Yeah, well.
We’re going to be upping the ante on this disease. Beginning Wednesday, I begin something called PUVA therapy. Consider it a somewhat benign cross between radiation and chemo therapy. I take a drug, methoxasalen two-and-a-half hours or so before being put into a UVA light box for 15 minutes. The period of time will never increase, but the intensity of the light will be gradually increased in successive sessions. This will be three times a week for the next few months. After a time, the number of sessions per week will drop. I will have to wear special wrap-around sun glasses for 24 hours following each therapy, since the methoxsalen will affect not only my skin but my eyes, which will remain sensitive to UVA from the sun. Among the side-effects to this therapy (in no particular order) will be skin burns, increased freckling and tanning, increased chance of other skin cancers (other than the skin cancer I currently have), liver damage, premature skin aging, cataracts, nausea, and I forget what all else.
And I actually feel good about this. What I’ve read about CTCL in post-transplant patients scares me, and putting a cream on it just didn’t feel like I was taking the disease seriously. This seems more like we’re taking some definitive measure to slow this thing down.
Having said that, this is going to seriously cramp my style. I’m continuing to work full time, which means going to work before and after treatment sessions. I’ll have to give up work at the shelter for the time being. I won’t be able to take any trips that take longer than a weekend.
I’m coping.
And the bright side is you’ll get the really cool wrap around shades that’ll make you look like one of those old people you see coming out of the opthomologist’s office 😉
*ducks before you can throw anything at me*
You’re amazing. In a good way.