September 2010 Rads

MelBell07

Thanks everyone! I haven't been on in a few days b/c I've been goinggoingoing, enjoying NOT having to go to the hospital after work. I've worn myself out and given myself a cold, but it still feels great to be done. To those of you almost at the finish line - YOU CAN DO IT!!

Unfortunately, my skin broke AGAIN Instead of under my arm this time, its around my scar. It looks to follow the path of the boost treatments. Has this happened to anyone else? I finished on 10/20, so it's been about a week. Luckily I still have some of the Silver Sulfadiazine, so I've been using that. I had to laugh at sespe's comment...I feel like a nippleless creature too, haha. I'm actually considering just getting the tattoo'd nipples at the end of this, instead of the doctors "making" nipples. It's just so easy to wear clothes without worry about "beaming." I haven't worn a bra since March!  

Teka

Hi!

Today, I started using prescription silvadene cream for peeling, smarting, and weeping skin under my radiated breast.   Hopefully, I'll feel better for November 2nd follow-up visit with radiation oncologist.   Damn side effects.   ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!

AICa

I'm curious about what happened on your final day of rads. Did you see a nurse? A doctor? What kind of information did they provide? Do you have to return for follow up?

I really don't like my Rad Onc and would like to just say goodbye to the techs and walk out after my last treatment. The Rad Onc told me I didn't need to come to him for followup if I was going to be seeing my surgeon and oncologist.

shells43

AICa

I saw my Rad Onc for an office visit first, he checked me out, then sent me to the techs for my last tx. He did congratulate me and gave me a parting prescription for the silver sulfadiazine cream. After zapping was over they gave me a skin care sheet, a certificate of completion (a funny one) and made me a followup appt for one month. Several hugs later I was out the door.

Bambaloos

I am now finished - today was my very last treatment!! Yeah.

Ansering ALCa question - I went in to get zapped, came out - they threw confeti all over me - hugs all round.  Got my discharge papers and a prescription for silver sulfadiazine and samples of domeboro some more coffee and was told to call back in one year for a follow up.  They did mention that I could call if I had any problems during the next 12  months.

 I have mixed emotions today- I am very happy to be finished after chemo, surgery and rads, but also a little scared that no-one can confirm that this disease is gone completely and I will live a long healthy life. 

Does anyone know if I am to schedule any scans, MRI etc now that I am finished with treatment? I start taking Femara tomorrow, and hope that the SEs are few a far between.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend..............best wishes to you all. 

sespebadger

AlCa and Bambaloos: You are wondering what comes next....I'm sure we are all in that boat. My rad onc saw me a few days before I was finished. He told me to schedule a follow up appointment for 6 weeks from last treatment. His nurse said to call before then if I have any issues or problems.

I am still have monthly follow-up visits with the surgeon who did my July BMX and port surgeries, but I would hope these visits will be over soon.

I'm thinking the rest of my follow up visits over the next five years will be with my medical oncologist (the woman who figured out my chemo treatment). That schedule is every three months for the first year, then every six months for 2 years, then once a year. At those visits she will give me a physical exam and review results from a blood test. I don't have breasts, so no more mamograms for me. She has told me to keep my eye out for rice-like lumps on my chest as that is what recurrances can look like. The blood tests measure a tumor marker that indicates if there is anything to be concerned about. She will also be monitoring me to see how I do on Tamoxifen which I am to take for 5 years.

Is everyone done yet? I hope so. I've  really enjoyed my first week with no doctor appointments. I have continued to be very tired. I got out for some walking today and felt really slow and creaky. We have a party tonight and I'm not sure how much partying I feel like! 

shells43

Yeah, Bambaloos! The confetti was a nice touch. I have the same mixed feelings as you, I think.

My followup sounds just like Sespe's, and with no scans or MRIs unless I am"symptomatic" so I'll have to ask what exactly that means at my onc visit next week.

Glad we are all nearly finished and can be done with this phase. My armpit is still really red, almost purple, sore and tender, but the skin is still intact. Crossing my fingers.

jsmiley60

Put me on the DONE list!! Had my last treatment yesterday! I got to ring a bell, sign a board, got a certificate and a water bottle and some hugs! Unfortunateley 3 of the 4 women that usually were my therapists had already left for the day. I have to go back for a skin check with the doctor in about 3 weeks. So glad to be done! My boob and under my arm hurt so bad last night it was hard to sleep! Hope they get better every day.

Congrats to all the others who are done!!

Teka

Hi!

Happy for all on the done list.

swiftbird

Yaaaaayyyy jsmiley60! Finally huh?!  Have a great weekend!!!

flopsy

I am supposed to start back Monday after short break for skin to get better so I can finish last 4 reg tx and then the boosts.  I should be through by Nov. 12 if all goes well.   For some reason my Rad Onc will not give me silvadene but hope he will at the end so my skin will feel better and heal faster.  If he won't prescibe it I will get it from my primary, so there. 

Bambaloos, I, too, was prescribed Femara but I have been taking it already for a month.  I first tried it in the morning and that was a mistake for me.  It really made me feel awful for about 6 hrs that day.  I then tried it about 7pm and I have been fine with that, thank God.  So far I can't tell that I am taking it now that I take it in PM.  I also waited to start on the weekend when I would not have to go to work so that might be something to consider also.   I have not had any of the usual complaints of SE"s with it and I am very happy about that.  I did have a Bone Density done prior to starting and am taking more VIT D AND CALCIUM to keep my bones healthier.  I think that will probably be my biggest concern with taking it.  Good luck with it.  I hope you find it to be very tolerable as I do.

SharonNM

Slash, burn and poison!  That is the primitive prescription for this awful disease but thank goodness is works!  I am sure we are way ahead of what they were doing 20 years ago.

It sounds like I will be one of the final graduates of this group.  I am 27 down and 7 to go -6 of which are boosts.  The machine was down for repairs on Wednesday so I had to add a day to my highly anticipated end date.  NOthing much to report - some pink skin and sensitivity under my arm.  I asked the radiation onc doc if I was getting enough reaction and he said it was fine - definite reaction but everyone reacts differently.  I don't know what the last day is like.  I have enjoyed sitting in the "locker room" with my many new friends that are going through this and comparing notes with them.  There are way too many of us.

Meeting with my oncologist on Monday to get my rx for femara (generic).  Have a good weekend everyone!

DMS

Glad so many of you are done.  To answer AlCa question, I said good-bye to my techs and then met with the nurse who gave me skin treatment instructions.  She told me to continue using XClair cream for 2 more weeks and after that time to go back to what I was doing pre-radiation.  I also got a nice certificate and a follow-up appointment with the radiologist for a month after last treatment.

So yesterday was the first day I went back to wearing under-wire bras, using my normal deodorant, shaving under my arms, and not using the rad cream.  I felt normal.  I also started Tomaxifen on Wed.  So far, so good.    

swiftbird

DMS, I hear ya - I wore a real bra for the first time in weeks on Friday.  I got some post-surgical bras from the clinic, which was very comfy but none of my work clothes fit right so it was a challenge trying to look decent.  It is sooooo nice to feel back to (somewhat) normal!! I'm going to start running again tomorrow (well, probably a fast walk...I have serious work to do in this department) ~ so nice not to have underarm feel like it's not on fire. haha

 I thought I'd breeze thru rads - it was harder than my lumpectomy. 

shells43

Help! I've been using the silver sulfadiazene cream pretty religiously since Monday and now my chest (flat) feels very stiff and tight like it is going to crack at any moment. It is pretty painful. Is this normal? I was told to use it 3x a day, but I feel like I would rather use something that is more moisturizing to relieve the dryness. I want to use Aquaphor and aloe like I had been before.

sespebadger

Hi shelleyj43, Sorry to hear about your painful chest. I used the silver sulfa.... stuff for badly burned skin, but my nurse stressed that I should use it to help my skin feel better, and the number of applications per day was up to me. I remember my skin getting dry and sore also, whole I was using it. I think giving yourself a bit of a break (after you've been using it for almost a week) would be fine. I would think you have kept away infection, as you have wanted to do, and now you could use some aquafor to moisturize occassionally too. But I'm not a doctor, of course. But if you are in pain tonight, I would definitely use whatever helps your skin feel better so you can get some sleep!! Call your nurse tomorrow a.m. I also had no recon., and the nurse said that can make the burn worse (less tissue to absorb those rays I think) It will get better. Good luck!  

shells43

Thanks Sespebadger, I decided to check with the pharmacist while I was at Walmart this afternoon, and she suggested mixing a triple antibiotic (like neosporin) with silver sulfa cream. I decided just to use the triple antibiotic alone since it is the same texture as the aquaphor and I'm really so dry. Good think I bought the store brand, it took probably half the tube to cover me. I do think you are right and I will call the nurse tomorrow. I've been taking the pain pills prescribed for my port removal so that helps. I have to wear a bra tomorrow for work, ugh!!

sespebadger

Shelley43, glad to hear you have some pain pills that are working. I used them during end of rads too. Since the ones leftover from my surgeries worked, the rad nurse was fine about prescribing more of the same for skin pain. Those nurses should be there to help you. And I am sorry about you having to dress for work. I know a bra on sore skin is no fun at all. I'm currently working VERY part time, so I was able to go absolutely flat (and with nothing tight on my skin) for a couple weeks. If anyone noticed that I mysteriously went from having boobs (microbead forms), to flat, to having boobs again, no one said a word. Life does go on.  And I don't know about you, but I am finding that my port incision is much more tender and itchy than my mastectomy incisions. Go figure.   

shells43

I noticed the port incision is bothersome, but I think it is because there are actually intact nerves there, whereas the mx incision is still numb. I'm at work and wore one of my DH's Hawaiian shirts (loose and soft) with no bra...ha ha....we'll see what happens. I do have a lab coat though, so I can wear that, too. I'm the only one in my lab today. Thank goodness.

shells43

Well guess what? I called the Rad Onc because of my drying and cracking skin issues and it turns out he forgot to give me some important cleaning directions that I will share so others will not suffer.

BETWEEN silver sulfadiazine applications, remove the first layer with a 50/50 solution of warm water and hydrogen peroxide before reapplying the silver sulfa. He said what is happening is that I'm making layers of the cream that are drying on top of each other like plaster. No one mentioned this to me and it is not on the skin care sheet they sent me home with. Aacckkk!!!!!

sespebadger

Shelleyj43  Wow! I hope your rad office learns an important lesson from this! I hope they change their skin care sheet ASAP so no one else has to go through this. I'm sorry you had to go through it.

I remember I used the siver sulfa....stuff before i went to bed, then showered like normal (facing away from the shower head, but using mild soap and water) in the morning, then reapplied. I then put a treated guaze on top of the area to keep moisture in I think, then 2 wide bandages held on with stretchy tube top-like material to protect my clothes. I think I sometimes took another quick shower at night before applying it again or using aquaphr if my skin felt really dry.  

I'm glad you have the correct directions now!!! Arrrrgh!

jsmiley60

Shelley: glad you got the problem figured out! I hope your drs office learns from this.

I am very burnt along my scar under my arm and at the left side of left boob. I've been putting radiagel on it and sitting here with my shirt half off and my arm up in the air. Lol! Fun! I'm hopingit doesn't open - it has never been this red before.

So so glad I didn't have to go to radiation today or anymore!!!!!!

lorrhaw

I am one of the stragglers still not quite done.  I have 2 more boosts and 7 treatments left on my spine so my last day will be November 10th.  I can't wait to be done so I can go home and spend more than a quick weekend there.  I have had terrible skin reaction and am very purple and have started to peel on my chest and my underarm is really red and sore.  I broke down and took a leftover painpill last night so I was able to sleep for a change.

Congratulations to everybody that is done and has put another step in treatment behind you.  I love what Sharonnm said, "slash, burn and poison" which is a really good way of saying what we are all going through to try and get this crap out of our bodies.

To those of us with a few treatments left to go, the end is near!

Lorraine

CELinVA

I had my last treatment this morning - 33 total, with the last 5 as boosts.  The boosts were a pleasant surprise since they are to such a small area, so the rest of my skin is just a little pink and peeling, but healing fast.  I have nothing but good things to say about my radiation techs at Virginia Hospital Center; they were all so nice, and I'm going to miss my favorite one.  For those of you still in treatment, good luck in the last stretch. 

Teka

Hi!

I am glad CELinVA has joined the done list.   I saw radiation oncologist today, and was given petrolatum dressing overwrap to wear on radiation burn at night.   I've been so sore the last 2 days.  I'll see radiation oncologist on November 15th.   jsmiley60, I hope your burn doesn't get worse with time.

flopsy

I am still on break from rads with 4 reg to go and 6 boosts.  I am scheduled to start back on Thursday if my skin does not break down more before then.   I am using everything I can find on my skin but it is not looking good. Maybe I will get some silvadene or something similar soon so that I can get some relief.  So far I have been tolerating the pain with Aleve and tylenol but may have to resort to pain pills if it keeps getting worse.

Congrats to all that have finished rads and I so want to be there,too. 

Teka

gin2ca,

Vicodin prescription pain medication.   I've no side effects.

sespebadger

gin2ca: I took Darvocet at night during my worst skin burn period. And Tylenol during the day. No side effects.  I hope you feel better soon.

Anyone else have very sore thumbs??? So sore you can't use them without gasping with pain first thing in the morning until the tylenol takes effect? I'm now taking tylenol 24/7.  I've had this since two weeks into radiation (so since mid September). My general practitioner had me get x-rays and says he sees no arthritis. I see him this Friday. My rad nurse said chemo-pause can cause sore joints. Anybody else, and if so, what helps?? Thanks!  Also, I am still really tired two weeks post rads. and I had a two week break between regular sessions and boosts. Am so looking forward to feeling really good again. Sigh.

shells43

Hey all,

Just checking in. Jsmiley glad you are done and hope your skin stays intact.

CELinVA congrats and Teka, is there a name for your dressing? I'm going in to the RadOnc today to see what he says since i'm in bad shape. The silver sulfadiazene is only making me worse I think, even with the new cleaning instructions.

I'm using the pain pills they gave me for my port removal, which are mostly tylenol (650 mg)+ something else.

I am also feeling very tired, too, Sespe, between not sleeping due to pain and hot flashes, and working. Ugh. No sore thumbs though.

Lorraine, stay on top of your skin with your doc, I was doing fine while using aloe all day and Aquaphor at night all the way up until my last treatment.

Teka

Hi! shelleyj43,

Petrolatum Dressing overwrap isn't a prescription medication, it is a petrolatum pad I place on burn area at night to help.  I must suffer through slow healing process.   Silvadene cream is a prescription medication.