Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th February

I started to feel a little brighter from Thursday. Though very tired. I didn’t volunteer as I went to an appointment with Robyn. Then sneaked in a nice Costa coffee! ☕️ I wasn’t sure if I had recovered enough to be able to do the walk in the evening, but I gave it a try and I managed it 🙂

Friday was a trip to the Churchill Hospital in Oxford for a dermatology appointment. I didn’t realise until I got there that I was going for a full body skin check 😳 I thought it was just a check up for my procedures last year. But anyway, I have recently been waiting for this appointment to get here as the solar keratosis that I had removed from my lip last year has recently returned, although I noticed that some of it had come off itself just this Wednesday 😏. I still needed to get it checked out though along with a little dry patch of skin on my arm that I have also noticed, which is sometimes itchy.

They wanted to freeze the two things there and then but as it’s my birthday at the weekend I didn’t especially want to be left with a big red mark on my lip so the doctor said she would prescribe me with some Efudix cream and I could wait to start the treatment.

But since I have read about the cream, a form of topical chemotherapy, and the effects it’s going to have on my face while it’s working, I’m really not sure I want to go ahead and use it 😫

‘What are the side effects of Efudix cream? – The main side effect is skin irritation (dermatitis). The cream works by directly destroying the sun-damaged skin cells. This will cause intense inflammation, crusting, redness and oozing of the whole area treated. Inflammation is a good sign, as it shows the cream is having an effect. If the inflammation is too uncomfortable a steroid cream can be prescribed to calm down the inflammation.’

‘How long should I continue with the treatment? – After 2-4 weeks your skin will be red, crusty, and uncomfortable, this is what we want to happen. The cream can then be stopped, to allow healing.’

Oh goodness me ☹️

Leah was back from her holiday when I got in. She had a great time. But it was nice for me to have her back home.

A reasonably quiet weekend. 

A trip into Banbury on Saturday.

A visit to my sister’s on Sunday afternoon. I tried so hard to get the others to come out for a walk with me, but no, nobody would. So I just walked home on my own the long way round, in the rain! 🙃 just to get a tiny walk in.

Have a look at these two great things, a succulent turtle 🐢 and a mini pond 🐸 that you could have a go at making to go in your garden as Spring is coming – well hopefully. I love them both!