(no subject)

[the_rck]

Yesterday, I started going through the informational booklet they gave me about radiation therapy. I specifically looked at the kind of lotion they want me to use, some stuff called Alra. The nurse was very, very specific that this was the kind the doctor really wants me to use. The booklet lists other possibilities, and I'm hoping that I can use one of those instead because the one they marked isn't going to be possible. It contains lanolin, and that's an absolute no for me. It does terrible things to my skin. I'm not sure if it qualifies as an allergy or not, but it makes my skin itch and dry out and get all eczema patchy (I can't wear wool or any sort of animal fiber). I don't think that's at all desirable.

I emailed the doctor's office to ask about the situation. None of the other options contain lanolin, so I might well be fine with one of them. I think I've actually used one of them, Aquaphor, before, in a minor way. It's also likely to be the easiest to find as most drug stores carry it. The other two possibilities are 98%-99% aloe or something called Borion Calendula Ointment which they say I can find at Whole Foods. I'm not enthusiastic about aloe since it doesn't generally feel good on my skin, but I'm pretty sure I've never gotten anywhere near the purity they're recommending, and maybe it's the alcohol and other additives that have given me trouble.

Unfortunately, it's been about twenty years since I last saw a dermatologist for eczema/allergy problems, so I can't consult that person. I don't remember their name or if they were male or female. I've been in the same medical system for thirty years, so it's certainly somewhere in my records, but they haven't computerized them going back that far, and I really don't remember anything that would narrow the date down. It might have been from when I had trouble right after Scott and I got married (I was reacting to Scott's shaving cream, and my eyes were swelling shut), but it might not have been.

Comments

[adrian_turtle]

If you want to use some lotion the doctor doesn't want you to use, can't you just wash it off before your appointments?

Aloe is good for healing burns, but it can dry to a kind of sticky texture. When I'm trying to moisturize dry skin, I don't like the feel of it--I'd rather use something with a bit of oil in it. (If coconut oil is safe for you to cook with, you might try putting a bit of that in a cup, dipping a fingertip in it and rubbing that on your skin.) If you try the Boiron Calendula stuff, make sure it's the opaque white ointment, not the clear gel. All their gels have a lot of alcohol and tend to dry the skin, as well as having the same tacky feeling as aloe.

If my memory is correct, 20 years ago you were still seeing Dr. Drobny. I believe guesswork, or buying stuff and patch-testing on your arm, is better than trusting his judgment.

[the_rck]

I stopped seeing Dr Drobny right after Scott and I got married when he refused to treat me when my eyes were swelling shut. He said that the only possible treatment carried a risk of me going blind in old age which... Well, I'd have taken the risk because I couldn't see.

I *think* the doctor I went to after that referred me to an actual dermatologist, but that was twenty two years ago, and things are very, very vague. The doctor I saw after Dr Drobny was really big on referring me to specialists whenever anything new came up, so if I had any sort of skin problem during the fifteen or so years I was seeing her, she would definitely have sent me to a dermatologist.

At any rate, I know it was a dermatologist and not Dr Drobny who told me to avoid lanolin, and I know I have skin trouble from wool and other animal fibers, so... Avoiding lanolin seems like a good idea.

[heavenscalyx]

If you had swelling, that's a histamine response, and that qualifies as an allergy, IMO. My mother is allergic to lanolin -- it looks like she's been burned wherever it touches her -- and has had a devil of a time for the last, uh, fifty or so years, always having to read the ingredients. She says things have gotten easier as they've pulled lanolin out of more products. It's such a pain that the doc is recommending this lotion! I hope they have a second preference for you.

[the_rck]

The swelling was not, so far as I know, from lanolin. It was from something in Scott's shaving cream, but we never pinpointed exactly what it was.

The dermatologist told me to avoid lanolin because, in general, people with sensitive skin have problems with lanolin and should avoid it entirely.

Animal fibers simply make me itch to the point of scratching myself bloody. My mother never understood why I refused to wear the beautiful Icelandic sweaters she bought me even though I complained constantly of cold. It was many years before I realized that some sweaters were okay and wouldn't make me miserable.

I'm also, oddly, allergic to bamboo fibers. Every time I tried crocheting with some, my eyes and nose both started running. I've never tried wearing anything made from bamboo; it seems unwise. I've never talked to anyone else who had that problem.

[rosiedlotrfan.livejournal.com]

Aquaphor also has lanolin in it (or 'lanolin alcohol' to be exact) - I just checked the ingredients on the pot I have here (use it for chronically dry lips). But if you can use it I'd definitely recommend it - it's the one we told our patients to use (I'm a retired radiation therapist). Maybe you could get one of the little travel-sized tubes and try it on a small patch of skin to see what happens.

(If you're not wanting advice, please tell me to butt out - I won't be offended :D )

[the_rck]

I don't mind advice, especially not from someone with experience in the field.

I'm assuming there must be something that will work for me. Many people have problems with lanolin, so I'm sure the question comes up regularly.

Maybe I'm wrong about having used Aquaphor. I thought it sounded familiar, but who knows? I usually stick with Aveeno because I know that doesn't give me trouble. As with shampoos and soaps, I don't experiment much. The risks aren't worthwhile.

[rosiedlotrfan.livejournal.com]

Eucerin was the other lotion we recommended, and it looks like this one

http://www.eucerinus.com/product/eucerin-skin-calming-daily-moisturizing-creme

doesn't contain lanolin, though some of the other varieties they produce do, so check the ingredients before you buy.

[the_rck]

I've been looking at the other options-- I'm not sure about the Borion Calendula Ointment because marigolds make me sneeze. I don't know if that would translate into a problem with the stuff as a topical.

I will ask about Eucerin when I talk to someone directly. I expect that will happen Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks!

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

If marigolds make you sneeze, calendula ointment is very likely to be a problem. I wouldn't risk it. Asking the clinic about Eucerin seems like a good idea.

The calendula ointment and plain aloe seem like the kinds of things people put on sunburns. It's probably been a long time since you had a sunburn (if you ever did), but do you remember if there was anything you could use on them that didn't cause worse problems for you?

[the_rck]

When I was a kid, we used to use Solarcaine (not the kind with aloe. That didn't exist then). I got a sunburn a couple of years ago and used aloe on that once or twice because Scott thought it would help. It felt nasty, and I'm not convinced that it helped at all. I don't think it made anything worse, necessarily, but...

And sunburn is pretty much the problem I'll have, sunburn bad enough that it might scar and might permanently change the skin texture and elasticity. They specifically told me that, in the weeks and months after radiation, my breast might change shape and end up looking a good bit different from my other breast.