Summer 2013 Rads

Jen987

Teachers1 - Don't be scared. Everyone reacts differently to Rads. Some people make it through with little to no problems. Check out this link.



http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/70/topic/806495?page=4#idx_91

tangles

slv where did you get the emu oil? I am only using what they gave me and I dont think it is that great!!

sciencegal

Hi Shari-

Your post made me laugh- I did exactly the same thing! used Miaderm and emu oil the whole way through and really did very well, just a little peeling at the end, just the top layer of skin and not until my last two sessions.



My doc also said I had done exceptionally well and chalked it up to my good diet and hydration, also she knew that I was continuing to take my turmeric anti-inflammatory capsules which keep my lungs clear. There was a study showing that turmeric helps with rads and doesnt interfere so she had approved that.



But I never confesed about the emu oil- this I learned from you great ladies on this blog and I am convinced that it really worked for me!



I wonder how many of us dont tell our ROs what we REALLY did? LOL



Good luck to all who are going through rads now. It will be over before you know it!



Hugs

lorenayaya

I'm joining the club. Saw the radiation oncologist yesterday and got my simulation next week. A little nervious but thankfull that I'm able to get treatment. My goal........... to ring the bell at the end of 5 weeks!!!!!

LW0919

Has anyone had dark spots appear on their nipples? I just noticed they have popped up since last night. I'm hoping this is normal?? I've had 22 out of 33 so far.

shipsgirl

slv58 - when did you start using the emu oil and did you get it in Canada?

Jen987

LW0919 - Yes it looks like freckles. It has since peeled so now it's just light pink. Kind of raw looking but not really painful. My breast, chest and underarm have all kinds of colors going on. Good grief I'm a hot mess.





30/35

GoWithTheFlow

I didn't try the Elma cream but was given a lidocaine gel to mix with aquafor.  It did help for a little while each time but after a couple of hours it needed to be reapplied.  It gave me enough relief to get to sleep for a few hours, after which time I'd wake up, take more pain meds, reapply aquafor and lidocaine, and get back to sleep.

I did get to a point that I couldn't spread lotion on me for a few days or I'd end up with a handful of black skin pieces.  At that point, I just daubed some on thickly and hoped for the best.  Even the Lindi cooling roll burnt on my skin at that point, but it was just a few days before it started feeling better.

Anonymous

GoWithTheFlow~~Thanks. Knowing this will soon pass is what keeps me going.



I do think the worst is behind me. I saw the RO a day before finishing rads. She gave me 2 tiny tubes of Aquaphor. They are .35 oz. is that a joke or what? They are smaller than a ChapStick. That would be fine if it had just been a sample to see if it worked for me, but she had told me all along, not to buy anything, that she would provide it all.



Paula

patriciahurtado

Lol... Paula good thing that we have each other and our RO know what to expect but not what WE feel...... Every time I go to my radiations all the tech ask the same thing ... Are using aloe Vera I say yes..... But really I use 4 different products .... I asked if I can use aquaphor they said no...... So why bother telling them anyways whatever works for me it ok by me!!!!!!...



My ladies!!! my arm pit itches and burns just a little bit No big deal Four more days of treatment and no boost.... I hope my skin can hang in there... Do you think it will...?? I only wear shirts and sandals all day ... Lmao no one is home most of the day so I'm always air out!!!!!...... But can't wait to getting back to work and wearing some nice tank tops... Even though I'm missing a foob .... I will start to heal... How long after rads do we see changes in our skin?? I know everyone is different but just to get and idea

slv58

Sorry Ladies that it took me long to reply, for the first time since dx, I've actually spent a day not thinking about bc! I got my emu oil from amazon, as several ladies recommended the thunder ridge (blue bottle) brand. I also got the 4oz size and it seems to be the perfect size for 33 tx with some left over. The odd time I used over the counter hydrocortisone cream to releave some itchiness. I found that I have a circular area in underarm that became a dark brown colour and is now peeling and somewhat "tight" feeling in certain positions. Again, this really doesn't bother me at all. My nipple has been consistently angry red from the beginning, sensitive to certain fabrics but tolerable. I had my last review with RO and she warned me that after completion my skin would become worse for about 2 weeks. I'm happy she told me what to expect, but I plan to sail through this part as well

I asked her if the "lump feeling" in my throat would go away and she said it should..... So asked her to check thyroid. It is on low side of normal, so I'm hoping this SE leaves after I'm done! Hope everyone is enjoying week end and break from zaps!

I should say that the techs didn't want me using emu oil also and their fear was that it may have ani oxidants in it that could counter radiation, so please keep this in mind if your naughty and go against RO!

29/33

Shasha10

Hi everyone

I finished rads last week and until then had no se. Then suddenly very tired and my breast was very sore. My ro told me it was normal, since its accumulative and it might last a couple of weeks. The cream they recommended was Xclair by align prescription but not covered. Expensive, but it worked. You couldn't put it on till after treatment (2x a day). But other than that it was effective.

Hope everyone is doing well

LW0919

The spots do look like freckles. Last night, I began noticing that I couldn't lift my arm over my head. I have alternated gobbing on udder cream, aquaphor and aloe but it's still so tight it feels like my skin is going to split open if I lift it any higher. It even burns when i put the cream on. The only relief I get is from soaking a washcloth in cold water, rolling it up and putting it under my armpit for a bit. My armpit is all black now, what was purple turned to black. How will I do a treatment if I can't lift my arm up? Sleeping last night was such a fight, it's getting so uncomfortable. I am concerned that I won't be able to finish the treatments. I'm so ready to be done with it all!

Anonymous

Slv~~I finished rads last Tuesday, and that "lump in the throat" feeling is already gone.



I didn't have any burning skin until the end. I started to get a bit pink during boosts. As a matter of fact, the RO said, she was surprised how well my skin held up. Then the day I finished skin turned red, tight, & sore. Now the skin in coming off and it's weeping. Tylenol helps me the best. The past couple days I've been using Aquaphor and putting a soft cotton hanky over the skin where my bra touches.



Paula

Paddle

Sciencegal and Paula....How many boosts did each of you have?

Anonymous

Paddle~~I had a total of 30 rads. 5 of those were boosts.



I had to go to the Breast Center for a port flush today, so I called ahead to see if the RO could see me to make sure I don't have an infection.



She said, " as surprised as she was last week at how good it looked, she was that surprised this week at how bad it looks." No infection though, and she gave me a script for Silvadine Oinment, and a couple of Cooling Gel Pads.



Paula

Robin3

Hey all, I listened to the ladies on the boards. At my radiation center they told me to use aquaphor only. Period.   I ended up using a variety of products. LOL  I bought the emu oil off of Amazon (the yellow bottle with the picture of the emu on it) I used clear aloe vera gel that I got from stop and shop, i think it's called fruit of the earth. I used the aquaphor, I also used aveeno cream. I put hydrocortisone on my breast when it started to itch. (my dr said that was ok)  And I used cornstarch baby powder when working out so that the creams would stay on and it wouldn't get too aggravated. I'm happy to say that my skin held up really well. I got a dark area under my armpit. My breast got what looked like black freckles on it and it's really really tan. But as far as skin breaking down...not really..only a tiny bit at the end during the boosts.  I had 28 treatments and 8 boosts.  I was RELIGIOUS about putting some form of cream on 3+ times a day. I would put it on (the aloe vera) right in the room when i would get dressed from the radiation. I used the aquaphor at night and on the weekends. I used the emu oil all the time. I went through 2 bottles. I swear by that stuff.   I hope this helps. Good luck!

dragomirova

Thanks to all for your advice about the creams.  I just had my simulation yesterday, now waiting to hear when I start my first rads (I will be getting 33, 25 plus 8 boosts).  Tattoos were just tiny little dots.  I was also told not to wear any deodorant except Tom's of Maine in the affected (right) side only, but OK on the other side, Dove soap only for showering, and shaving with an electric razor only.  For those of you who work out especially, how did the Tom's work, and what about the shaving? 

Best to All

tangles

Over half way done! YIPPIE!!!

Jen987

YAY Tangles. It goes by fast. Hope your skin is holding out.





32/35

GoWithTheFlow

LW, make sure you are using something that will moisturize your skin a bit.  Pain meds helped me be able to tolerate my time on the table.  Just be sure when you raise your arm, you do it slowly.  

LW0919

GWTF: I've used a ton of udder cream, globed on aquaphor and recently started using aloe too. A wet washcloth rolled up and shoved under my arm feels fantastic. Oh and today I put the aloe in the fridge and it felt so good.



My skin is starting to come off in a few places under the arm. Its so spraw. They adjusted the treatment field and moved it over slightly so that it wouldn't hit the same areas under my arm just to give that area a bit of a break. It's black and grey and looks horrible.



Four more regular treatments plus 5 boosts left and I'm done!

Anonymous

I went to see the RO yesterday just to make sure I wasn't getting an infection. I'd been wearing a soft cloth inside my bra and it was soaked thru when I removed it, and I thought there was some mild odor.



There is no infection, just dead skin. They told me to hold a damp cloth on it a few times a day to encourage that old dead skin to come off. They said with it there, its telling the body it's covered & doesn't need to produce new skin.

2tails

Thank you ladies for all of your advice & stories. Treatment #1 is today! One day 1 treatment at a time right? I have a question about services. All rads patients where I am being treated are eligible for free services at the cancer support center and my RO signed me up for massage therapy. I know in the real world where you pay the therapist it's customary to leave a tip...is it the same at a support center such as this? I know it's a silly question and really has no bearing on my treatment, but I don't want to be one of those patients that the therapists don't want to treat and run the other way and I also don't want to insult them. LOL!! I am not well versed in this kind of etiquette (you're lucky if I use the right fork at dinner). Best wishes ladies!!

dragomirova

2tails, I had day 1 today too!  How was yours, and how many are you in for?  Good luck!

Best to All

patriciahurtado

Hello my ladies .... I hope that your first treatment went smooth .... I did get 3 massages but she was a chatter box..... But very nice .... I just wanted to relax ..... I didn't leave her any tip... I didn't know if we should or shouldn't...... But it does help during treatment it wade once a week..... Well my skin is dark gray did my stretches every day slowly... But yesterday night it was so itchy but i didn't scratch at all this morning I woke up went fit treatment and nurse saw a small red spot ... So the Dr. Gave me sulfadine... To avoid infection ....



I'm 27/28 tomorrow ill be done ladies hang in there!!!

cindyr2u

Hi All:  I just joined the forum today and have a few questions.  But first a little about me.  I was diagnosed in Jan, 2013, had a mastectomy in March, 2013 finished chemo July 11 and started radiation two days ago. I've had minor diarrhea both days, which I understand is not uncommon when the abdomen is radiated, but for BC??? Has anyone experienced that?

My RO gave me some Miaderm samples today and said to start that right away, but reading an article on another topic, the md who wrote it said expensive creams and holistic creams don't do any more to help with "burns" than basically doing nothing.  Has anyone tried Miaderm or other creams for prevention of "burns"?

I wish all of you the best.

Cindy

Anonymous

I have a strip across my chest and just outside the armpit in the fat crease that has all the skin gone. I'm not a happy camper, but I know I'm going to turn the corner anytime now. I'm using Tylenol, Silvadine, and cooling gel pads, and I've been without a bra since Sunday.



Paula

dragomirova

Thanks Patricia and good luck tomorrow, so happy for you! What type of stretches do you do? They haven't told me about this at my center. Only day 1 and I think I feel some soreness and swelling- or is it just my imagination?

Best to all

dragomirova

Paula, sorry to ask as I am rather new here- how many rads do you have left? Best to you....