancer.  I have participated in about every living cadaver study I can find so someone will gain from the experiences.  I got a free breakfast in one post-treatment saliva test! Even after almost 8 years my neck is still pretty dark red all the time but people just think I golf a lot!
  Best wishes always.        
SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0 Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days  radiation Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03 Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.  Cervical Spinal Stenosis  01/11 Cervical Myelitis 09/12 Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12 Dysautonomia 11/12 Hospice care 09/12-01/13. COPD 01/14 Intermittent CHF 6/15 Feeding tube NPO 03/16 VFI 12/2016 ORN 12/2017 Cardiac Event 06/2018 Bilateral VFI 01/2021 Thoracotomy Bilobectomy  01/2022 Bilateral VFI 05/2022 Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
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