Mother left ‘looking like Freddy Krueger’ reveals first skin cancer warning sign
A woman who says skin cancer treatment has left her looking like Freddy Krueger is urging others to respect the sun. Melissa Lewis, 48, has been living with skin cancer for more than a decade. She has annual treatment which gives her skin a pockmarked look, which she has compared to that of Krueger, a fictional killer. Melissa, from Sydney, Australia, hopes the yearly procedure will keep her cancer at bay. But she wants to speak out to warn others of the harm sun exposure can do, before it’s too late. The mum-of-four, a former nurse, said: “When they said I have Bowen’s disease I thought that was it. “When I looked it up I was like, ‘Oh my god, I am never going to be free’. It is something I have to keep on top of. “I have treatment once a year. I hate it, it is really stressful as I know my skin will hurt. “I will have up to 14 days looking like Freddy Krueger, I can’t go out in public. “I look at my own kids when I have had the treatment and they find it hard to look at me. “I tell them that this is why you put sunscreen on, this is why you are careful.” Melissa first spotted a basal cell carcinoma - a sign of skin cancer - on her leg in 2011. She has since found them on her forehead, nose, chest and back and has lost count of how many have been removed. But in 2018, Melissa discovered what looked like a group of freckles lumped together in front of her ear. Thinking it was best to get it checked out, she paid a visit to her dermatologist. Melissa was then referred her to the Melanoma Institute in June 2018 - which confirmed she had a melanoma. “I was very lucky to have caught it when I did,” she said. “It did make me think that, ‘This is it’. The dread I experienced when I heard that word was really intense. “Having four kids thinking I am not going to be there with them was so overwhelming. “You automatically fast forward to the worst-case scenario.” A month after her diagnosis, Melissa had her melanoma removed. And, two months after her surgery, a biopsy revealed Melissa had Bowen’s disease - an early form of skin cancer. Melissa said: “I am never going to be free from this. “Basically if I don’t have my cancers removed, it can become a more serious invasive cancer.” Since she was diagnosed with Bowen’s syndrome, Melissa undergoes a yearly none-surgical cancer treatment - Photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that involves light-sensitive medicine and a light source to destroy abnormal cells. Melissa said: “I hate it, I get really anxious before I know I am coming up for treatment. “It is really stressful as I know how much it hurts. “My future will be to repeat expensive Photodynamic therapy with CO2 laser every year and always six monthly full skin checks. “It will be the only way to prevent further surgery and keep non-melanoma skin cancers from becoming invasive cancer.” Read More Four bowel cancer symptoms that can show two years before diagnosis Mum put on life support after infected finger led to ‘devastating’ diagnosis 6 mouth cancer symptoms everyone should know Mother left ‘looking like Freddy Krueger’ reveals first skin cancer warning sign Mum put on life support after infected finger led to ‘devastating’ diagnosis 6 mouth cancer symptoms everyone should know
2023-05-09 11:54
Derek Jeter changes Instagram bio to ‘sleep-deprived father of four’ as he announces birth of son
Derek Jeter has jokingly changed his Instagram bio to read “sleep-deprived father of four” while announcing the arrival of his and wife Hannah Jeter’s newborn son. On Monday 8 May, the former New York Yankees shortstop took to Instagram to share the news that his family had grown, with Jeter revealing that he and Hannah welcomed their newborn son Kaius Green Jeter on 5 May 2023. “Welcome to the world lil man!!! @hannahbjeter,” Jeter captioned a photo of the baby’s name and birth date. The five-time World Series champion’s post was met with an outpouring of congratulatory messages from his fans, followers and former teammates, with the official account for the Yankees writing: “Congratulations!!!” with three blue heart emojis. “Congrats captain,” someone else wrote, referring to Jeter’s former title of captain of the Yankees, a post he held from 2003 to 2014. Others took the opportunity to jokingly express their hopes that the newborn will follow in his father’s athletic footsteps. “Congratulations Mr Jeter!!! Thank you for providing the @yankees with their 2041 starting shortstop!!!” one person wrote, while another said: “Future Yankee.” Hannah also shared the news on her Instagram, where she reposted Jeter’s post to her Stories. In addition to son Kaius, the couple, who did not reveal they were expecting a fourth child, also have three daughters, River, 17 months, Story, four, and Bella, five. The retired athlete has spoken about his love of being a girl dad before, with Jeter telling Extra in 2022 that there’s a “whole other side” of him. “The mornings are early,” the former baseball player told the outlet. “Getting them up - they’re not in school right now - but dropping them off at school, picking them up. Tennis lessons, ballet lessons. I’m getting my nails painted and makeup on my face, dresses. So there’s a whole other side to me.” Read More Derek Jeter reveals he wore a ‘gold thong’ to break his slump during Yankee game Derek Jeter reveals he bribed his daughters with ice cream to sit through baseball game Derek Jeter gushes over being a girl dad to three daughters: ‘I’m getting my nails painted’
2023-05-09 02:53
Woman can barely move her hands after developing ‘allergy’ to gel nails
A woman can barely use her hands and says her confidence has suffered after developing a suspected allergy to nail products. Lisa Dewey, 36, had been getting her nails done regularly for years without issue. But in February a set of gel nails became inflamed and started peeling away from the nail bed. At the time it was put down to a bacterial infection, and Lisa she was given a steroid cream and antibiotics to fight it. But after deciding to get a set of acrylic nails put on last month, the mum-of-two found she was hurting again. Once more, her nails became “very aggravated” and she could barely move her hands due to the pain. The NHS cleaner struggled to wash her daughter’s hair, do up a seatbelt, hold a pen and wash up. Now, despite years of nail treatments with no issues, she can never again have gel or acrylic nails, and believes it’s an allergy. Lisa, from Pattishall, Northants., said: “I’ve been getting my nails done all my life for acrylics or gels. “So when it first happened after a set of gels in February, I thought it was a bacterial infection. “My nail bed even started going purple and I worried I would lose the whole finger. “When I had them done again recently - this time acrylics - the same thing happened. “Now my skin is like paper tearing away from my fingers and I can barely move my hands from the pain. “It has knocked my confidence so much too - it’s so embarrassing and I’m always hiding my hands away.” Lisa, a mum of two girls aged three and 12, first noticed a reaction after getting gel nails applied in February. Despite getting the same treatment she had been having for years, within a matter of days her nails had began peeling up from the nail bed. One even went PURPLE - while the others became itchy and extremely sore. She never suspected her manicure could be the problem - and doctors prescribed her a round of antibiotics for what seemed to be an infection. Lisa said: “It happened suddenly - I feared I might even lose a finger when it went purple around the nail. “I feared it might be starved of oxygen - but it ended up being something completely different.” After having the gels removed and taking a break from nail products, she thought it was over. But after getting a set of acrylic nails put on again in April, the problem reared its head once more. But not only did her fingernails begin to lift again, but the skin around her nails became “like paper”. She has recently been prescribed a different round of medication to treat her. Lisa explained that being a mum to a young daughter poses issues. Her hand and nail pain makes everyday tasks tough and she is constantly having to ask for help from husband Lee, 45. She said: “Washing my daughter’s hair is hard because you have to bend your fingers. “Even strapping her in the car - if I catch my finger on the belt, I jolt from the pain because the skin is raw. “It gets so aggravated but wearing gloves doesn’t even help because sweaty hands aggravate it too. “Anything scented or fragranced makes it worse - I can’t put a conditioning treatment or mousse in my hair. Now Lisa has vowed to stay away from nail products for good - and warned others. She added: “People can get their nails done for years with no issues until one day it hits them. “I am going on holiday in August and I was booked to get my hands and toes done. Now I’m not getting them done. “This has knocked my confidence so much - I don’t normally care what people think of me, but now I hide my hands away. “It’s just embarrassing to have hands like this - there’s a coronation party this week, and if my hands aren’t better, I won’t be going. “I just want to do my bit in trying to get the word out that things might not be as good as they seem.” Read More Experts warn of ‘life-long’ effects of nail gel polish Fit and healthy father diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer reveals first warning sign Four bowel cancer symptoms that can show two years before diagnosis Mother left ‘looking like Freddy Krueger’ reveals first skin cancer warning sign Mum put on life support after infected finger led to ‘devastating’ diagnosis Age-defying pensioner shares two simple secrets to her youthful appearance
2023-05-08 22:56