Thursday, January 21, 2010

Well I've Got It

The last year and a half or so I've been dealing with what I thought (at least for a while) was a nice case of servere chapped lips. In the begining I assumed it was because I wasn't drinking enough water or maybe the weather or maybe the universe was being mean to me who knows. Anyway after a while I started to think that maybe it was something else because really who has really horrible chapped lips that flake, rip off, crack and bleed for months on end? Yeah well anyway about 5 months or so ago I went to a dermatologist (i'm pretty sure I blogged about the moles I had removed) and he kinda brushed off my lip concerns and told me to use aquafor - in case you don't know that's pretty much vasoline so thanks dickhead that was super helpful. Fastforward and my lip is still being all weird even with the awesome vasoline so I made an appt with a different chick. Went yesterday and found out I was right - dang couldn't guessed that was coming - and I have Actinic Cheilitis.
Actinic cheilitis, sometimes known as "farmer's lip" or "sailor's lip," is a precancerous condition related to cumulative lifetime sun exposure. The lower lip is most often affected. Individuals with actinic cheilitis often complain of persistent dryness and cracking of the lips. They will frequently exhibit other effects of sun-damaged skin, such as precancerous lesions on the skin called actinic keratoses and extensive wrinkling. A certain type of skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) develops in 6–10% of cases of actinic cheilitis.

So she gave me a script for fluorouracil which is pretty much a topical anti-cancer drug used to treat cancer and precancerous conditions. She advised me that I will HATE using it because it's pretty much going to make my lips look and feel like I ran over them with a cheese grater (she didn't use those words but she should have) for about two awesome weeks. She said I'm not going to want anything touching my lips and they will hurt after a couple days. I'm really hoping this works and my lips stop being all chapped and crap because it really is annoying. I am a little tiny bit worried because the packet that came with the cream (that would have by the way without my insurance been $207 - thats even the generic!!) said it can cause color pigmantation and my lips even look lighter today than yesterday so I'm hoping it's a fluke and I don't have white lips when this is over!!  I used the cream last night before bed and here is my lips on Day 1 - we shall see what they look like in a few days!
lip day 1

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi chicka! i had no idea you had this problem. ever since i went to california i've been experiencing constant chapped lips too. they're not necessarily chapped but they feel dry and i'm constantly applying carmex lip balm. it helps but my lips have to be moisterized at all times. wonder if your problem has anything to do with mine...hmmmm
aunt mel

Autumn said...

Ouch! I had a run in with the sun and my lips when I was 8. I spent all day on the lake at summer camp, remembered to put suntan lotion on my body but not my lips, wound up getting 2nd degree burns on my lips (pretty painful but it was temporary) my point is I only know a small amount of what you must be feeling! I'm so sorry hun!!
Praying God heals your lips and even takes care of the girly stuff (like keeping them pink - cause you know he cares about us THAT MUCH =D right?)

Lots of Love,
~Autumn

*Monica said...

here is to hoping for cured lips!

Tiffany said...

Melissa ~ Yeah maybe it's the same thing who knows girly. Hope not cause its a PITA.

Autumn ~ yeah I'm hoping they stay pink too or else I'll have to get colored lip gloss or something. I can't be going back into the dating world with white lips that would be wierd. lol

Monica ~ thanks yeah so far they don't look much different but she said it would take a couple days so we'll see.