Day 2~Not Much Has Changed....Yet.

Here it is-day 2.  Not much change.  I did feel it burning last night. 

I'm trying to get the pictures just right so that I can see the true difference.  It appears when I look in the mirror my nose is more swelled.  The bottom picture is before I started treatment.  I can see the white scar well in this picture.  That is when it started to hypertrophy.  I sought the derm's treatment THAT week.  I did not wait.  You can see that the biopsy site still had not healed.  I think this may be because my nose was traumatized.  That's a good theory, no?  I mean, it was just coming out of surgery!!!   

Anyway, my nose is much drier and I expect it may get worse.  I'm prepared for that.  There isn't  a whole lot of information on Zyclara treatment because it was/is mainly used for certain types of warts.  I have found a message board that goes back to 2011.  I'm on the 3.75% dosage.  What are AKs?  Well, here's what the derm (RC) told me.

AK=Actinic Keratosis= potential precancer growths
If left untreated they may develop into squamous cell carcinoma (remember, I've had one of those on my clavicle).

There are several different options out there, but the three I've been introduced to are:
*cryosurgery-liquid nitrogen~~I've had several precancers destroyed this way.  The scar I now have is a result of a basal cell carcinoma, although years before had been 'frozen' with the nitrogen.

*5-FU is a topical chemo cream (not what I'm taking) and * Imiquimod (what I'm taking).

Imiquimod is NOT a chemo cream like 5-FU.  Essentially, it stimulates the immune system to produce a certain chemical that destroys cancer and pre-cancers.  One downside to this is...if you have an autoimmune disorder (like I do) it may not work as intended.  Yet, the derm (RC) thought this was a good option.  Anyway, I decided to take the risk.  In the future, I may end up using the 5-FU cream (the pics I've seen are not pretty), but it is said to do the job and doesn't leave scarring.

From my understanding, these creams are like a carpet cleaner.  Imagine you have your living room covered in carpet and you notice one or two stains.  You decide instead of spot treatment you will just shampoo the whole carpet.  What happens?  You end up bringing out stains/dirt you didn't realize were there.  That's what these creams do.  They bring out the AKs that are lying in wait under the surface.  Nasty boogers.

I think the best bet for treatment is to be aware of your body and any changes you may see.  Go to the dermatologist yearly and have an exam.  Yes, it is uncomfortable--but so is the alternative.  Find a good doctor, one that listens to your concerns and one that is very thorough.  Ask others who they go to and what their office visits are like.  You can learn a lot about a doctor like this. 

Realize I'm not a medical expert, that this is coming from my experiences, what I'm told by doctors, and what I've researched (Google can be misleading!)---so I'm not offering anyone advice or treatment...just a page from my life.

Thanks for reading!