February 2011 Rads

beacher4209

       Heather.... Hoping the best for u on the last 3 i have my last tomorrow. i wish they would not use the bolus on you either they stopped that on me after #19 i think it helped the outer skin and try two of your pills if you really hurt i do. Have not in 2 days cause ive been ok.but in case the following treatment time is rough i will use them. I am 118 and 5'3 and 2 does the trick for me, I see noooooo point in pain. take care  oh yeah do u have t/e's

Adey

beacher-  congrats on finishing today!

Jwatrlily

Heather (((HUGS))).  Congrats to ladies finishing rads.  Things went ok yesterday.  My sister did not take her grand daughter with the fever.  As a matter of fact, as suspected her Mom didn't take her to the Dr but instead took her back to the day care because she hadn't ran a fever overnight.  Whatev, I'm just glad I didn't have to deal with it.  What I hate is there is always so much darned drama with my extended family and they create so much stress for me.  Since I can't delete family I need to figure a way how to channel them and the stress they create.  Sometimes I do put distance between me and them but I can't eliminate them from my life.  Believe me some days I want to.  My DH said the other night he was about ready to sell our farm and move to Zaire, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know where that is!!!    He's just really protective of me and tries very hard for me to not have so much stress in my life, except for what he can cause sometimes.     

Today is tx # 9 for me.  Saw my Oncologist yesterday and got the results of the CA 27-29 test.  Number was good, at 19 but he told me that didn't mean cancer wasn't still present but for now that and liver enzymes test is what he is watching.  He said CA 27-29 tumor marker test isn't the most reliable but he's ready to jump if anything goes amiss.  My skin is holding up good.  Saw my RO again yesterday too and he said things are going good but he expects some pink skin by end of the day Friday.  I hope I can get through this will little to no skin reaction.  He has me using Eucerin lotion and that's all he wants me using right now with also bathing with Caress soap.

Have a great midweek everyone.  Hugs to you all

Juanita

beacher4209

   Thanks Adey! today a @ 11:45 west coast time.  now i guess i just wait for the aculmative pain to subside, then i hope to start working out my bottom half yay ! Cannot do the top half for a while t/e,once that transfer happens hopefully in 6 months then recup from that, apprx 8-10 weeks THEN its DONE!!!!!!!! i can have my life back ,workout and hopefully have my job back.. Lot of waiting but it will be worth it! This horrible nightmare will be in my past and i will be even stronger, more alive than ever!!!! And also a better human being in general...   i only wish the same for YOU! the same for everyone of us that have been put on this journey for a reason we will really never know take care ,p.s. love the wigs remind me of when my daughter danced! alot of costumes alot of wigs

izzyizzy

Hi All!

I started Rads on 2/22 and will get to the halfway point tomorrow. 

 I am wondering if anyone else is experiencing joint pain or flareups of old injuries.  I have always been very active and have had some knee and shoulder sprains in the past.  Over the last week or so I have noticed significant pain in both my knee and in my shoulder/neck area.  Went to see a Chiropractor today because the neck was a 9 out of 10 on the pain scale.  After xrays, he treated me with ultrasound and physical adjustment but he suspects the radiation may be causing tissue and nerve flareups.

Anyone else have this problem?

BrilandGirl

Beacher:  congrats on finishing--I also finished today--#33 done.  Received a "certificate" and a box with a stuffed animal, paperbook, cards, etc. donated by a local store--very nice of the store and staff.

Heathermcd:  I hope your skin heals soon--I had no real skin issues except today--when they peeled off one of the stickers, they peeled off some of the skin--ouch!  Even this small area of peeling hurts so your pain must be awful.  They gave me a tube of bacitracin zinc ointment.

AmyJo:  Glad to hear that your skin is doing well--good luck with the second half! 

 To anyone who gets any tape (I had three for my boost area--my magic marker kept washing off)--don't let the technician take it off--I forgot that the nurse had told me to keep it on and remove it later by using a lot of ointment underneath. 

Good luck to everyone--Kim

Blindsided

beacher4209:  Congratulations on finishing rads!  Woohoo!

Adey

brilandgirl- congrats on finishing!  The stickers are a reason I asked for tattoos.  I don't do well with adhesive.  I remember when I got a tattoo a few years ago it took the marks from the tape for the bandage longer to heal than the tattoo itself.

What Kim said, good luck to all.

17 down and 11 to go, starting to get pink and warm, TEs doing well so far.  I'm lubing, I'm lubing!

beacher4209

    Thanks Everyone !! Yup i'm done with rads!! and wish you all the best! i will be checking back for sure !!

Elisimo

Well, 17 down 13 to go.  Skin is starting to get really tan particularly under the arms. Glad I have such awide range of options for creams to use for the tenderness.  The Miaderm works well in the morning and the emu oil is good for right after my treatment and the calendula for the rest of the time.  The calendula seem to work the best at relieving the tenderness pain.  I have started having some shooting pain in the breat around and under my implants.  Has anyone else had this happen? It just started today after #17.  I noticed that the skin was getting a little tight feeling after #15 and that feeling has gotten more pronounces with the last 2 treatments.  Are these things related? I suspect that they are, but not sure.

I will be seeing they physical therapist next Tuesday for the neuropathy in my arms and hand.  Hopefully that will bring some relief.  I have the most trouble with pain from holding my arms above my head whlie they radiate both breast and on the days they do the x-rays it is worse.  I get my Aredia IV on Friday and they will tell me then if I need a transfusion or not.  I think I have managed to talk them out of that for as long as I can.  We'll see what they say on Friday.

Adey & Tori - How are you girls doing? 

beacher - Congratulaitons on being finished!!! Some of us are not too far behind you. 

Adey

I had 17 today and have had some of those shooting pains!  Funny.

Jwatrlily

izzyizzy,

Funny (not really!) you should mention the problems you are having with your rads tx.  I have been experiencing the shoulder pain.  Just a feeling of achiness across my upper body, above the boobs, in the shoulders, both of them, even the non treatment side, in front and in back.  Just an achiness and mild pain and usually the evening of a tx.  By the next morning it has subsided.  Also a little more numbness of the arms and hands since I started radiation.  However, I've only been a month out from my last chemo, Taxol.  That caused some numbness too.  Dr. tells me that will pass over the next few months.  My RO tells me we are not radiating the upper under arm area, just lower where the sentinel node biopsy was performed.  Hope you and all of us get this resolved.

Juanita

sjames59

Congratulations Beacher and Brilandgirl, way to go on finishing!

15 down, will be halfway tomorrow, though I'm past halfway with the treatments to the whole breast. Yesterday the RO said he was glad to see I hadn't gotten worse (after his comment last week "Oh my, you are getting red early"), and I really think the saline compresses plus all the lubing have been the key. I'm feeling the need (and discomfort) to do them more often. I've had the shooting pains occasionally as well. The fatigue is taking a toll as well, but I have a four day work week so today is my Friday, yeay!!

Sharon

Adey

18 down and 10 to go...

Blindsided

Its been a big week- started back to work on Monday and moved on to "boosts" today. 7 more to go. It has gone much quicker than I thought it would.  Time to start thinking about a completion celebration!!!

Elisimo

18 down and 12 more to go.  Skin is still looking good. Areas under the arms on the top outer side of each breast are getting a little darker tan and all of the skin across the breasts is getting really tight and having shooting pains under and around my implants.  Talked to RO and he said all of this is normal including the shooting pains.  They are the reaction of scar tissue around the implants to the radiation.  He said to be sure and massage the breast as much as can be tolerated every time I use any cream or lotion on the breast.  He is impressed at how good my skin is doing and said he is glad to see the tanning. He sees a little pinkness to the skin on the breast that I do not see. DH say it is getting a little pink/tan, but it is barely noticable.  I do see the tan area in the V between my breast and an area about 2" wide just under the breasts.  The emu oil really helps with the tenderness and to a little extent the tightness under the arms.  The calendula gel feels really cooling on the breasts and the miaderm is soothing and makes massaging the breasts easier to tolerate. Plus it has a light lovely smell that the other creams, lotions, and gel do not have.  One small thing that helps me feel a little better. DH like the smell too.  (I get more hugs and kisses from him.  )   As long as I do not wind up looking like a crispy critter I will be a happy camper.

Not sure if I will ever be able to return to my old job.  It was a physically demanding job that required a lot of standing on concrete floors, heavy lifting, as well as dealing with customers some of whom were not so nice.  I think when I am finished with rads and get some of my energy and strength back I may look for a part-time office type position.  Definately no more retail businesses.

Hope everyone has a restful evening and treatments tomorrow go well and then we can all enjoy the weekend break and recover before another week begins.  Amy Jo 

kallimom

Amy Jo...your post is encouraging to me...tomorrow I will have #13....skin tonight is a little touch but doesn't look to bad...I put lots of cream on it...tried to get some Emu Oil today...but the places in the mall did not have it, so I will check with a couple of natural food stores tomorrow, if I can't find it will order some online. Thanks for the info on massaging breasts/implants....I am so hoping my implants and skin will be ok....Hope everyone has a good treatment tomorrow and a good weekend for our skin to recover.

Adey

19 down - 9 more!

Elisimo

19 down 11 to go

kallimom - gald I can give you some encouragement.  That is the reason we are all here is to encourage and support each other. Have a great weekend and get some rest and time for healing. 

Eloise

I had my last rads session 11 days ago.  Today, I looked in the mirror and thought if I didn't know which breast had been radiated, I wouldn't be able to tell.  It's very slightly redder in one area, there's a little patch of dry skin, but essentially it's healed.  Fatigue is still with me though. 

Yesterday I had a meeting to go to at work and put on an actual BRA -- well, not an underwire one, a cotton wirefree one, but still, not a camisole.  And then I put on a DRESS for the first time in two months....without having to think about how I'd have to take it off for rads and walk around the clinic in a half-slip and a gown.  Progress!

GirlFriday

Eloise:  That is awesome!  I hope your fatigue ebbs soon!

Adey

Thanks Eloise I loved hearing that!  Congratulations!

kallimom

Eloise...that is great...bet you felt good as well...have a great weekend and wear that dress.

FireKracker

Hello again----just cant stay away from you girls.I see some of you girls finished.yay and congrats.why dont you come over to the after treatment thread.im lookin for as much info as possible.it seems like no one has much info on the after effects.I hope none of you have any either.BUT there are questions that need to be addressed and we need support from the sistas who walked this long hard road.I read someone say she wore a bra for the first time.I too did but that bra has the garbage name on it a long time ago.Please come to visit.we need lots of info and im drawing a blank.help!!!!!

ya see it wasnt so hard.....And it does get easier.God bless all of you.hugggs K

kallimom

My sister asked me if I was tired yet.....how do I know, I am still tired from the chemo....and they told me radiation doesn't make you tired...just having to go there everyday does....what do you all think?

Elisimo

Yeah, right!??!?! If radiation does not make you tired then why have I slept leterally all day and have fallen asleep 3 times trying to read on everything I have missed here since I last posted?  It is bedtime and I am ready to go to bed again.  Geesh, will I every really wake up again?  Needless to say I am getting a lot of rest this weekend.

heathermcd

Ladies! So glad to confirm that I finished rads on Friday. My skin is TOAST in every sense of the word. It has shrunk up around my expander, the part in my axilla is raw and open, and just yesterday my scar area from my mastectomy started to open up and bleed. I am SO thankful to be done and start the healing process. I will definitely check back and check on everyone!! On ward ladies!!

sjames59

heathermcd, congratulations on finishing - it's been a tough road for you and I hope you heal up quickly.

I'm tired a lot, finished #17 on Friday and am lubing and using saline compresses a lot more often, due to increased soreness. I'm very thankful for the weekend! I find at work that it's hard to focus and to get into the higher gear I need to get things done. My treatment time is now in the afternoon, so I hope having a somewhat uninterrupted morning can give me the oomph I need but it's discouraging, especially the feeing that I'm not going to catch up before deadlines hit. BUT I'll continue to do the best I can and talk to my boss if need be - she's been more than understanding and supportive through all of this.

When I went to the  dentist Friday they talked to me about how radiation can change your saliva and might be why I have an area of decay when I NEVER do. That was discouraging, but they gave me some toothpaste to use at night to help with that.

Hope you're all having a restful and good weekend :-)

Sharon

Jwatrlily

Heathermcd, congrats on finishing your treatments.  I pray you will quickly heal and your skin will soon be in better shape. 

Fatigue is a real issue because one of my techs and my RO ask me every week about my fatigue level.  I have mild fatigue every day.  I just had tx # 11 last Friday.  I've housekeeping projects I want to get started on and done but I'm to tired to tackle it in a big way.  I think for now it is more important to take care of myself.

Have a great Sunday everyone.

Juanita

kallimom

So I guess you all answered the questions of 'tiredness'...I went to bed last night at 10 and slept until after 12 today....what the heck??? Haven't slept like that since chemo ended...so perhaps it is the rads.....I also have a rash in the rad area...very itchy...did any of you ever have a rash...been putting Cortaid on it but doesn't seem to be doing much....other than that the skin is doing ok.

Have a great day.

Janet