Happy Summer!!!

I suppose it is time for me to update our blog.  I have been hesitant to do so, perhaps because it has been a bit of a relief not to be absorbed in the skin cancer world.  BUT, I have had a little nagging and scolding from family and friends who want to know how our Jim is doing.  Here ya go!

Jim has been doing fabulously well.  He did push the envelope of how much he can put his family through with a surgery to have his gallbladder removed in March and a surgery to have two ganglion cysts removed from his foot in April, but we are happily past those procedures!  He has recovered perfectly from both.  Whew!

Jim had two biopsies for skin cancer about a month or so ago.  BOTH came back negative!  One was precancerous and the other was completely benign.  Such welcome news!  Both Jim's VA and civilian dermatologists think two things are helping him - the Crohn's medication is completely out of his system and the chemo cream he applied at night this winter helped slow things down.  If they can continue to catch things at the precancerous level, he will only have to endure having spots frozen and maybe biopsies here and there.  That is so much better than surgery.  The plan now is to watch his skin carefully, be very cautious in the sun this summer, and then begin a nightly course of chemo cream in the fall.  We feel very fortunate to be getting some breathing room.  

So, as we head into the heart of summer, we will be extremely vigilant with skin care.  Hats, sunscreen, shade, whatever it takes.  Be careful out there, friends.  Skin cancer sucks!

Great News!

Jim heard that one of his biopsies was negative and the other was positive.  Luckily, the positive biopsy had clean margins.  So, NO skin cancer surgeries are being scheduled.  We will take it!!  Toasting Jim!!

Here We Go Again

This past week, Jim visited his VA dermatologist for what we thought would be a routine check-up.  This dermatologist teams with the civilian dermatologist and has been involved since the beginning.  Well..... she thoroughly examined his hands and then ended up taking two biopsies, a scraping to get rid of precancerous spots, and froze a spot - all on his left hand.  In addition to that, she froze a spot on his face.  UGH.  So, now we wait.  It typically takes about a week to get biopsy results.  Hoping for negatives!

Jim's Hands. 3/5/16

Left Hand.  3/5/16

Chemo Cream - DONE!

Jim wrapped up his topical chemo treatment last weekend.  At this point, his hands are sore and raw.  As soon as they heal up a bit, the doctor will check his progress and decide what to do next.  The chemo cream is only supposed to attack precancerous or cancerous cells, leaving healthy tissue unaffected.  So.... we have some dark spots to watch.

Jim's right hand - post chemo. 2/29/16

Jim's left hand - post chemo. 2/29/16

Both hands.  2/29/16

Chemo Cream

Jim will be starting topical chemotherapy cream on both hands today.  This time around, he will not have to wear gloves or have a wrap.  He will apply the cream at night to both hands and wash it off in the morning.  The doctors will monitor his progress and see if this approach helps with the precancerous spots on his hands.  Luckily, there were no spots that looked cancerous or worthy of a biopsy at Jim's last visit.  That is really fabulous news.  

I think my hubby saw one too many political posts or bogus medical studies and advice, so he made the decision to quit Facebook, for now.  Truly, he has been very happy and less stressed.  So, he would like his friends to know he didn't unfriend you, he is just preserving his sanity.  It's been a good move for him!