Rash

About every two weeks I experience some type of new side effect. Some are less agitating than others. The past week I have been dealing with a rash that has developed on the left side of my face—yes, everything with this cancer has been on the left side of my face. This is the same area that is numb, so how can the skin be numb and itch like crazy? I don’t know, but during my sleep it itches so much that I have scratched it until it bleeds. The rash is irritating, but in the scale of all that is going on in my body, it is minor. I believe that the Lord orchestrates everything that goes on in my body, and I believe that He lets some things like this rash carry on to remind me to pray. I itch. I pray.

Do I blame this rash on the cancer or on one of the medications? Or, mixing two or more medications that react negatively when taken together during treatment?

I am blessed to have an accessible primary care physician. I will be visiting him soon to review my medications and identify any potential negative interactions.

I hear so many stories from family and friends about how difficult it is to get an appointment with a specialist. When I wanted to see a particular neurologist about my Blepharospasm, I found one that was a movement disorders neurologist, and she was very familiar with the rare eye disease that I had been diagnosed with. In June of 2024, I called her office to get an appointment, and the scheduler gave me an appointment in June 2025.

I decided that I was not going to settle for that, so I called two times per week asking if I could get an earlier appointment. Finally, the scheduler asked me if I would like a Tele-med appointment. I said yes, and she gave me an appointment in two weeks. The appointment was very thorough, but the doctor said she would like to see me in a couple of weeks. I thought “Oh, no. Here we go again.” After my virtual visit, I immediately called the scheduler’s office, and the first question she asked me was, “Is this your first visit or are you an existing patient? “I was very proud to tell her that I was an existing patient. She gave me an appointment in ten days!

I talked with my Nurse Practitioner at Emory, and I explained the annoying rash on my face. She suggested that I get hydrocortisone ointment. I did, and it relieved some of the itching. I am on day six of using the ointment, and there is little change in the rash. 

I will not allow my cancer or its side effects to lead me into despair or self-pity. There is no room for “woe is me” in my life.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:26