In dermatology land, answers and loose ends

The same day that I wrote this post about my frustration in dermatology land, I got a call from a nurse who gave me the answers to one set of problems. I'm supposed to apply Efudex chemotherapy cream twice a day for two weeks to the spot on my cheek and twice a day for four weeks to my arms.

She said the divot in my thigh is more of a graft vs. host issue than a skin cancer issue. So now I will try to chase down my other doctor in the same practice, the one who gave me a cortisone shot last time and said to use Clobetasol (a strong corticosteroid) if the shot didn't work. When it turned out that insurance doesn't cover the expensive cream anymore, at first it seemed like the nurse was going to ask the doctor to look for an alternative. But when we last spoke she said that is more of a GVHD issue for my other doctor to address.

You might ask what's a little divot among the bubbles and ripples on my thighs? To me it's just one thing too many among the many other things that aren't supposed to be on my skin. And it's not that small. I said to someone, if you kept digging there you might get all the way to China.

Today or tomorrow I will get back on the phone and see if I can try to get in to see the other doctor, the one who specializes in subcutaneous dermatology. One doc for the top layer of my skin and another for the layers beneath it. Another trip to Boston, since, for insurance reasons, it's difficult to see them on the same day even though they're in the same office.

On the positive side, once I get past the frustration and get in to see them, they are very attentive and nice and I am confident they know what they're doing.

And since I have all these site-specific problems, I'm lucky to be at a world class medical center where there's a doctor who specializes in each one.

In a broader sense, think tongue, kidney, lung, feet (neuropathy) teeth, gut, eyes...OMG I am so far behind in following up with the last one but now I'm afraid that when I get there he'll ask where I have been. Still, must add to list.