December 2009 Rads Group

Anonymous

Michelle- I did have the biopsy. The doc who did the biopsy said it was Hashimoto's disease. The surgeon said it was Hurtle cell. My procedure was not easy or pleasant. He went in 6 times with the needle. I laid there crying.

Anyway... CONGRATULATIONS on finishing rads. I'm jealous.

somanywomen

Michelle, congrats....now go sit on your dock with margarita in hand and heal.......I may have one this evening and toast to your well-being.....

adrienne, that's the cutest photo ever, love the tongue, looks like they are playing peek-a-boo!!...I love these animal photos, let's keep em coming from our neighborhoods to yours....

Renee, hope today is so much better than yesterday.....glad Grandma's doing a lot better than expected, you go Grandma!!!!!!

Veggie, how come docs can't get it right, one says it's one thing and another says something else....I have been told by my rad doc that the hard rock like thing where my underarm sentinal node was is a hematoma, then my onc said it is a fribrous band caused by surgery, when I called my surgeon's nurse and asked her, she said she had never heard of a fibrous band (give me a break!), I have an appt. with surgeon on Feb. 2, he will probably say it's the mumps!!!!!

 To all, have a great relaxing healthy weekend......

steeny107

Veggy 

hope everything works out with the thyroid, I will follow your post as I have papillary cancer of my thyroid and was meant to have it taken out in the next 2 months, but now with the brain mets I guess it is on hold. Take care

Somanywomen

was too tired to do much last night but will be spoiling myself all weekend.  Then I have to launch a sail fish tournament so will need the rest before Monday and Tuesday.

Best to all of you keep up the good work and nice new skin will be growing any day... 

somanywomen

Michelle, launch a sail fish tournament!!! ...heidi, driving horses on the beach!!!...adrienne, training raccoons to play hide & seek!!!!.....love it!!!!!

somanywomen

somanywomen

Adrienne, how did you post your photo??...I tried,but it didn't work.....

Anonymous

Thank you everyone for being supportive and helping me with my fears of rads. I feel better having a few more questions to ask on Monday.

Today looks like a better day. I want to take my son over to the barn so we can visit the horse that he rides for therapy. I am going to take my camera and get some pictures. The horses are good therapy for me too.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Anonymous

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angelsabove

Adrienne.....thanks for the info.....I did have a double mastectomy

Steeny........CONGRATS....it is very tiring going EVERYDAY 

adrienne2

Michelle, I'm dancing the happy dance for your finishing rads. Happy, happy.

I hope those brain mets are shrinking down to nothing, and that you can soon deal with your thyroid. 

 Veggy, how is your incision looking? I hope it's almost healed, and I'm sending you good wishes for your thyroid.

I'm glad to hear that you're feeling more relaxed about rads now. I'm looking forward to seeing your horse photos. 

Somanywomen, I'm really glad you like my raccoons. I love watching them, although they can be dangerous.

I hope you are doing well in your post-rads life, and especially that someone can help you with that lump that's bothering you.

As to how I posted the photo, first I put it up on a web server and copied the URL of the image (something like http://www.YourSite.com/PhotoName.jpg). Then, back here, I clicked the icon that looks like a tree, right above the box where I was typing. In the box that popped up, I pasted the URL of the photo.

hhfheidi, thanks for mentioning the photo. I remember that photo thread, although I haven't seen it for a while. Guess I need to get back there.

I am so envious that you will be finishing on February 3rd. Still very, very happy for you, though. 

Renee, I so much hope that your treatment today is easier than the last one. I am thinking of you.

Me: Today I had #20, leaving 5 regular treatments and 8 boosts to go. I can finally see the finish line.

BTW, yesterday the doctor said that the boosts will come from the front, which made me ask if they would be hitting my heart and lung. Turns out that my boosts won't be x-rays like the regular treatments. Instead, they will be electrons, and the machine can control how deeply electrons penetrate. All this technology being used on me is amazing, really.

Have a wonderfully rads-free weekend, everyone.

adrienne

20 down, 13 to go

Anonymous

Adrienne2- The wound is healing nicely on my boob. DH can only get an inch of gauze in there now. I just wrote to the surgeon and they said that ina few more days we won't be able to get any more gauze in. I can't wait. I took some pictures of it when I first had it done. It looks huge and deep. Now its smaller and a little less ugly.

 My son and I are leaving soon to go to see the horses. I don't know how to post pictures here but maybe I'll figure it out with a little help from DH.

steeny107

Adrienne 2

Your the best and your getting closer and closer, all the best for the rest of them. 

Yep the brain mets are shrinking damn them.  I do a brain MRI on Feb 8th and get the results the 12th unless the tech talks to me then I may have results sooner lol. 

Everyone have a great weekend, rest and take care of yourselfs.

xox Michelle

Jayne_in_UK

Hello ladies I haven't posted here in a while so I'm just checking in to see how you are all doing.

Congratulations to all those who have finished. To all those still in treatment hang in there, you will get through it. 

I was one who didn't have any major problems with rads. I am also a redhead with sensitive skin and I expected it to be worse than it actually was for me. There was an interesting post on here a while ago regarding women with smaller breasts having an easier time with rads and I do fit into that category. I actually have no breast on my rads side. I had a mastectomy and partially expanded tissue expander, so the rads didn't need to go very deep. I am now a month out from rads and my skin looks fine. The worst bit was on my back where the rads left my body and that has faded now. The  tissue expander looks the same as it did before rads, so not exactly a thing of beauty but no worse. I  do stretching exercises every day to stop everything stiffening up. Today I went swimming for the first time since chemo started in July 2009. It felt great and so far the pool water has not irritated my skin.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Hugs. 

mimi1964

Steeny and Michelle - Congrats on being finished with RADS!!!! I agree with somanywomen... Have a Marguerita!!!

Heidi - Glad you are going to finish early... Now we will finish on the same day...Whoot Whoot!@!!!

Adrienne- I loved your pic of the "Coons"  they were too cute.   You must have an awesome camera!  or either you got really close?  LOL!! Glad to hear your skin is still holding up.  Mine didn't do too bad except burn until #27 and 28 that's when I started to peel.  Thanks for the prayers and gentle hugs.  

Today I had compression boost #2 out of 5 and it wasn't as bad as yesterday but I wasn't compressed but about 10 mins today compared to the 30 mins yesterday.  It made a BIG difference!!! The only good thing about these are my underarm and underneath my breast aren't getting any rads so they will have a chance to heal.  My whole breast is quite red now though, like a really bad sunburn.  Next Thursday I will start my incision boosts and get 5 of those.

8 to go!!!!

Renee

Jules824

Love the pic of the raccoons, thanks for sharing!

Somanywomen, I got my book, thanks again for the recommendation! I will look over it tonight and tomorrow. (Did you see my post that the family doc said tumeric can boost my other meds, I guess like the grapefruit cant be taken with my cholesterol meds?). I wonder if its ok to take it. (Frankly to me thats dumb, what if I ate Indian food with my meds would it matter? lol).

Well have a nice weekend and I hope and pray you are all doing better this weekend.

((hugs))

Jules

somanywomen

Jules if your doctor knew anything about nutrition, that would be a first!!..LOL......With all the benefits against cancer that tumeric seems to have, I believe that it very beneficial to our new diets..

Then again, I do not know what meds you are talking about so maybe there is some validity to what he says with your particular medications....so it's best to be sure....ask your pharmacist....

Let me know what your think after reading the chapter on tumeric?....

mimi1964

Good morning ladies... for those of you that have finished rads did you have any dry peeling underneath your breast?  I have a strip that is peeling that will end up being about 3 inches of raw skin when it is all peeled off.  I am applying cream and cornstarch to keep it dry but it doesn't seem to be healing up quick enough to me.  How long did it take for yours to heal and what did you use to heal it?  It is not a burn. 

Renee

Jules824

Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying the weekend...

Somanywomen...I havent read it yet. Had to go see dad last night, and today my kids and grandkids are coming. (Yipppeee). I will read this week one day. I think Im just going to take the tumeric vitamin. (I already started other vitamins etc etc)..............

Mimi, I have this thing where I cant look much, (weird I know) but I checked this am, and I didnt peel but I turned brown, (nipple and all). Who would of thought a fair skinned lady could tan? (lol)..

Well take care and those who arent quite finished yet hang in there...

PS believe me, you will be glad to get back into the "scheme of things" when this is over!.........

This is funny, my husband is sooo happy to be on dayshift, but hes kind of driving me bonkers cause he watches the stupidest things on tv...lol... Oh well he is happy, so if hes happy Im happy!

Im off to wait for my gang!

((Hugs))

Jules..

angelsabove

Mimi.....I dont believe I can answer this considering I have NO BREAST...LOL...I looked underneath or should I say BELOW the scar and no.....no peeling yet. Hopefully will not have any. I really am itchy today though. I have 8 more left. My treatment plan was 30. Have completed 22.

May God Bless Us All 

mimi1964

angelsabove - Congrats on being almost through!!! I have 8 left to go as well... we will finish at the same time :=)  We will do the happy dance together!!!!

I hope you don't get any peeling it is not fun at all!!  Have you ever had a really bad sunburn and peeled?  Then you know how the skin is pink and raw?  Well that is what I have under the breast.  

Renee

adrienne2

Veggy, so glad to hear that your wound is nearly healed. I hope you had a good day with your son and the horses.

Michelle, thank you for the good wishes. I'll be beaming good thoughts your way for your test on the 8th.

Renee, I'm glad you liked the coons. Thanks for the encouragement.

I'm sorry about the peeling. It does sound like things I've experienced with sunburns. I'm thinking it's the desquamation the  doctor was telling me about. Was the area pink or dark before the peeling started? At any rate, I hope it goes away soon.

I am soooooooooo glad that your second compression boost wasn't as bad as the first. Whew!

Jules, thanks for your kind words. I hope you have had a fine weekend.

AngelsAbove, hang in there: you are nearly done.

Jayne, it is a joy to me that you had so little trouble with rads and that you were able to go swimming. Good for you for doing the stretches.

Me: I do enjoy the weekends, but I still find myself eager for Monday to come: I want to get these treatments over with.

To all: I hope you are having a super weekend, and that you feel better every day.

adrienne

Still 20 down, 13 to go 

Anonymous

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mimi1964

Woo hoo heidi!!!

Adrienne - the area under my breast was dark before it started to peel.  Did your rad onc tell you something about that?  Just wondering cause as usual... mine didn't.  He did tell me that it is dry peeling and not the moist desquamation, which the dry peel is suppose to be better and heal faster.  I'm just wondering how much faster.  Still wanting it healed yesterday here!! 

adrienne2

Yay, hhfheidi -- you're almost done now.

Renee, the doctor did tell me that I may experience dry desquamation, and that the most likely places are the armpit and under the breast, I think because of the moisture and friction there. You're right: dry desquamation is better than moist, because moist means that deeper layers of skin are exposed.

I don't think he mentioned anything about the area being dark first (although mine is already a little dark): that was just something I was wondering about, so I asked you. 

I hope you heal up quickly, but I have no information about how fast it might happen. I was told that my skin will continue to get worse for a week or two after my last rads treatment to those areas.

I will be soooooooooo glad when this is over. Won't we all

By the way, as I recall, the doctor didn't volunteer this information to me: I think I asked him a question about "blistering," and he told me that they called it peeling instead. Then he told me that I probably would peel. That's all the information he gave me until I asked if the skin underneath would be dry or wet: then he went into more detail. It's almost like they think (our) ignorance is bliss. 

adrienne 

BonnieSF

Renee, I have the same strip of red peeling under the breast. It does appear to be improving a bit on the edges. I put aquafor on it. My last treatment was Thursday and I was instructed to tuck a piece of gauze there to prevent sweat from irritating the skin. Tomorrow will be the longest I have gone without treatment since Dec 8! The non-boost areas are definitely healing up fast. The underarm burn is almost gone. Yippee!

Bonnie

somanywomen

10 days since finishing rads and some dark areas and soremess still, but rash is almost completely healed..6 days on Arimidex and no se's to speak of...Does anyone know if se's are immediate or if they come with more time??

Which hormone drug is everyone being/going to be treated on???

Michelle, how was Sail Fish tourney??

Anonymous

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angelsabove

Somany---------I had a double mastectomy 5/21/2009. I just completed #23 of my original 30 rads today. I saw my DR. this morning and he says due to my age he wants to add 2 more boost to the end. I think standard for double mastectomy is 30 rads....well I am gonna do 32. I can say for me I just itch and have a bit of fatigue. Have to admit though....Rads compared to chemo is a (WALK IN THE PARK) that is just in my case....I did laugh today because some of my new friends at radiation were talking about (DANG MY NIPPLES ARE SORE) I said ooooohhhhh......I DONT HAVE ANY mine are NOT....so see SOMETHING GOOD FROM IT....LOL.....so I cant answer about the sore nipples. I have not had any reconstruction. I also cant tell you about the hormone question. I do not get that either....I am what is known as triple negative. I am sure someone will come along and give you some insight on that...

Would like to know if anyone has done more than 30 treatments that has done a double mastectomy????

LOVE U LADIES.....MAY GOD BLESS US ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

angelsabove

HHF................as you can see my previous post....ME EITHER......sure wish I HAD SOMETHING TO TAKE......

Anonymous

Well I went tot he radiologist today and the wound is still too deep for radiation. I have to go back in two weeks. That will be February 5th. I'll have to do all 35 treatments. I did 4 but they tell me that I will have to start all over again. The last two weeks af radiation will be boosts. I am so upset that I have to start all over again. I want to scream!!!!!