Summer 2015 Rads

klanders

Congrats, Alibeths!

Regarding lotions... I started day one applying miaderm alternated with pure aloe vera right after radiation and then two more times before bedtime. My appointments generally are at noon so I don't put anything on in the morning. I've just added the CVS aloe vera with lidocaine to the mixture because the area is getting sore. My skin is red with brown spots but no weepy areas/sores so that is good, I guess.

I got great news today... I think... I was bummed because my RO added 3 more days to my schedule. But I found out that today was my last full breast radiation and the next 8 times are boosts. I think that's good news, right? Are boosts harder than what I've done? I also jogged 2.25 miles today in 26 minutes. That time is pathetic, but I made it without ever stopping to walk. I ran track/cross country 30 years ago in high school but have done very little exercise in the past twenty years other than an occasional walk. When I started radiation I decided to try to get in shape. At first I couldn't stay at a jog for more than a minute. Today I decided to jog for 1 mile without stopping but instead kept going and made it past the 2 mile mark. I'm also trying to eat low carb/no sugar (which are my two favorite food groups) and I'm celebrating five days sugar free. This cancer is not going to define me, stop me, or be the end of me if I can help it. Just no one wave a donut in my face because as much as I'm feeling powerful and strong at the moment I am the worst junk food-aholic!

CAMommy

I am healing so much better now. More and more pink skin less and less pain. So happy. My raw area was very big. I am surprised by how big it got. Pleased to finally be on the healing side of this.

fltchr

Boosts were easier for me. The areas not in the boost field will start their healing. For me, my boosts area never got worse either. I had seven boosts

6doggies

klanders, boosts were fast and easy, thank God that I didn't have any real bad skin issues, but I was so happy when it was all over with! I finished on September 11 and my skin is dry but nothing really bad, I keep putting lotion on it a couple of times a day. A big congratulations on being able to jog the entire time and on your now 6th sugar free day? I was so happy to be able to do aerobic step without falling over it, once my neuropathy eased up. Those are little victories that I am always happy to have. When I finished radiation, a big fat chocolate donut was my gift to myself but since then, I've been a good girl!!

Zoritsa

klanders, I was bummed when I learned I had 25 whole breast and 8 boosts, as opposed to what I was originally told of 28 whole breast and 5 boosts.My MIL said the boosts for her were harder then the other. I'm so glad it worked out with the 25+8 boosts though. I don't seem to be tired like I did before, and now the rest of the breast is getting a MUCH needed break, and the part they are concentrating on, isn't bad at all. I am down to my last 4 treatments now.

I posted a few times in the August rads post, but noticing not many post there...so hope no one minds me posting all of a sudden here

CAMommy

I thought I was getting 16 and 4 boosts but apparently I got integrated boosts. I'm not sure if that was the last 4-5 days or it it was the whole time. All I know is rads was really hard on me. I am 13 days out and can say I feel pretty good, finally. I am still fatigued and am peeling and still have some open skin but it is 1000 times better than it was.

Alibeths

thanks!!! My armpit is in so much pain. Feel so irritated. Anyone else

Zoritsa

Yay Alibeths, congrats on being done! My armpit was on fire! The techs just kept telling me to put lotion (I should specify, aquafor and special care cream they give out) on it, but it stung when I did...so on Monday, the Dr. gave me some Aquasorb hydrogel dressings, and that seems to have made a world of difference! It doesn't burn and it feels cool when first applied. I used them two days in a row and I can now put lotion back on it without it stinging. The same thing happened under my breast as well, and the dressings helped there too.

KBeee

Alibeths, My armpit is very sore and purplish/black too. I still have over 2 weeks to go though, so it'll just get worse. Not blistered or peeling yet, though they tell me that's coming. Ack!

ORgal

Klanders, that is great, good job! I've been eating low carb for about a year now, it's tough and I sometimes cheat but get right back at it. Now I have hubby doing the same. Your pace is pretty close to mine when I ran 2 miles recently, slow but steady! You are out there doing it and that is the most important thing.

CAMommy

my arm pit hurt like a #$%%$ the day after I finished rads. It hurt for a good 10 days. It only hurts in one spot now under my arm. I found nothing helped but advil. But then if I moved it hurt again. Ugh. It was agony. But it does eventually get better.

Keys-Plez

My armpit is very sensitive right now too. I was going to PT but told her Monday that I was taking a week off. No more upper body exercises except some gentle stretch. I still swear by the CVS Aftersun aloe gel with lidocaine. That's the blue stuff. My techs recommended it from day one. The aloe helps heal and the lidocaine really takes out the stinging. I also powder up with cornstarch in the armpit.

26 down. 2 to go. Ringing the bell on Friday.

klanders

Welcome Zoritsa! Yay - you've almost made it!!! First boost yesterday was hard on me. 30 seconds in three different areas for a total of 90 seconds. I have two active areas of cancer that they are trying to zap the snot out of. The actual procedure wasn't bad, but I was warned that because of where one of the cancerous lymph nodes is (under pectoral muscle) that they would be radiating through the nerves that go to arm/hand. I already have a little bit of lymphedema swelling in that arm and neuropathy in that hand. Yesterday I noticed already that the arm/hand tingling was worse and I had a bad night with pain along that whole arm. I used to to sleep on my left side. Now I'm trying to sleep on my back because it hurts too much to lie on that side. Worse case scenario is that long term this particular treatment that I'm receiving can cause left hand/arm paralysis... and of course I'm left handed. Just need to get through 7 more days. We can do this... yes we can. :-)

queenmomcat

Klanders: deepest sympathy from another leftie, with a left-side cancer. My rads field isn't that deep, that I'm aware of, but definitely finding what minimal impingement I do have to be annoying.

Alibeths

UGH. It's so bad!!

Midgiemoon

I finished radiation on 8/21 and had my follow up today. My original RO has moved on, so I saw his replacement. He was very nice, thought my skin looked great after all of the burns healed. He will see me again in 6 months. The best thing was that He talked about long term skin care, like wearing sun screen and keeping my chest covered. He also wants me to maintain my range of motion on the surgical side by stretching and doing yoga. He doesn't want me lifting weights just yet (I didn't tell him I already am!) . Even though I knew this already, I really appreciated his sincerity.

So that ends my cancer summer camp!

Tomorrow I start tamoxifen....

Much love from Maryland, the Land of Pleasant living...

CAMommy

I have itching, oh so much itching on the new skin. Almost all my burns are healed, all the open ones are I just have some dry crunchy skin left that hasn't fallen off. I'm not peeling as much and only have a little pain in the dry crunchy spots. But the itching. Oh my. And the sharp needle like pains that are nerves waking up and healing. 16 days out today and so much better. Still fatigue easily though. Hope that gets better soon. But it could also be because I just moved from a very dry climate to an oh my god am I wearing the air humid climate.

meezers3

what works best for the burns? I have 2% lidocaine gel for the pain, an aloe gel for the burning, hydrocortisone cream for the itching, and aquaphor. I also have lubriderm that I use sometimes instead of the aquaphor.

Letting the burned skin get air helps a lot, so I sometimes skip the aquaphor.

So glad it's Friday and I am getting a break from being burned! Monday will be my last day, and I start my boosts on Tuesday.

Keys-Plez

meezer...My RO gave me Silver...something. It's a prescription. She said to apply it to the open areas. Do not wash or wipe it off. Just let it wear off and as it does, reapply over the old stuff. I haven't tried it yet, because you can't use it on radiation days. And I have one more day. I'll start using it this weekend. Call your RO today and get some so you can use it over the weekend. I'll see if I can find the name. I don't have it here with me at work.

Keys-Plez

Don't you just love it when your friends say, "Oh, you're all done with radiation. So you're finished now." Don't you just want to smack 'em?

littleblueflowers

Uh huh. I've started prophylacticly smacking people already. It makes me feel better.

bluefin

I'm just about done myself. I did 25 treatments to chest wall + regional nodes and had boost 3 of 5 today. I'm done on Tuesday. So far my "worst" area has been around my collar bone for the supraclavical nodes, most likely due to previous sun damage to that area. It's red and itchy, but no skin break down. I just started getting some redness/irritation under my armpit a couple of days ago as well as under my TE. It seems the beam skimmed these areas when they were treating my chest wall. I have some redness on my upper back where the beam came through my collarbone area.

The incision looks mostly good with the 3 boosts so far. I have one small square of peeling mostly because they used stickers on me to track the dose at the skin level and when they took the sticker off, off came some skin. Whoops. I'm completely numb in that area so I can't feel anything. The skin looks a little brown, so that will likely continue to peel. Overall, I think my PS will be pleased.

Feeling some muscle soreness in the irradiated areas as well.

I feel like I have been fortunate to have relatively mild skin reactions. We'll see how the skin looks over the next week (as the techs said the areas can continue to get red and look worse up to 2 weeks after treatment ends), but so far it's not awful for me. I don't wear a bra with the TEs and I think that has helped some since there's no constant rubbing against any of the areas.

I have been using Miaderm 4x a day with Aquaphor at night. About a week ago I was prescribed a steroid cream for itching, and I apply that as needed.

Keys-Plez

lbf....ROTFLMAO

So where do we go from here? I'm getting anxious just thinking about that. I mean, I still have to start work with the MO, but I think he's gonna just give me a 'script and kick me to the curb. I'm still scared, but now for a different reason.

meezers3

Keys thanks for telling me about the silverdine. I wasn't able to ask them today. My appointment is at 8 in the morning. No way to get back there now for some silverdine today. The techs were telling me today I'm lucky the skin hasn't cracked open yet. Maybe that's why they haven't given me any silverdine yet? I see the nurse and doctor on Monday, which will be my last "burn zap". I start boosts on Tuesday! Spent most of the day in bed with my arm up and the ceiling fan blowing on my burns. No work today...clothing is just too painful.

You must be so excited to be done today!! Congratulations!!!

fltchr

CAMommy - your humidity FL comment gave me a chuckle! You are so right! And you weren't even here for the worst part of the summer. I'd say you'll get used to it, but I don't think it's possible. It's just hot and humid here!

Keys-plea - I definitely want to smack people. Evidently we just miraculously feel all better the day after we finish rads. I've also had a hard time with the what now. I'm feeling now is the time to wrap my head around the mental game. Up to now it's been about fighting and getting rid of it. Now it's about finding a place to put your thoughts and not having it be at the front of your mind. Finding a way not to worry.

queenmomcat

Bracing myself for the "you're done with treatment now that you've finished rads, right?" comments. How to deal with it? Sigh.

littleblueflowers

like keys said-smack them! Preferably before they say anything!

AndreaC

Hey all!

I finished rads on Thursday - yay me!! My skin is burnt looking and my armpit is the worst, peeling etc. But it's really not that sore. I am being a good patient and slathering on the lotion, and applying flamazine to the underarm. No blisters which is good.

DH and I are off to Ottawa on Monday to visit our son. I can't wait! It's hard having him so far away. We are going to Oktoberfest with him...mmm...German food and beer! Time to celebrate the end of treatment! Except for tamoxifen.

Have a great weekend!

Andrea

ksusan

Yay, Andrea!

Keys-Plez

fltchr....I noticed you're ILC also. I'd be interested in hearing what your docs have told you about ILC vs IDC. They detected my ILC after the path report from my lumpectomy for IDC.

Now that we're not in treatment anymore, who's watching our backs (or fronts) now? I know I should be happy...and I am, but I also kinda feel like I've been kicked to the curb. Sorry for being a downer.