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Jack Giesecke

Jack Giesecke

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Mar 1, 2003
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The end of the road between Sodom and Gomorrah
First Name
Jack
Last Name
Giesecke
Been going to a dermatologist. I had this psoriasis looking stuff all over my face. Turns out partly true, dermatologist gave me a medicated shampoo and some cream to apply. I asked him about all these medications I see advertise, he says if it's on an ad, it's expensive. AND, it doesn't necessarily work that well.

Anyway, so I went back for a follow up today. He says the psoriasis is receding nicely, but that the big red splotches is a pre-cancerous something or another unpronounceable condition caused by too much sun in my past. I've already had a squamous cell cancer cut off my neck at the T shirt line. Guess where I used to get really burned on long rides? And, I never used a tinted screen on my helmet which not only would have kept my cheeks from burning, they used to get REALLY raw, but also would have kept the UV out of my eyes and might have retarded the cataracts I'd later develop....speculation, but I can see where it'd be so.

Were I to go back in time, I would not lock myself up in a house and never come out in the sun, but I sure would have worn sleeves on the bike and covered my neck and worn a tinted screen on my full face helmets. It would have saved me a lot of problems.

He froze some spots on my nose today (liquid nitrogen), but he said to do it on my whole face would be too traumatic. It stings, so I really wouldn't wanna go through that. It kills skin, causes blisters. So, what he's gonna do is use this drug that is "auto-selective". He paints it on the areas needed and pre-cancerous cells are killed while it leaves the good tissue alone. Not sure how it does that, but he is confident in the treatment. He says it has to be left on for an hour while I sit there and vegetate. But, heck, better than than liquid N2.

Ya know, when you're 20 or 30 something, you don't think anything will ever affect you and heck, if it does, it'll be so far in the future, who cares? I knew about the connection of too much sun to skin cancers at some point, but I just sort of ignored it. Add to that the latitude at which I've ridden, the height of some of the mountains and deserts I rode in, well, I guess I was a moron. At least at this point it's treatable, not melanoma or something really bad.
 
I've had one squamous cell and one basil cell removed from my nose, and one basil cell removed from my arm. I wear long sleeve shirts all the time now, need to wear a hat more often.
 
Jack Giesecke said:
Been going to a dermatologist. I had this psoriasis looking stuff all over my face. Turns out partly true, dermatologist gave me a medicated shampoo and some cream to apply. I asked him about all these medications I see advertise, he says if it's on an ad, it's expensive. AND, it doesn't necessarily work that well.

Anyway, so I went back for a follow up today. He says the psoriasis is receding nicely, but that the big red splotches is a pre-cancerous something or another unpronounceable condition caused by too much sun in my past. I've already had a squamous cell cancer cut off my neck at the T shirt line. Guess where I used to get really burned on long rides? And, I never used a tinted screen on my helmet which not only would have kept my cheeks from burning, they used to get REALLY raw, but also would have kept the UV out of my eyes and might have retarded the cataracts I'd later develop....speculation, but I can see where it'd be so.

Were I to go back in time, I would not lock myself up in a house and never come out in the sun, but I sure would have worn sleeves on the bike and covered my neck and worn a tinted screen on my full face helmets. It would have saved me a lot of problems.

He froze some spots on my nose today (liquid nitrogen), but he said to do it on my whole face would be too traumatic. It stings, so I really wouldn't wanna go through that. It kills skin, causes blisters. So, what he's gonna do is use this drug that is "auto-selective". He paints it on the areas needed and pre-cancerous cells are killed while it leaves the good tissue alone. Not sure how it does that, but he is confident in the treatment. He says it has to be left on for an hour while I sit there and vegetate. But, heck, better than than liquid N2.

Ya know, when you're 20 or 30 something, you don't think anything will ever affect you and heck, if it does, it'll be so far in the future, who cares? I knew about the connection of too much sun to skin cancers at some point, but I just sort of ignored it. Add to that the latitude at which I've ridden, the height of some of the mountains and deserts I rode in, well, I guess I was a moron. At least at this point it's treatable, not melanoma or something really bad.
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Just keep positive , we are thinking about you (Back pat pat pat) . Good advice !
 
Jack Giesecke said:
Were I to go back in time, ...I sure would have worn sleeves on the bike and covered my neck
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I second this advice.

When I was a kid in the 70's it was fashionable to have a deep, dark tan like our media heros.

kVJbKx3.jpg


Today I have to get skin cancer lesions burned off my nose every other year.

It hurts, and it leaves ugly scars.
 
John Bennett said:
I second this advice.

When I was a kid in the 70's it was fashionable to have a deep, dark tan like our media heros.
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Remember the oil based tanning lotions. I guess that stuff was like a magnifying glass but is sure smelled good on the girls! LOL

I too am paying the price of never having used sunscreens. I grew up in El Paso so I was outside year round and for most of the day. I had a biopsy done of one of the spots 2 weeks ago. It came back benign thankfully.
 
I hear you. Every man in my family over 65 has had some carcinoma removed from his face. It’s only a matter of time for me, so consistent checkups are the only solution. At least five members of my family (including me and my wife) have benefited from early detection and one is alive today simply because the physician made that extra check. No going back in time.

Last night was a City of Hope cancer hospital fundraiser that started with an open bar, went into a course of surf and turf with some toxic risotto and finished in the hotel bar with far too much vendor money spent on the bar tab. O yeah, plenty of tobacco outside for those inclined. Makes one wonder what people are thinking.

It's odd watching an overweight guy across the table talk about the latest scary thing he heard on the news and then brag about missing sleep when he has about a 3 in 5 change or not living a long and happy life because of his lifestyle. Like momma always said, eat your greens (New American Plate or DASH), rest well (Matt Walker's "Why We Sleep") and work out at least 5 hours a week. The math is pretty simple, we're our own biggest threat to health and happiness.
 
http://www.dusapharma.com/what-to-expect.html

I had that treatment also where you sit under a light after letting the chemical soak in for an hour. It is like a sunburn. They gave me a small desk fan to hold in my lap and turn on and point to my face to relieve the burning while I was under the U Light.

For me it was bearable. I hope it goes good for you.
 
Meriden said:
I hear you. Every man in my family over 65 has had some carcinoma removed from his face. It’s only a matter of time for me, so consistent checkups are the only solution. At least five members of my family (including me and my wife) have benefited from early detection and one is alive today simply because the physician made that extra check. No going back in time.

Last night was a City of Hope cancer hospital fundraiser that started with an open bar, went into a course of surf and turf with some toxic risotto and finished in the hotel bar with far too much vendor money spent on the bar tab. O yeah, plenty of tobacco outside for those inclined. Makes one wonder what people are thinking.

It's odd watching an overweight guy across the table talk about the latest scary thing he heard on the news and then brag about missing sleep when he has about a 3 in 5 change or not living a long and happy life because of his lifestyle. Like momma always said, eat your greens (New American Plate or DASH), rest well (Matt Walker's "Why We Sleep") and work out at least 5 hours a week. The math is pretty simple, we're our own biggest threat to health and happiness.
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I think a lot of it is because there's lots of folks that simply don't even work any more (Along with on demand endless calories). I'm not the picture of health, but darn it , I still get up and kill something every day and drag it home.

I have worked in the sun part time mowing for the last 25 years and always used high spf and long sleeves simply because I didn't like the hot sunburn feeling at the end of the day, maybe I'll get lucky.
 
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As a kid, we spent almost every Saturday on the lake in the summer and a good bit of every day at the city pool. A sunburn and scaly nose was the mark of summer.
Fast forward 2001. Odd little cyst on my face turned out to be atypical melanoma. CAT scans, MRIs, PET scans and 13 hours of surgery, wide excision, removed 30 something lymph nodes in my face and neck, half my salivary gland and a skin graft off my thigh to cover it. A year of having the "flu" every Mon, Wed & Sat, with interferon self injections. I was lucky. A college buddy diagnosed a week before me with melanoma dies 18 months later; it got into his lymph nodes.

Don't be me.
Cover yourself when outdoors. Lots of options.
 
Jack Giesecke said:
Ya know, when you're 20 or 30 something, you don't think anything will ever affect you and heck, if it does, it'll be so far in the future, who cares? ...I guess I was a moron...
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:sun:

Another moron here.
Taught adults swim classes for 10+ years at an outdoor Olympic style pool, worked outside for 37 years and in-between was an avid camping/boating guy.

Paying for it now. Dermatologist visit every 3 months. Problems usually centered on my scalp and back. And specially on the top of my ears and shirt neck-line.

Got one Frankenstein Monster scar on my face from a serious Mohs surgery. https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/mohs-surgery/step-by-step

Hope you can reach thru to at least one person, but you know how it is trying to get thru to the hard-headed.
 
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:tab I think either extreme is bad, too much sun or no sun at all. Our skin produces much needed vitamin D, based on sun exposure. This is supposedly one of the reasons why people living wayyy North have certain kinds of issues and need UV therapy. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to cancer. So it seems you need some exposure to produce healthy amounts of vitamin D but not so much exposure that you damage the skin.
 
That sounds like salt. Need it to live but we consume about 1000% (guesstimate) more then we need.
 
I fished bass tournaments for years and now see the doc yearly. Have had a few issues removed. I can see that riding can have the same effect if not properly dressed for it. I regularly use a shampoo the doc prescribed to remove issues early such as damaged rough skin.
 
Good advice Jack.

I grew up on Guam running around in shorts and flip flops. When I was 15 my dad died of melanoma, my mom has had several facial surgeries and reconstruction of her nose due to cancer and I've had basal cell cancers removed from my face as well as getting the N2 treatments on each yearly (used to be semi-annual) appointment. My sister is the only one that is cancer free so far.
 
I always wear long sleeves when I'm working outside. I'm only 24, but a few years ago, I worked with a couple of guys who had some spots removed, and it made me re-think wearing sleeveless shirts when we would lay asphalt. There tends to be a macho thing about sunscreen and long sleeves, at least where I work.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
While dispensing advice for younger folks a little reminder on hearing protection would be in order as well. The damage is cumulative, difficult to determine and detrimental to quality of life later on. It pains me to offer earplugs to the kids doing yard work with weed-wackers right next to their head only to see them stuff 'em into the pocket and likely in the trash later.

The worst of the bunch are the folks who've already lost some hearing and refuse to protect what they have. "I'm deaf already so why do I need to protect my hearing?" - grrrrrrrr.

As for sun protection, I never could tan very easily and smartly gave up that goal. However, I tend to look like a kubuki dancer when I do get out. :lol2:
 
After years of shooting, wind noise from riding, noisy environments, my hearing slowly slipped away. I still hear decent or at least I thought I did, but I miss a lot of words. You accept things as normal. I recently acquired hearing aids. I would not have thought my hearing was that bad. I have been wearing custom plugs for a few years now. I know they help, but you do not gain your hearing back. So the advice above needs to be sincerely heeded. Please don't take your hearing for granted.
 
Out of the hospital. I'm diabetic and I need to see an oncologist for my thrombocytosis, try another medication. The hydroxyurea is killing leukocytes and erythrocytes. BUT, thrombocyte count is hunky dory. :rofl:

I went to the dermatologist for a treatment yesterday. They paint this stuff on your face, sit for an hour, then under a light for 16 minutes and some seconds. THAT was a burning experience, hurt like heck! I've staying out of the sun for 2 days like the doc ordered. I have this red rash on my face and turns out it's a pre-cancer condition, don't remember the fancy medical name. This treatment is supposed to leave the good cells, kill the bad ones. It's worse on my left side than my right and hurt worse on my left side, so I guess it works. It was painful shaving this morning, though.

Yep, riding in the sun too long ain't right. I'm guessing all the driving in my vehicles over the years is the reason it's worse on the left than the right. Sun through the driver's window has done a number on my left cheek before. AND, I cannot blame the motorcycle for it as I always had a full face helmet on, though no tinted shield. My face was always okay on long rides, but my nose turned red. They froze a spot on my nose the other day with liquid N2.
 
Good advise on sun protection and home the treatment works well and fast.
 
TwinSpar said:
Remember the oil based tanning lotions. I guess that stuff was like a magnifying glass but is sure smelled good on the girls! LOL
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I hear ya. The smell of coconut oil still brings to mind images of blonde girls in bikinis with brown skin when I was 13 lounging by the pool, and a stirring in my nether regions. :mrgreen:
 
BigTyler said:
I always wear long sleeves when I'm working outside.
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Me Too. After I found out about the nasty chemicals in sunblock lotions that shrivel your almonds, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a supply of Wrangler work shirts and cheap straw hats for my fishing and gardening activities.

Only ten dollars! [link]

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/#.WpwCKOZG3NM

I ventilate them by cutting out the armpits so air can flow through during July.
 
txbanditrydr said:
While dispensing advice for younger folks a little reminder on hearing protection would be in order as well. The damage is cumulative, difficult to determine and detrimental to quality of life later on. It pains me to offer earplugs to the kids doing yard work with weed-wackers right next to their head only to see them stuff 'em into the pocket and likely in the trash later.

The worst of the bunch are the folks who've already lost some hearing and refuse to protect what they have. "I'm deaf already so why do I need to protect my hearing?" - grrrrrrrr.

As for sun protection, I never could tan very easily and smartly gave up that goal. However, I tend to look like a kubuki dancer when I do get out. :lol2:
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Well said Bandit rider. As much as I like the sunshine and noise, in excess they are not our friend.
 
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