The straight aloe helped my dad. He bought aloe juice in bottles from the health food store. No alcohol since it was essentially for drinking, but he would dab it on using cotton balls. He used that and was also able to use a lotion that had some lidocaine or numbing agent in it. It was prescription, but the doc said that some of the after sun sunburn lotions had lidocaine as an ingredient and he could give it a try. I don't know about the alcohol content, but you could ask your doc if it would be safe to try.

I'll look into the aloe juice and ask my doctor about the sunburn lotions. Much appreciated!

This is all new to me and I am so very grateful for the people in this group. I've been helped a lot.

but I did read that you should avoid the sun and/or wear protective clothing. Coolibar has a line of clothing, it is not inexpensive, but one or two articles can go a long way. Staying hydrated and using a moisturizing cream were also recommended in my reading. My husband used Clobex steroid spray when he had a full body rash, although I seem to remember the dermatologist calling it one of the 'big guns' but just the idea of a spray instead of a heavier steroid cream that others were using was a helpful.

You will be in my thoughts

I'll check out Coolibar as well.

Much appreciated!!!

I think the idea of a spray instead of a steroid cream has some merit, although it might not be the right drug in your case. Coolibar or similar items of clothing can be great if you want to be in the sun without having to add too much sunscreen.

And stay hydrated!

Not to mention mouth sores, migraines, constipation and a host of other wonderful side effects. Most of them, thankfully, are gone now. For the rash (which I had first on my stomach and then all over my face), my oncologist prescribed an antibiotic (can't recall the name) which cleared up pretty quickly. I kept my face clean and hydrated with a very light moisturizer (Clinique I believe) until it cleared up. Stay away and out of the sun!

I know exactly how you are feeling as you embark on this journey. Anxious, nervous, terrified and much more. Now that I am at the end of the chemo chapter (new chapter opens once I meet with two new physicians for their take on what to do next), I can say that while it wasn't easy, it was manageable. Be good to yourself and remind yourself that YOU CAN DO THIS!

Feel free to PM me if you need other suggestions should more symptoms manifest or if you have any questions that I might be able to help you with. I did not have radiation. I did have 6 rounds (3 days each) of very aggressive chemo treatments every 3 weeks or so (since Feb.).

And in case you are interested, I've been journaling this entire experience at CaringBridge.org. Am happy to send you the link. I found that journaling helps a lot. It's a great outlet and it allows those friends and family who are interested, the opportunity to come along for the ride (and avoids my having to repeat the same updates multiple times).

Thinking of you and remember- this too shall pass!

Might even have to have a feeding tube.

I'm glad to hear the antibiotic can clear the rash up quickly. Not vain....just don't need the added headache. People stare at me funny already because of my neck incision and the face swelling. It gets a little tiring. The swelling is almost gone and the incision is healing nicely - they still stare though. Oh, well.


Thank you, KaryninMiami! You have been an inspiration to me!