Winter rads 2014-2015

CoyoteNV

dacre - Do you have an attorney?  That might be another individual to take to meetings with the "wicked wench." I loved the wench comment.

ForHisGlory

14 more to go...I can do this! 6 more entire breast and then 8 bolus to the tumor area. My skin is so itchy and I have a rash. I'm using hydrocortisone cream and aquaphor daily after my rads treatment in the afternoon and at bedtime. I am starting to have tired spells...hoping it's more related to the weather than fatigue setting in. Spent Saturday just resting up and hubby and I decided to watch a movie. Can I say that every movie had someone dying or suffering from breast cancer?? We just happened on a Christmas movie and of course the mom has breast cancer return and dies at the end of the movie. Really??? Oh well....I guess it's a cancer that Hollywood likes to use because I have found it in a ton of movies and tv shows since I started this journey.

I finish January 30th and have tickets to go to Florida with my family February 1st. Really hoping I feel good enough too and that my treatments all happen as scheduled.

An amazing group of warriors on here and I read all the posts! Can't believe some of the stuff we sea with but we are strong and I ove a the sister support

Saltygirl

So the first treatment is done. I hated every second. I cried lying on the table. I'm feeling like I made a mistake. And now my right arm feels fatigued. Is that possible after 1 treatment??? Im just so over all of the cancer crap.

CAS4

dacre I too hate your boss!!

Beachbum1023

Hi Saltygirl, I hate everything about cancer too! I'm sure everyone here does also. It is overwhelming, but it is worth it, we deserve to have our life back. Your arm may be fatigued from the position perhaps? I know my arm is not all together back from my mastectomy and feels tired from the exercise rehab.

You have come so far, one more step, and keep on fighting! I hope you feel better.

Pita119

Dacre,

I think I'd get the department of labor involved as well...I can't believe your boss is such an insensitive bitch.

Saltygirl

Thanks Beachbum1023... I just feel so emotionally and physically drained. Like I have nothing in the tank to keep myself even halfway positive during the RADS. I used it all up in chemo and dealing with the mastectomy. It's been almost 8 months since my diagnosis. This feels like it's never going to end. The worst part about it is that I don't think it ever does. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day

WndrWoman

ForHisGlory Getting closer. Remember about protecting yourself from the sun. SPF30, tshirts over bathing suit. Ask your center if they haven't already told you. And enjoy the natural warmth!

WndrWoman

Saltygirl - I only had a lumpectomy but I did get cramping in my back and shoulder during sim. Now I do some shoulder rolls and stretches before each session and have little trouble. When it is all new, I found I was tensing my muscles like at the dentist. Now I am more relaxed because I know what to expect. Friday the routine changed with new center owner and I found myself tensing again. If you continue to ave pain, you could see a physical therapist or massage specialist possibly.

eileenpg

Saltygirl= You can DO IT!!!! This is what we have to do. Stay strong and tough!!!  Think of radiation as "another opportunity to excel" This is what my BF told me before evething I did. Good luck You go girl!!

CAS4

Salty girl I only had a lumpectomy and I had cramping too - at first for a week I figured I had pulled a muscle severely- I could barely turn my neck and was pounding Advil and cold packs. My oncol said she had never heard this complaint- they tend to always say that- odd bc many of the women going thru rad with me had similar complaints. Today was ur first, you might have been tense, we all were. After a week I went to see a chiro I know that does PT- he immediately started doing deep tissue massages and using tens machine 4 days a week. I don't think i could have endured that pain much longer. He said he has a patient whom is a Breast oncologist that underwent treatment herself 10 years ago that he sees 2x a week. For some folks as the radiation goes through your body it damages the scapula, lat, and other muscles in that area. It's another reason stretching and exercise are so important. I wouldn't have made it thru rad without the physical therapy, period. I also began to grind my jaw in my sleep. Dentists wanted to give me Flexeril but i didnt want to be more R constipated than I was. I've spoken with oncologists I know outside of MDA and they have said these are normal occurrences-

Nomatterwhat

Saltygirl, It really does end!!!  Each day I kept telling myself that I was one day closer to the end and before I knew it, it did end!!!!!  You can do it!! 

Darce, If you don't get any satisfaction tomorrow, I think I would call the ADA. 

ForHisGlory, I am so jealous you get to go to Florida.  Where are you going?  My husband and I went to Key West last year.  I can't wait to go back, someday. 

JustJean

Saltygirl - if you read my posts (my whines, my gripes, my emotional breakdown, lol) you will see that I was right where you are at one point. I have 6 more to go and I hate it just as much today as I did when I started, but dammit I'm going to finish it and you can too.

I also had some arm pain the first night but I think it was because I was SO tense (they had to help me bring my arms back down when the treatment was done because I couldn't move them!) and a couple of Advil and a day or two really helped. And I increased my stretches before I go to the center.

For some lucky women, the nightmare ends. For some of the rest of us, seems like it never does. After nine years of this I am tired of having to deal with it ALL THE TIME. That's my one rant of the night. I'm so tired of dealing with this. I deal, though, because i want to live as well and as long as I can. But I'm going to gripe about it, for sure. I gave myself permission, lol!

Anyway - you just do whatever you need to do to get through. For me that was/is withdrawing into myself, taking my mind away, getting on the table and get the treatment, and grab my clothes and leave as fast as I can (and with my increasing fatigue, that's not fast).

Oh, and at day two I had some warmth in the underarm area of the side they treated. That went away. Now I have pain and tenderness, partially red and partially fried skin. Keep slathering on the cream, whichever you use. You won't be sorry you did!

JJ

PoppyK

ForHisGlory, Glad to see you post.

Saltygirl, Lots of us cried in the beginning... or longer. For me, it's just one more thing that I have to do to kick cancer's a$$. I am so irritated with this lost year. I injured my knee in 12/2013, then just when I could walk again, breast cancer(surgery, chemo and now rads). Hang in there! We are all with you through this. As someone recommended to me, I go in there with something to think about.... a shopping list, the week's plans.... almost anything. I was sore the first few times because I couldn't relax completely. Now, I have the relaxing part down and don't feel sore from the positioning. It should get easier.

Cath57

joining in, screaming loud! What a b&@#h!

Nomatterwhat

JustJean, hang in there, you are almost done.  HOORAY!!!!!  You can gripe all you want, we are here for you. 

CeciliaAnn

Hello all, I finished my 15 sessions four days ago and thought it might help others if I added a few observations from my experience.

1. Ask careful questions about the creams your Centre recommends. I was initially given a cream which contained lanolin (my skin can't tolerate lanolin - not uncommon) and it brought me up in a rash straight away. When I raised it with the nurse next day she said "oh yeah, we get a lot of that", which led me to query why they give out a cream which causes reactions in so many patients! I was given Epiderm instead, but preferred XClair (which is a specific Radiation Dermatitis product - I had to buy it myself though.). It's partly my own fault for not checking the ingredients of the first cream I was given, but you have so much to think about in that first appointment it would have been nice if they'd asked me about my skin at the outset. Emu Oil containing an extract of lavender, applied at night, has been very soothing and moisturising.

2. A small dose of antihistamine helps ease the discomfort if your skin reacts. Once again it would have been helpful to be told this at the outset; the nurse did not mention it to me until session 6, however!

3. Exercise - even if it's the last thing you feel like doing - really does help with the fatigue. I got to the gym most days and felt immediately better for it; on the days I couldn't go, I felt sluggish.

4. I was absolutely craving high-protein food, and I didn't fight it. Normally I rarely eat meat, but for that two weeks I was a hell of a carnivore.

5. There's a lot of informal support to be found and given in the waiting rooms of these places. Everyone's tired, scared and fed up but people really do make time to be kind to one another, much like this forum.

I wish a good outcome to everyone reading this. Best wishes for a brighter New Year.

Sjacobs146

can anyone tell me what happens at the planning appointment? Mine is on Friday

WndrWoman

Sjacobs It may vary from place to place. My initial appointment was with the RO going over everything. My second appointment was taking images and marking me up with purple markers, some with plastic circles over them and a CT scan. The third appointment had more imaging and the tattoos applied. The fourth appointment was the simulation which does all the positioning without the radiation zap. Once we got to the daily treatments everything went a lot faster. That second appointment was a lot longer than I imagined and my arms ached. You might want to ask how long they expect it to take so you will be prepared.

WndrWoman

JustJean you have been through so much. Plan a little reward for yourself when you finish radiation. You deserve it.

Cecilia Ann Thanks for your tips. Someone else mentioned lavender as soothing. I have had to buy all my creams but hopefully they are making a difference. It has been so cold I have not wanted to walk and have avoided the gym as a potentially germ - filled place. Must get going.

dacre

So off to the Radiologist appt.  My union rep will be here for my "meeting" today.  When I had my last chemo treatment 12/29/14 the nurses gave me a water bottle filled with candy.  The bottle says "I survived the Chemo Room @ UHO".....I think I need a shirt that says "I didn't survive the B*****  I work for"!!!!  Anyway, my oncologist called me last night.....yes...last night around 6:30 pm....she is taking me out of work until April.  She thinks this work situation is ridiculous also.  So hopefully I will be able to pick up the paperwork from her office today and bring it to HR tomorrow and then just be able to focus on wellness and happy thoughts!!!  Have a great day everyone!!!

Gongshow16

as a few have mentioned- exercise is key!!! I continued my stretches from the surgery and I am glad I did - it has really helped. One that I have found really good is the 'butterfly': lay down as though you are about to do a crunch( hands behind your head, elbows out) push your elbows as close to the floor as you can, hold briefly and then bring up to your head- repeat! I just did these while doing my crunches- 2 birds 1 stone!!

My arm was stiff and heavy during rads- happened early on- but the stretches really helped and after a week or so of finishing- it's much better.

Salty girl: you can do it! Everyday is one step closer to finishing. A great book I used throughout this shit show is called The Silver Lining by Hollye Jacobs. There is also a website that has loads of info and motivational posts!

As for that bitchy boss- she'll find out that karma is a real bitch...she's really a nasty piece of work - you have the support of your Union though so that's good! Look after yourself! :-

CoyoteNV

dacre - With luck, she'll be gone when you return in April.  I'm glad that you are able to do that. 

CeliaAnn - Thank you for joining in with such good hints. The antihistamine idea is interesting.  Does that help the itching situation?

Gongshow - That butterfly stretch is really effective! I just tried it.

dacre

Radiation treatments begin January 20th!!!!  I  probably shouldn't be soo excited....but the sooner it starts the sooner it's finished!! 

WndrWoman

Good news, dacre. You can now focus on your health.

CeciliaAnn

Hello CoyoteNV, yes, a Piriton tablet seems to take the heat out of the itching, and lasts for a good few hours. It can help you sleep too, as a temporary thing.

I don't think it's been quite as cold over here in Europe as you've had it in the States, Gongshow, so it's been easier for me to face going to the gym - but on one or two days when I've needed something more low-key, I find Rodney Yee's Yoga DVDs really helpful. He does all levels, and there is a Meditation and Relaxation one I'm also very keen on. We need to take help wherever we can find it!

All the best.

Hope50

Hello fellow warriors,

Dacre I and many others on here would like to be in that meeting.  What a witch!!  I will be thinking about you.

I finished my rads on December 23.  I am very happy about that.  I was put on Anastrozole (sp) the first of December.  I have had very severe back pain.   I called my oncologist and she has taken me off it for a couple weeks to see if the back issues was from rads or from the meds or what.  My skin is looking better.  I hate having the scar in the middle of my chest but grateful to have what I do have.  I have been feeling very, very down lately and I can't seem to knock it very well.  I was so excited to have chemo done, rads done and now just waiting for follow up appointments and tests.  I think the emotional part has just now caught up with me.  Anyone else experience this?   Going through everything was so focused on all the appointments, labs, SE's, etc. that pushed all mental/emotional stuff down.  Well now that all that is over, it has resurfaced with an ugly force.  It's been gloomy outside and that doesn't help.  I still get tired but not as bad as it had been.  I do not have much of an appetite at all and that has been going on for several weeks.  At least things don't taste like cardboard and metal anymore.

Just wondering if anyone else has been hit hard by the "blues" following all this?

No one else seems to understand things like the people on here.  Everyone seems to think once your treatment is over, you are 100%.  Well for me at least that has not been the case. 

Thank you all for going through this journey with me.

Hope50

Does anyone have any good suggestions on some books to read?  I have real trouble sleeping many nights and am looking for some ideas and thought I would ask you guys.

Sjacobs146

Hope50 here are some that I've read recently:

Gone Girl

Orange is the New Black

The Goldfinch

The Light Between Oceans

If you like historical fiction, try The Aviator's Wife (Anne Morrow Lindburg) or The Paris Wife (Hemingway's first wife

eileenpg

Hope50; Me before you.  by Jo Jo Moyes Slightly depressing.

               Unbroken

                The Lost King of France= Porbably the best book I ever read

                The Kitchen Boy

   

                I can give you a list of super depressing books. That is what I seem to read. If you want that list just ask me.

Sorry you are so down. I hope you feel better soon. Glad you are done with treatment. We started together in August chemo. I have 22 rads left to go.