October Rads. 2009

Sunone

tracyanne - are the steriods they gave you oral or some kind of cream. I just called my rad oncs office and am going in to see the nurse. The rash I developed as soon as radiation tx stopped was under my breast going down to my waist, I tried hydrocortisone cream, but it has not helped. Now it is also under my arm going about half way to my elbow.

Suzanne3131

ME DONE NOW!!  I broke down and sobbed as soon as it was over....it was good!  And then I went and got a pedicure and had my toes painted cherry red!  What a great day....

vtmom

Congrats Suzanne! Ringing the bell for you!       ((((((((((RING)))))))))))))

Love the cherry red toes!

I've been done for 2 week. Very easy to forget that I dropped everything at 3:00 for 31 days and ran up to the hospital to get ZAPPED! My energy level is returning and I am adding various activities back into my routine.

linn56

Congratulations! Boy, it seems like we are all finishing now in droves. Today it was a week since my last treatment and it seems like much longer. How quickly I mentally put THAT behind me. The rad staff gave me a diploma signed by all the techs and the nurse. I have it hung on the big mirror in my bathroom where I used to have to look at my burnt self everyday while putting on my creams and aloe.

 I have slept ... and slept.. and slept some more! I can't believe how fast my skin is healing...you new finishers have that to look forward to now! The last 2 days I have been inspired to CLEAN OUT THE BASEMENT! Well, OK, I guess that is carrying the celebration a bit too far....

tracyanne

Kime, the steroids are a six-day pack of pills.  Started yesterday morning.  Was much more comfortable this afternoon as far as itching...though the rash is still definitely there!  Am using caladryl and cortisone cream, too.  What did your doc say?

Sunone

tracyanne -I saw the nurse yesterday and she couldn't explain the rash, she thinks it is something that my skin came in contact with and may be more sensitive to because of the radiation. She called in a prescription for a steroid cream. When I went to pick it up at the Kaiser pharmacy they told me it would have to be ordered and I could get it today after 2pm. Not happy but I figured I could last one more day. Today the rash has spread to my radiated breast and my chest and a little on the unradiated breast! So at 2pm I went back to the Kaiser pharmacy and was told to come back tomorrow after 2pm!! Somehow they had not ordered it. I asked it they didn't have something else that was similar, no they were sorry (a lot of good that does) So I called the dr. office again to see if they could call the prescription into another pharmacy, and make sure it was a pharmacy that has it in stock.  A while later I get a call back from the nurse saying she had called Kaiser to get me something else, and they told her they did have the cream after all, just they did not have a 30 gram size, they had a 60 gram size, why they didn't offer me this when I asked if they had something else, I don't know. Sooo, finally I have the cream, just put it on and will see if it works. If this doesn't work I'm going to ask for an oral steriod. I am having more trouble after rads than I had during rads, big disappointment.

Suzanne3131

Kime and Tracyanne ~ Sending you both my wishes for quick relief from your skin issues...Geez, that really stinks that the end of rads wasn't a happier time for you.  I have some experience with unidentifiable itchy rashes, and I know they can drive you absolutely mad!  I sure do hope that better times are right around the corner for you both.  

Eph3_12

Here's hoping your rashes rush away quickly girls.  That has got to be the pits.  Suzanne-me glad u done!

PauldingMom

So happy to see so many done!! My boost spot is peeling now and I almost look normal!

I'm sure gonna miss guys.  

vtmom

Tracyanne & Kime, so sorry to hear about your rashes. What a drag. Hope they get it under control right away.

So... is everyone on this thread done with rads? Does anyone else need help getting through the end phase of zaps and then boosts?

Can't believe Xmas is in 14 days. I coordinate the local Toys for Tots in my community and have been full tilt busy collecting toys. Tomorrow I go to my warehouse and put together bags of toys for over 200 kids. It's so much fun to be able to give away new toys to kids in my community. The timing of my radiation was perfect. I'm feeling pretty much normal and have the energy to coordinate these last 2 weeks of the toy campaign.

Hope your all feeling better and better everyday!

Suzanne3131

vtmom ~ I am so glad that you are feeling good and able to do what you obviously love for the holiday season!!!  Good for you!!  I am feeling so great about Christmas too!  And it is such a lovely surprise, because I wasn't expecting Christmas to be any kind of a big deal this year.  As it turns out, I feel great!!  To be free of doctors appointments until after New Years???  What a thrill!  :-)  

Am I the last to finish??  Yay to all of us for being such brave troopers!

I will miss all you girls....maybe we will meet on other threads.  

May the New Year bless you all richly!  You ladies are the greatest... 

tracyanne

Well, this rash thing is getting more serious.  My GP says it is either a staph or strep infection in the skin, and it's still traveling.  He started me on three antibiotics yesterday, but I'm calling him this morning because it has now spread up my neck and over my face...he said if it gets much more advanced, I may need hospitalization and IV antibiotics. 

He said that surgery and radiation compromised my lymphatic system--and that you don;t have to develop lymphedema to have serious issues with lymph drainage.  No telling where the original bacteria came from, but whatever it was, my body couldn't manage the common little infection and so now I have a not so common big infection.

So, the rad onc is right that this is not a "radiation rash" but my doc thinks that radiation definitely complicated it.  Am seeing a dermatologist later this morning and putting a call into my GP about the spread to the face...yikes.

Sunone

tracyane - I'm so sorry that your rash has not gone away and is spreading. The one I had seems to have gone away after using the presecription steroid cream the rad office prescibed. I hope your dermatologist can do something that puts a stop to the rash asap.

Suzanne3131

Tracyann, I sure am sorry about your rash...geez.  I will be praying for you and sending you all kinds of healing energy.  Keep after your doctors on this...

Eph3_12

Tracyann, keep us posted.  I hope that you get it taken care of asap.  Sounds nasty!

Joni

tracyanne

Well, the rash is under control now but most definitely still there, less on my arms and face but more on my legs....will have a skin biopsy done after the holidays if it doesn't go away.  Benadryl, antibiotics, and a steroid cream are the treatment until the mystery is solved.  I'm starting to think it's tamoxifen my body doesn't like...but the docs say tamoxifen doesn't cause skin side effects.  We'll see...at least I no longer feel like it's a dangerous development. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all...a healthy, healing new year.

MTG

Hi ladies...seems like ages since I've popped in! Glad to see that everyone is done and most are all but healed. Tracyanne andKime - sorry to hear about your rashes.

Tracyanne - I'm also on Tamoxifen and have researched the hell out of it (there's a Tamoxifen thread if you're interested - Bottle O Tamoxifen); although there aren't supposed to be skin reactions, I've read thru the whole thread and occassionally women do have rashes as a reaction to T(although yours is more major than any I've seen there). If your med onc okays it, one easy way to check it is to go off T for a week or two and see if the rash clears up. If it does, you know. It may be the fillers used by your particular manufacturer - for example some used dried milk as a filler so those with milk alleries may react. There may be some long time uers on the Tamoxifen thread that can help you more.

Merry Christmas and belated Happy Hanukkah to all.

                  

         M
Diagnosis: 6/30/2009, IDC, 1cm, Stage I, 0/1 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-

PauldingMom

That is so pretty!!!! 
Wishing every one a very happy NEW YEAR!!!! 

dsgirl

Hello Ladies of October Rads,

I also want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I have been feeling better and better as the rads are becoming a memory, last one Nov. 13th.

Some of the spots I thought were new moles cropping up due to radiation, actually turned out to be tiny burns as they have now come off my skin with the continued use of aloe vera.

I on and off have fluid build-up in my breast, above and below the incision, also have some cording at the wrist, gads trying to ignore it for the time being and just enjoy feeling human again, will address in the new year. The fluid comes and goes, so no real big problem yet, I massage the cord at the wrist when I can, and try to use my other hand as much as possible instead. We were gone from home and PC during Christmas, now back home.

Not started the Femara as of yet, still reading, thinking, mulling it over.

I have been wondering what kind of issues others have since rads was finished ?

I hope we can still meet here and compare "notes" ever so often, you have all been so supportive and helpful.

Sincerely

dsgirl

vtmom

Nice to pop back in and catch up with some of you.

TracyAnne, I'm sooo sorry you have had to deal with that nasty rash. What a drag. I do so hope it goes away & stays away!

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling very good. I had a very successful "Toys for Tots" campaign. We gave toys to over 3000 kids this year. After doing not much of anything except getting zapped for two months, it felt so good to physically move toys around for the month of Dec. It was akin going to the gym everyday. I was amazed how much energy I had.

Feeling so thankful that this year is mostly over - and hoping that this chapter in my life is closed, never to be opened again!

Hope you all are doing well, and have a fabulously fun, healthy & happy new year!!!!!

tara35

I will like to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year. With good health and strength in the coming year 2010.

Suzanne3131

Good to see you ladies!!  I have been feeling just better and better...up to and including GREAT!  It has been wonderful to have enough steam to make it comfortably through these -- sometimes very busy -- days!

 I do have days when my breast feels very tender, which I imagine is from some sort of fluid build up.  I try to remember to do some stretching and arm circles, which does seem to help.

I have missed seeing you all here, and I, too, hope that you all will keep checking in from time to time.  We have been through an awful lot together.  

Wishing you all great joy and great health in the new year!  I, for one,  am kind of happy to be bidding '09 goodbye!  :-)  

Eph3_12

Happy New Year all my rad(ical) breast sisters-may 2010 be kinder to us all!  Joni

Suzanne3131

Joni!  There's your face!  Great to see you!  God bless your day.

PAP

DSGIRLS.....I finished rads the week of Thanksgiving and still have not started the Femara.  I finally made a decision to at least try them and sent my prescription to the pharmacy.  When I went in to pick it up I nearly had heart failure when told my cost after insurance was $378.  I left it there.  I don't want to take them anyway......but that much $$ every month?? Can't do it.  I see my oncologist on Friday and I know he will be trying to convince me or switch to another drug.  There's some debate going on whether the aromatase inhibitors are being over prescribed, especially in Stage I, clear margins, and no apparent node involvement.  In addition, they accelerate osteoporosis, which I already have.  So it's a hard call..........Patti

Eph3_12

Patti, I flat out told my onc I can't afford Femara (I don't have Rx coverage) & I'm getting samples.  Might try that approach.

MTG

Ladies - You may want to look into Canadian mail order pharmacies (but be careful to check out the pharmacy you choose), generic Femara is about $100 a month, still high but significantly better.  I guess I'm "lucky", Tamoxifen is dirt cheap compared to Femara. But, I'll be switching in a year or two and so researching my options now.

Edited to add - By the way, if you dont want to research  pharmacies on your own, the Nevada state government has an "approved" list,  http://govcha.state.nv.us/new_CP_LCPList.htm

PauldingMom

I received some assistance with co-pays at CancerCare.com. It's a bunch of paper work but for me well worth it. 

tara35

Hi

How are youn doing? Happy  New Year to you and the family. I still have 15 more treatments to go. I start feeling very tired already. Is that normal ladies who when through this type of treatment?

chrisct

MTG - Thanks so much for that info.  I didn't know we could order prescriptions from Canada.  I'm on Tamox now so it isn't as expensive, but I got my first Rx from a pharmacy rather than mail order and it cost more than I was expecting.  The AI's are really ridiculous.  I hope everyone has luck getting them for a more reasonable cost.