Im on fire

ditto1
ditto1 Member Posts: 660
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I tried to look at old post did not find a discussion on RAD Neck Burns so I apologize if its there. Since my last RAD on Friday my neck has been to say the least likely a 2nd degree burn, serious sun burn what ever it hurts and Im hoping to find out if someone can give me suggestions. Matt I will be getting the Silver Sifidain (misspelled)tommorrow from the pharmacy. I remember Matt you talking about the nightly mess on the pillowcases, Im there, it seems to be just scabbing and the Glucan Pro /on the cases. Taking more pain pills to offset, can turn the neck left to right and up and down but it does hurt and seems as if Im tearning the skin, although I know Im not. Warm baths in the morning seem to help to remove the overnite gunk. Doc thinks 2 weeks should be good so now Im coming to the experts. Any adivce to soothe the pain would be appreciated. Thanks as always.
«1

Comments

  • Billie67
    Billie67 Member Posts: 898
    #2
    Cold salt water soaks
    That was very soothing for me. Oh and by the way, you can get 3 rd degree burns from radiation. I know when I turned my neck at times the skin would split and bleed, so painful. As for the salt water soaks you just use one cup cold water, one table spoon salt mix well and put it in the fridge for a while to chill. I just soaked 4x4 gauze in the water, wrung it out and placed them all over the affected area at least times a day. Sometimes I did it as much as 5 to 6 times a day. It felt so good. The silver cream does work good too but in the meantime use aquaphor just to coat it after the soaks. Honestly that will heal quicker than anything else so that's a good thing. It is so painful tho and I'm so sorry for anyone going thru it. I too had trouble sleeping because the goo would get all over the pillow, which I always covered with a towel. I have long hair so that was always up in a ponytail for bedtime. Just make sure you don't pick at your neck at all so you don't scar on the beautiful new skin you will soon have.
    Good luck to you in the healing part of this journey.
    Billie
  • ditto1
    ditto1 Member Posts: 660
    #3
    Billie67 said:

    Cold salt water soaks
    That was very soothing for me. Oh and by the way, you can get 3 rd degree burns from radiation. I know when I turned my neck at times the skin would split and bleed, so painful. As for the salt water soaks you just use one cup cold water, one table spoon salt mix well and put it in the fridge for a while to chill. I just soaked 4x4 gauze in the water, wrung it out and placed them all over the affected area at least times a day. Sometimes I did it as much as 5 to 6 times a day. It felt so good. The silver cream does work good too but in the meantime use aquaphor just to coat it after the soaks. Honestly that will heal quicker than anything else so that's a good thing. It is so painful tho and I'm so sorry for anyone going thru it. I too had trouble sleeping because the goo would get all over the pillow, which I always covered with a towel. I have long hair so that was always up in a ponytail for bedtime. Just make sure you don't pick at your neck at all so you don't scar on the beautiful new skin you will soon have.
    Good luck to you in the healing part of this journey.
    Billie

    Thank you B67
    this is just what Im looking for, yes it could be 3rd degree just did not want to over state it, but your suggestions is what I need. How long did it take your neck to turn around to feeling normal and no longer needing all the Goo and treatments?
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #4
    ditto1 said:

    Thank you B67
    this is just what Im looking for, yes it could be 3rd degree just did not want to over state it, but your suggestions is what I need. How long did it take your neck to turn around to feeling normal and no longer needing all the Goo and treatments?

    oclusive dressings at night sure help
    both with healing and with keeping the mess confined. i just used vaseline for this. slathered it on thickly, the put a 4x4 over it and taped in place. it will amaze u how good it looks in the morning.
  • katenorwood
    katenorwood Member Posts: 1,912
    #5
    ditto1 said:

    Thank you B67
    this is just what Im looking for, yes it could be 3rd degree just did not want to over state it, but your suggestions is what I need. How long did it take your neck to turn around to feeling normal and no longer needing all the Goo and treatments?

    Not alot of help but...
    ditto1,
    Mine was a short stint of rads, but did get 2nd degree burns that simply put....stunk ! I agree with B56. If no relief soon, get back in and tell them. I hope these rotten symptoms resolve quickly ! Will be sending positive thoughts and best wishes ! Katie
  • blackswampboy
    blackswampboy Member Posts: 341
    #6
    yep, exactly what I
    yep, exactly what I got.
    silver sulfadiazine is the stuff. but the burn spread a bit in my case, took a couple of weeks to cool off. but just keep smearing that silver sulfa on it, very soothing.
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006
    #7
    Awww Ditto
    Can you put anything cool on your neck?
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006
    #8
    Awww Ditto
    Can you put anything cool on your neck?
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #9
    neck burn 101
    Hi ditto1,

    The neck burn was my worst pain, as blackswampboy mentioned, Silver Sulfadiazine Cream does the trick. It will form a temp skin over the burn and take away all the pain. It dries up and gets to looking kind of funky, but I would just smear more on. You do not have to remove the dried out cream, but I did so I was starting with a clean patch. I found two ways to remove the old stuff, one was carefully with a Kleenex (it almost flakes or peels off) and the other was with a cool to warm wet was cloth (and it melts off). You’ll figure that part out. The point is, it worked very well. I would spread it on like a turtle neck. If your burn is bad buy the 400 gram container and not the 50 gram size. Lastly, wear a tee shirt you don’t care about messing up and the same goes for a pillow case.

    Good Luck,

    Best,

    Matt
  • Billie67
    Billie67 Member Posts: 898
    #10
    ditto1 said:

    Thank you B67
    this is just what Im looking for, yes it could be 3rd degree just did not want to over state it, but your suggestions is what I need. How long did it take your neck to turn around to feeling normal and no longer needing all the Goo and treatments?

    2weeks
    Ditto1, it took about 2 weeks post rads to get major improvement. But no doubt it was worse after rads then during for me anyway. At 2 weeks I was only wearing the goo in a couple of places.
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #11
    CivilMatt said:

    neck burn 101
    Hi ditto1,

    The neck burn was my worst pain, as blackswampboy mentioned, Silver Sulfadiazine Cream does the trick. It will form a temp skin over the burn and take away all the pain. It dries up and gets to looking kind of funky, but I would just smear more on. You do not have to remove the dried out cream, but I did so I was starting with a clean patch. I found two ways to remove the old stuff, one was carefully with a Kleenex (it almost flakes or peels off) and the other was with a cool to warm wet was cloth (and it melts off). You’ll figure that part out. The point is, it worked very well. I would spread it on like a turtle neck. If your burn is bad buy the 400 gram container and not the 50 gram size. Lastly, wear a tee shirt you don’t care about messing up and the same goes for a pillow case.

    Good Luck,

    Best,

    Matt

    Kleenex is a weird little secret
    Just like Matt mentioned. There is also a cream called Rad-X that works even better than the sulfadiazine which does get funky. Don't get sulfadiazine in your drains because it will cause clogged pipes. My method was as bizarre as I am but worked wonders for me although it is quite painful to do. I kept a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide that I would spray on all the burns and scabbing oozing nasty cracks in the skin. I would then let it fizz up and dab Kleenex around which would grab all the scabbing tissue off. It would bleed some from all the cracked skin but the end result was a very clean wound site. I would then spread on the Rad-X. Oncoman thought I was a bit nuts but couldn't argue with the results. This method is not for the faint of heart. I also wore rather large Hawaiian shirts just as Matt suggested.
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #12
    burns
    I sacrificed a couple shirts by removing the collars, and only used Aquaphor on the burning. Of note is that 3+-years later my neck skin in the rad areas is still redder than surrounding areas. Would advise taking other's advice on their ointment(s). Typical part of the treatment experience.

    kcass
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #13
    ratface said:

    Kleenex is a weird little secret
    Just like Matt mentioned. There is also a cream called Rad-X that works even better than the sulfadiazine which does get funky. Don't get sulfadiazine in your drains because it will cause clogged pipes. My method was as bizarre as I am but worked wonders for me although it is quite painful to do. I kept a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide that I would spray on all the burns and scabbing oozing nasty cracks in the skin. I would then let it fizz up and dab Kleenex around which would grab all the scabbing tissue off. It would bleed some from all the cracked skin but the end result was a very clean wound site. I would then spread on the Rad-X. Oncoman thought I was a bit nuts but couldn't argue with the results. This method is not for the faint of heart. I also wore rather large Hawaiian shirts just as Matt suggested.

    I like it
    Ratface,

    Our pipes are clean. When I use a wet wash cloth the cream melts away and goes down the drain fine. When I use the Kleenex I throw it in the trash. I can’t say loud enough about how good the stuff worked for me. The neck burn was the worst pain I had and the cream made it totally bearable. So, too satisfy the plumber in me I say get some Drano to clean your pipes when using the Silver Sulfadiazine Cream. I kept the stuff on 24 hours a day, when I woke up for the 4:30am pee I would put more on. Now if you are talking a burn like Tim’s picture, then you’re into major burn and I don’t know what he put on his burn.

    Best,

    Matt
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #14
    Kent Cass said:

    burns
    I sacrificed a couple shirts by removing the collars, and only used Aquaphor on the burning. Of note is that 3+-years later my neck skin in the rad areas is still redder than surrounding areas. Would advise taking other's advice on their ointment(s). Typical part of the treatment experience.

    kcass

    So are you a Red Neck or a Crusty Old Bird......LOL

    I'm more a shorts and tank top sort of guy, when not at work... It kind of fits the Florida Life Style and fishing theme of course....

    The Silvadene is awesome stuff as I've read... It's the go to treatment for many burn victims.

    I was never in to the Aquaphor...way to thick and greasy feeling to me. I was lucky as my burns were never much more than a bad sun burn and peeling...must be that Florida Sun I get dosed with every week-end.

    JG
  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #15
    Skiffin16 said:

    So are you a Red Neck or a Crusty Old Bird......LOL

    I'm more a shorts and tank top sort of guy, when not at work... It kind of fits the Florida Life Style and fishing theme of course....

    The Silvadene is awesome stuff as I've read... It's the go to treatment for many burn victims.

    I was never in to the Aquaphor...way to thick and greasy feeling to me. I was lucky as my burns were never much more than a bad sun burn and peeling...must be that Florida Sun I get dosed with every week-end.

    JG

    I was fortunate
    Some how I dodged the burn bullet. My skin turned dark brown the week after rads completed and eventually peeled but never hurt. I figured it was because I always tanned easily and had an olive tone. That or I was due to catch a break. Years ago I had a severe grease burn on my hand from a clay cooker and ER prescribed silvadene...it was a life saver. I definitely recommend giving it a try.
  • ditto1
    ditto1 Member Posts: 660
    #16
    4 days later
    still sore but better, a messy week to keep the goo going on and off and on and off. Thank goodness for the Washer and Dryer and a great caretaker in Diane to keep me in clean towels, bandanas, and wash cloths to get thru this. Funny the first day I was able to use warm bath water to clean off the Goo, but the next day the warm bath was like throwing fuel on the fire, yesterday a combination of cool and warm both worked some discomfort until I took more pain meds and more Silver Goop. Woke up this morning and did tolerate a warm bath again. I told Diane its like food or drink what works one day does not work the next. Just keep trying. Hope to report more good news next few days. Friday will be one week out so I know I just have to slow down and take it one day at a time.
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #17
    ditto1 said:

    4 days later
    still sore but better, a messy week to keep the goo going on and off and on and off. Thank goodness for the Washer and Dryer and a great caretaker in Diane to keep me in clean towels, bandanas, and wash cloths to get thru this. Funny the first day I was able to use warm bath water to clean off the Goo, but the next day the warm bath was like throwing fuel on the fire, yesterday a combination of cool and warm both worked some discomfort until I took more pain meds and more Silver Goop. Woke up this morning and did tolerate a warm bath again. I told Diane its like food or drink what works one day does not work the next. Just keep trying. Hope to report more good news next few days. Friday will be one week out so I know I just have to slow down and take it one day at a time.

    Showers....
    I loved the showers...and you can adjust the temperature...

    Great for helping keep moist and sluffing off the dead skin.

    JG
  • ditto1
    ditto1 Member Posts: 660
    #18
    Skiffin16 said:

    Showers....
    I loved the showers...and you can adjust the temperature...

    Great for helping keep moist and sluffing off the dead skin.

    JG

    Your right Skiffin
    when a warm bath in my case works its great. Im finding that at this point the dead skin has mostly sluffed off, and dealing with Bright Red new skin, but still painful. So as I respond and read posts this morning I have had 2 Hydro pain pills, handfull of Siver Goo and just a towel around my neck. So hopefully by this time next week we will be past the Red Neck part, even if the neck stays red thats cool as long as the neck stays cool, Pun im not sure.
  • ditto1
    ditto1 Member Posts: 660
    #19
    Skiffin16 said:

    Showers....
    I loved the showers...and you can adjust the temperature...

    Great for helping keep moist and sluffing off the dead skin.

    JG

    Your right Skiffin
    when a warm bath in my case works its great. Im finding that at this point the dead skin has mostly sluffed off, and dealing with Bright Red new skin, but still painful. So as I respond and read posts this morning I have had 2 Hydro pain pills, handfull of Siver Goo and just a towel around my neck. So hopefully by this time next week we will be past the Red Neck part, even if the neck stays red thats cool as long as the neck stays cool, Pun im not sure.
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #20
    ditto1 said:

    Your right Skiffin
    when a warm bath in my case works its great. Im finding that at this point the dead skin has mostly sluffed off, and dealing with Bright Red new skin, but still painful. So as I respond and read posts this morning I have had 2 Hydro pain pills, handfull of Siver Goo and just a towel around my neck. So hopefully by this time next week we will be past the Red Neck part, even if the neck stays red thats cool as long as the neck stays cool, Pun im not sure.

    neck burn
    ditto1,

    The shower was my main way of removing the “goo”. I said you would figure it out.

    Keep moving forward.

    Best,

    Matt
  • Tim6003
    Tim6003 Member Posts: 1,514 Member
    #21
    CivilMatt said:

    neck burn
    ditto1,

    The shower was my main way of removing the “goo”. I said you would figure it out.

    Keep moving forward.

    Best,

    Matt

    Sorry Ditto...
    Still don't know how I keep missing some posts ..did not see yours till today ...sorry I did not respond sooner.

    Looks like you got it under control....I too used that Silvadene stuff (sp) ...but I also used a "mesh like" bandage (for lack of a better word)..I'm at work but I have a box still at home...it looked like "skin" ..I would put the Silvadene on and then layer on those skin looking bandages then wrap my whole neck...there's a picture of my neck in my expressions...

    I might can find and post a picture of it bandaged up too....

    Praying the pain subsides quickly....my neck was one of the worst pains I suffered as well...

    Best,

    Tim

Discussion Boards