September 2010 Rads

shygal

Dutchgirl6 you asked about what I'm doing for my 27th anniversary on the same day as yours?  Well nothing that day but actually going to see Pink Floyd and out for dinner with friends on the 18th  Not too romantic, but still a night out.  I hope I'm not too tired.  I have now had 6 sessions out of 21 and have noticed that I've been more tired in the evenings.  It may be from getting up at 6am and leaving the house at 7am and then driving for 45-50 minutes in brutal traffic...not sure.

Today at Sunnybrook almost all the Rad machines were behind and my appointment (which was supposed to be at 11am) was 90 minutes late.  That is what I find most tiring.

Someone mentioned that the zap time seems to be getting longer....I agree.  I think the first few times it seemed like mere seconds, now they can play almost half a song before they are moving the machine to a new location.  Maybe I'm just paying more attention now.....

Glad the zaps are over for the weekend.  2 blissful days without shaving my armpits or driving that drive....yay.  Have a great weekend everyone.

PS:  They started me on tamoxifen this week, so now I'm on the lookout for any SE's from that.

MelBell07

Kay: Thank you! It's hard to feel pretty with no hair, lashes, or brows. But it's been kind of fun for me to use the scarves and hats as another accessory to match outfits I'm definitely hanging in, but very impatiently.

I'm getting 35 rads total, 28 axillary and 7 boosts. I have 27 to go...but who's counting? I have to drive about 30 mins each way to get to the hospital. I know some women on the board need to travel much farther, so I should consider myself lucky. It's just having to get across the city in rush hour that's a pain, after work, when I just want to go home and relax. 

Hope everyone has a nice, radiation-free weekend! 

dutchgirl6

WOO HOO, it's Friday!  For those who have started treatment, two days off.  For those who are waiting to start, you are another week closer.  We are getting through this.

shygal, I think that a Pink Floyd concert and dinner out sounds like a great way to spend an anniversary, especially with friends.  I guess one of the downsides to living in a bigger city is the commute times.  I live a 15 minute drive away from my treatment centre, and I know that I am lucky. Get lots of rest this weekend.

MelBell07, it sounds like you are experiencing the same driving issues, driving through rush hour is a drag.  You are certainly keeping a positive attitude, it helps.

Have a great weekend everyone.

dutchgirl6

More new names, welcome!

gin2ca, how was your simulation?  It sounds like everything is all ready to go, I'm sure you are eager to get started.  How are you feeling after chemo?  

Bambaloos, enjoy your weekend, Monday will be here before you know it.  I had to chuckle at your "fat, bald and tattoos" comment, I'm sure it was something that we could all relate to.  

CT124

Deayed w rads for a little. PS wants to fillmore before planning and simulation, so really filled today, but can't be marked til one more fill as it will change beams angle. So may not make the sept timeframe but will be in Oct. Also wants to overfill bc sometimes tissue shrinks, or CC, or sometimess need a little more fat after-wooo might get tummy tuck after all. Feel so much more prepared listening to your experiences. Thanks, it helps.

bubbalu

Monday is a new start for me with rads.  Please pray that all goes well so that I can tolerate the treatments and get them DONE!  No more bad burns outside the rad field and no more sensitivity to radiation.

Now here's some research I can live with.  Stumbled on this online. I read 2 articles online that said that a glass of red wine everyday during radiation would lessen the toxicity of the skin.  I'm willing to try that one.  Google 'drinking red wine during radiation'. One is on reuter.com the other on digitaljournal.com

Happy weekend to all.......................

swiftbird

thanks bubbalu, that's the best news I've heard in awhile -- I'm at a wedding this weekend, I am standing up as the MOH... and will toast tomorrow with red wine!! (I heard myself saying this evening to someone that 'hey if they had it all figured out what causes this damn thing, they would've had a cure by now' as she was yammering on about her sister beating herself up about drinking soymilk and eating soyburgers.  Lawd, at this point, after chemo and surgery and wading through study after contradictory study.... I'm going to have a glass of wine and a cup of coffee now and then and not make myself crazy over this!!!)  

Good luck with the new start ~ with this weird TN and non-BRAC status that I have, I appreciate others who are that 'rare minority' that reacts differently or has a special set of circumstances with respect to this and to treatment.... isn't it great to be SPECIAL???? 

swiftbird

thanks bubbalu, that's the best news I've heard in awhile -- I'm at a wedding this weekend, I am standing up as the MOH... and will toast tomorrow with red wine!! (I heard myself saying this evening to someone that 'hey if they had it all figured out what causes this damn thing, they would've had a cure by now' as she was yammering on about her sister beating herself up about drinking soymilk and eating soyburgers.  Lawd, at this point, after chemo and surgery and wading through study after contradictory study.... I'm going to have a glass of wine and a cup of coffee now and then and not make myself crazy over this!!!)  

jsmiley60

Hello! Had my second rad treatment today.I had a little itchy rash in my "cleavage" already  - started last week - and I was putting stuff on it and of course after 2 rad tx it looks worse. They gave my radiagel to try, so I hope it helps.

The radiologist office called me this morning asking if anyone had called in a prescription for Singulair. I'm like I have no idea what you are talking about. Supposedly when the rad doc talked to my PS, the PS was going to get me that prescription and never did and no one ever said anything. He said it was for allergies and to prevent an allergic reaction. Is anyone else taking Singulair or any other allergy med???? So then 12 hours later I go to the pharmacy to pick it up and they have no record of anyone requesting a prescription for me today! ARRRRGGGGGHHH!! So now I guess I have to wait til Monday to call and see what is going on. Sigh....

DMS

I'm with you Dutchgirl6 on looking forward to two days off.  Completed my 7th treatment on Friday and was the first day my breast was a little tender.  I decided to buy myself a celebratory present after the last treatment (Oct 18} -- one of those new iPod Nanos.  I like the blue color but the pink seems more keeping in the spirit of the present.  Anybody else buying themselves a drink?  

Bubbalu,  Your post on red wine lessening the symptoms made my day.  

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. 

dutchgirl6

ct124, October isn't really that far away.  Once you get started, you will be that much closer to finishing.  Thanks to this board, by the time you start, you will probably know as much about the tx as your rad onc and the techs.  

jsmiley60, I'm not taking anything for allergies, but I wonder if they prescribed this to you because of the rash in your cleavage?  I hope that you can get to the bottom of this, why have a prescription if you don't need it.

bubbalu, thanks for the heads up on the red wine!  Now that my tastebuds are back, I will definitely enjoy a tipple.  I hope that Monday is a good day for you, and that the rads go smoothly.

swiftbird, have a great time at the wedding.  And enjoy that glass of wine with the coffee chaser.

shells43

KayDub - the red box must have been marker since it has washed off after a couple of days. I also have one tattoo that goes left of midline almost underneath my good breast. I have one that I noticed is visible if I wear a V-neck shirt, but it looks like a freckle, so I don't think anyone will notice.

Dutchgirl6 - sorry about the wig issue and your rad planning. I wore a ball cap which had to come off during the CT scan and so I left it off for the rest of the planning. Too bad too, as the technician running the CT and giving me my tats was so cute! And nice, too. Oh well. He tried to make me feel better too about my lack of hair. I've decided my hair is hair that never fell out that is growing, rather than new hair. I hope more comes in.

Mel - I agree, that's a beautiful photo

Hope everyone has a nice weekend! 

1marmalade1

Bubbalu!!!  I see you have entered the next phase, but not having a good time with it!  I have yet to start rads on account of the infection I developed post-surgery.  I am meeting with rad onc again this week.

It is discouraging that you are having these problems, maybe on account of having neo-adjuvant chemo.  My rad onc just shook his head when he met me a few weeks ago.  Obviously, he does not agree with this course of tx - which doesn't help me much now,  does it?  I just want to get this whole thing over with - hopefully I will get a rad start date for the end of Sept.

Alotte

SharonNM- I'm also going to a center with a Varian Rapid Arc Machine. I know the machine is good, just hope they're aiming it correctly. It only takes 3 minutes to do the treatment. Is that less than with other machines?

CT124- My story is similar to yours. They were watching calcifications with mammograms and ultrasounds every 6 months for about a year and a half. Finally, a radiologist suggested that I get an MRI. The cancer was glowing on the MRI. They could see it on the mammogram after they knew where it was from the MRI. I'm going to get an MRI every year now. 

KaeB- I'm so sorry you are dealing with this a third time. I hope your treatment goes smoothly!

Bambaloos-"fat, bald & have tatoos." You're also really funny! Totally cracked me up!!

Bubbalu- I wish you NO MORE BURNS!!! With regard to red wine, I imagine it helps the skin because it's an antioxidant. They tell us not to eat too many antioxidants, but what's too many. I find this to be confusing. 

They put an "X" on my affected breast with a sharpee and covered it with tape. That stays on throughout the treatment, and the tape will be changed as needed. Do others have tape on their boob? Obviously I can't put lotion there and it's a pretty large area.

Good luck to everyone going through this. Let's hope September is an easy month! 

BocaCiegaBabe

I did have tape Alotte, but couldn't keep it on.  I work out in a pretty hot climate, and would sweat it off in a day.  The mark came off with the tape.  They re-marked and taped me once, but gave up after that and said the tattoos are enough to guide them.  Now where the tape had been I am pinker than elsewhere, which could be a reaction to the tape (it has happened with band-aids before), rather than radiation with the tape in place.

 Bubbalu, I hope you have a successful treatment and no more side effects.  Will be thinking of you tomorrow and sending good thoughts your way!

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend.  It's "off to the races" again tomorrow.  Meantime...it's about time for that healthful glass of wine!  :>

Teka

Hi! dutchgirl6,

Thank You for the invite, and September 13th I get 1st radiation treatment for 6 weeks.  I am glad to be done with 5 months of AC+T chemo (misery), and will continue to get Bevacizumab once every 3 weeks for 30 weeks for clinical trial E5103.   I hope after radiation treatment to get back to a somewhat normal life.   I am 61.   I wish us all luck.

Dee2010

Hi everyone, I'm back.  I finally got confirmation that we will go ahead with the rads despite the continued edema because they don't want to wait another three months for the swelling to go down. I'm starting September 28th, so I'm a September girl too!  Not much time to read right now, but I want to get through the entire thread and catch up.  I hope everyone's treatments are progressing well, despite the problems that some are obviously experiencing.  I think some of you are even nearing the end of your treatments (?).  Anyway, good luck to everyone!

jsmiley60

Hello to all! I have little circular tapes on all of my markings. I don't get how the radiation goes through the tape, but I guess they know what they are doing....Lol! It is hard though because you can't put lotion on the spots you really need to, but I guess we all will just keep doing the best we can.

Ready for tx number 3 treatment......let's get this over with!

dutchgirl6

Hi Teka, glad that you joined us.  I guess that today is your first rad treatment, good luck! 

I just came back from zap #5, 11 more to go.  It's also my first day back at work after four months, I hope that I make it through my shift ok.  I work as the manager of a specialty kitchen store, and I love my job, I missed going in every day this summer.  Hopefully things haven't changed too much, and I won't have to relearn everthing.  I'm not sure that I can process too much new information, thank you chemo brain.  Right now I have to take the dog for a walk, not looking forward to it, it's raining this morning.  Oh well, it's not like it will ruin my hairdo, lol.

Have a good day everyone.

MelBell07

Dutchgirl: I just started back up at work as well. I'm a social worker, but I'm only doing part-time throughout rads. My first day back exhausted me, but I'm getting more used to it now that I'm in my 3rd week back. I also am having a hard time paying attention and absorbing things, also thanks to good ol' chemo brain Hahaha I had to laugh at your rain and hair reference, gotta look at all the silver linings!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Fiver05

Hope it's not too late the join the group here!  I finished chemo on August 18.  Have appointment for CT scan tomorrow and start rads next week - 34 treatments.  I have a prescription for Biafine - is anyone using that?  Are you having good luck with it or is there anything else anyone would like to recommend? 

I REALLY appreciate these forums - don't post a lot, but read daily!

Teri

bubbalu

Welcome Fiver95:  Your right about where some of us are, some are just starting, some early in tx and some finishing up.  No matter we all still share and lift each other up.  About the Biafine.  I asked my onc about it and he said to stick with the cheaper moisturizers like Eucerin, Aquaphor and aloe vera.  He said they work just as well.  If down the line you need something stronger/better they will prescribe something for you or suggest something else.  I plan to follow that.

Today I went back after a loooong rad break after a bad reaction to the first four txs.  Dr. will check me every day before tx and if the bad burn (in the non radiated area) comes back we will have to forego txs. Not a good thing.  Possible that I may be sensitive to radiation, some chemical in my body.  He saw this when he was a resident.  They radiated a rabbit in the right side and the left side of its body burned!!!  I had to be filmed again, he said that was because it had been a long break and they re-film every 5 txs.  Finding that all centers have different approaches and it's interesting to see what's going on elsewhere. 

Good day all..............

BocaCiegaBabe

Welcome to those who have just joined the September rads.

Mel, I see you are from MA and a social worker.  I was too, eons ago, not an MSW, but degrees in psych and soc from...UMass, back when there only was an Amherst campus, and worked for the state of VA after graduating.

 dutchgirl, I get a serious case of envy every time I see your 16 total treatment schedule!  Lucky you.  You'll be finished before too too long!

bubbalu, I've been thinking of you today, hoping it went well.  Keeping my fingers crossed that you'll do fine this time.

8 of 33 done for me today.  Saw the rad. oncologist, as I will once a week.  She's so upbeat--so easy to talk with and a pleasure to be around.  Discussed my concerns about yoga today, but she was good with it.  "Listen to your body...it will know if it's too much."  I was reading in the July group last night and began to worry about what they were going through toward the end, but she was reassuring in that my body type (ie very small busted) seem to do well.  One day at a time...I tend to get ahead of myself...

MelBell07

Shelley: Thank you! 

Boca: Very cool! I'm not licensed either, but I studied Gerontology, Psych and Urban Studies at WSC, where I got my Bachelor's back in '06. I work for Elder Services, so I only deal with the 60+ population, which I like best

9 out of 35 down. I meet with the doc tomorrow to check in. My radiated area still isn't very red at all, but I use the Aquaphor and Eucerin daily. I'm a little nervous about that, because my doc had said last week that she wants to see my skin get red b/c then she knows it's working. Umm...so does that mean it's not working??

Anyone here have tissue expanders in with plans to get implants down the road? Does anyone know if they use the same scars to do that surgery? Not sure if I should try to find some type of cream/lotion to try to reduce the look of the scars, or say screw it since they'll be using the same ones? 

Teka

Hi!

Today was my 1st radiation treatment.   I was told only to use corn starch and no bra.   I'll be given special lotions when needed during treatments. 

Alotte

bubbalu- I hope everything went well today. 

Teka- No bra the first day? My doctor hasn't said anything about no bra but I bought cotton sports bras today and cotton hankerchieffs to put in my regular bra just in case. Can you use lotion four hours before radiation? Is the cornstarch instead of deoderent?

Has anyone tried Burt's Bees Honey & Shea Butter Body Butter? Seemed like a good idea when I was at Walmart today, but not so sure now.  

bubbalu

Your support and prayers mean so much to me.  Thought of all of you who expressed it while I was on the table.  Had to be re-filmed today, I guess because It's been several weeks.  It took forever and I was getting so tired of holding up that arm and pointing my head to the right.  I was sooooo sore when done.  When she finished she said we would have to re-film (does that mean re-map?) after every 5 txs.  Anyway the dr. saw me first.  My regular onc was not there, this was the other one, who I liked very much.  He said he knew all about me, they had talked.  He said that I may have a rare chemical in my body that makes me sensitive to sun (Huh? been getting tans for 40 yrs.) and to radiation. But the neck (where it occured gets sunburns first)  We will try again but if it happens again we will have to reacess the rads.  I'm hoping to get as many in as I can in case we have to stop.  I asked him if he could lower my dose and he said I'm already on the lowest effective dose.  He said what I'm getting is not life threatening but an infection could be serious.  They are going to watch me very closely in fact they are going to look at me before EACH tx.  I really do have confidence in them and know that they won't let anything bad happen on their watch. 5 down, 28 to go.  He suggested Aquaphor and aloe for now.

When he finished residency he said they radiated a rabbit on the right side and it burned on the left side.  That's similar to what's happening here.  Go figure.

I feel like I have a family in cyberspace, wait I do.  Sistahs!

Teka

Hi! Alotte,

For now I can only use corn starch in arm pit, on breast, and under breast to keep areas dry for radiation treatments.   No bra because it will irritate the breast.   I have large breast.  

DiamondGirl

I just got a call today and the rad technician wanted me to go in tomorrow to do films.  They did my simulation last Tuesday and I will start my rads (total 33 sessions) on Wed, Sept 15.  They pushed  up one week.  Problem is that I just got my flu/H1N1 combo shot on Saturday and am worried that there may be a SE.  I even told the nurse who gave the shots that I will be going to get rads on Sept 20 and he said I will be fine.  Now I'm not sure if I needed to give the flu shot time to build it up in me or what?  The rad onc also have me stop my Tamoxifen (which I was on for a month). All of a sudden I feel skeptical !

sespebadger

Hi Paula,  I am in midst of rads (15 out of  33). My oncologist said I would not start Tamoxifen until after rads were over. That way if there are side effects during radiation they know they are not from the Tamoxifen, but from the rads. I wouldn't think that the flu shot would be a problem, but I'm not a doctor!

My weeks are getting pretty routine by now. Most days the treament is quick: a 30 second zap from above, and then15 seconds from each side with the bollus (piece of rubber) on my skin. Usually once a week they also take x-rays from each angle, but that is quick. So I am in and out of the office in about 10-15 minutes. On Mondays I see the doctor. That can add quite a bit of time.  Today was "doctor day" and I was there for two hours, mostly sitting and waiting. But now that I know, I can plan accordingly.

My skin is definitely pink, but not sore yet. I am using aloe gel twice a day and no deodorant on treatment side. I wear a cotton sports bra and so far it is comfortable, but then again, I don't have any breasts. My soft forms stay in my purse (patiently) during treatment.

I had some red wine this weekend and I felt especially healthy as I drank it. Have to admit I now drink much less than I used to.....but I actually have grown to like green tea!