Spring 2016 Rads

Grazy

Good morning, re fatigue, I had one day about two weeks in where I had gardened all day and *boom* that night my head felt like lead - a fatigue I had never felt before, it was really disconcerting. Went to bed, slept like a log (I never sleep like a log), felt a little worn out the next day and laid low, but I was quite functional, and that was it for real tiredness. I would say I'm marginally tired now going into my fourth week, but it's about a 2 on a scale of 1-10, so not an issue.

PlanB, I had my first boost yesterday - the set up procedure felt exactly the same as with a regular treatment; at the conclusion of positioning my body, they added what they called a "cone" to the part of the machine that swings overhead (sort of a rectangular piece of equipment that slid into place where the radiation is dispensed) and brought it down very close to my breast (where the tumor was). The machine was stationary so no more swinging overhead, and the radiation was delivered directly to the "tumor bed" and nowhere else. Took exactly 45 seconds. Easy! Four more to go and I whack the gong. I'm very excited to be finishing up and getting on with life. (With an AI and Zometa, of course - a new normal, right?!) I might have to post a picture of this hilarious gong on Friday after my final treatment. (Why can't they have a bell to ring like normal cancer center?? )

Ingerp

Thanks all for the responses. We'll see how today goes. I guess it'll be one thing if this happens occasionally but I'm hoping it's not an everyday occurrence for the next few weeks. Funny--one friend asked a week or two ago how my sleep is and it occurred to me I hadn't woken up for quite a while (most nights I'm up for at least a bit). And I think I slept 10 hours last night. Ugh.

Grazy hooray for being in the final stage!! I told y'all I'll have my boost sim tomorrow, and should start boosts a week from tomorrow. If I don't sleep through it. . . ;-)

pinkwarrior62

I started radiation on May 5th (after many unexpected things happening) This was 5 months from being diagnosed with Breast Cancer (Stage 1 Lobular Carcinoma In Situ). I had the usual things:

• stereotactic needle biopsy
• lumpectomy
• sentinel lymph node biopsy and to get clean margins

Then the "fun" started:

• My incision came open and I had to have another surgery to close it.
• Wore drainage tube for weeks
• Developed horrible itchy rash from surgical tape. Had to take Prednisone and more antibiotics. Once the glue came off, then incision came open again!
• Month of trying to pack the wound (still taking antibiotics)
• Got sent to Wound Care Center and they put me on a wound vac for a month (great invention ever!)
• Day after get wound vac off, I developed cellulitis and had to be hospitalized for 4 days and on IV Antibiotics

A week after that I FINALLY got to start Radiation, One week in I started developing fever again and my breast was still red from cellulitis, so I went back to the hospital for 3 days and after meeting with several specialists, including the CDC, they didn't think I had Cellulitis again but was burned from the rads. They took me off both antibiotics I was on and had been on for about 3 months. I developed nausea right away and felt sick after treatment everyday. Talked to Oncologist and she gave me Zofran and I was still having random fevers, so she told me take Tylenol as well. This worked great.

I'm now in my 5th week of Rads and I've developed diarrhea. I can't find anywhere where people have reported this but I know it can't be a coincidence. My breast is blood red and my scars are so sore. June 15th is my last day and I'm really not sure what to expect after this. I know I will be taking Arimidex for 5 years and don't much about it. I hope my life will start to resemble something normal. I have maintained a positive attitude through all of this and I thank God everyday for his mercy. I have found many silver linings from all of this:

• I'm alot stronger than I imagined
• I am faithful
• I have great friends and family
• I appreciate things more than ever

I look forward to reading these posts, because I'm really looking forward to reading the "after" parts

Grazy

Good grief, pinkwarrior!!! You've been through the mill, haven't you. I'm glad to see you've got great family and friend support. I'm impressed you've been able to maintain a positive attitude throughout - you're a strong woman!!! I haven't experienced any of the things you've had to endure, but maybe somebody on here can relate and offer up some wise words. Sending you a hug. at any rate

ladsgma

Well I passed a milestone today, done with whole breast rads. The skin is not holding up real well, neck burn and red breast and super red where the incision is. I am starting boosts tomorrow and RO said they will be radiating the chest wall so there should be not much more skin exposure. That made me happy. There will come a day I no longer need to put on all these various creams and expose myself daily. I'm not sure if we have a bell to ring but I did buy myself a tiara to wear on the last day. Good luck with treatments everyone, I can see the light!

Ingerp

Great news, lads!! Just five boosts? The end is in sight!! (And sorry about the rough skin. How many whole breast did you have?

kbutler

goodness pinkwarrior you have been through the mill. Hope you are on the mend now. You are right you find out you have much more strength than you ever thought possible and God iswith you through it all even when we don't see it.

Grazy

ladsgma - well, I think you're just going to have post a pic of yourself wearing that tiara on your final day for us all to see!!! Love it. )

PlanB58

My job today at school! It's silver glitter! Also did other Charlotte 's Web words but this of course was my favorite!


Ladsgma- a tiara would be lovely! No bell or gong at my place either!


Grazy- good to know about the boosts yay for you to be so close!


Pink warrior- Wow what an ordeal! I hope Rads are very smooth for you!


Doc day today. Nurse and I decided I look like half of me went to a topless beach!


Shine on!

gardengypsy

Grazy~

I am so worried about not being able to garden while doing radiation - I start next week.

The garden is my church, my mediation center, my art gallery and my therapy.

Did that only happen to you once?

~gardengypsy

gardengypsy

pink warrior~

I hope you are getting the best medical treatment possible. It is good to hear that you have support.

If you feel comfortable telling me....how did your stitches come open? I just had my expander removed and am 1.5 weeks out from that. It was an easier surgery than the mastectomy, but my beautifully healing scar was opened back up.

~gardengypsy

gardengypsy

Everyone~

Does the skin left from a mastectomy tighten up during radiation?

I just had my expander removed. The PS left more skin than I'd like, but he said it would tighten up during rads

Your thoughts?

~gardengypsy

gardengypsy

---

southern skies~

How did you make out with the treatment, office and bra dilemma?

If it was winter, it'd be a lot easier to cover up my headlights. Lol.

~gardengupsy

Grazy

gardengypsy - it only happened that one time where I was absolutely whacked. I've learned to dial it back a bit, do a little each day and stop working before I feel tired. I know now that I have to dial it back, but I don't like it because I absolutely love working in the gardens for hours on end. I find that I can't tolerate the heat or hot sun this week, so I think rads may be catching up with me (Week 4). I try to work in spurts now and drinks loads of water during frequent breaks. I also need to remember not to work in the afternoon when the sun is so hot. My younger daughter's prom is this Friday so I've been pushing myself getting the backyard looking nice for prom pics - self-inflicted pressure I'm sure you'll do fine, too; just take it easy.

PlanB - love the silver glittery Radiant!!

gardengypsy

Grazy~

Sounds like pacing ourselves is another "new normal." You mean there won't be 8 hour days of shoveling out wheelbarrows full of compost? I was wondering about the sun. My friends have offered to buy me headlamps for night time gardening!

I am in northern Vermont,a couple miles from the Canadian border. Zone 4. Not that much time in a gardening year. I just really want to get everything planted before the rads exhaustion sets in. My daughter is helping.

Happy prom!

~gardengypsy

Bliss58

Gardengypsy, I've had MX, no recon, and I've had some chest tightness. Not sure if it's skin or scar tissue, muscles? I finished 16 of 25 treatments today. My nurse recommended early on to continue doing MX exercises to stay loose and it's working for me, but the BS made me flat so not lots of skin.

gardengypsy

Thanks, bjsmiller~

Does the skin itself look tighter?

Paxton29

I think I'm seeing my first side effect--what look like freckles/spots on my chest. Anyone else? A few spots are red but those look like my normal benign angiomas, of which I have had plenty for years.

Artista928

14 of 28 down. It's pretty red as lobster. Using Miaderm as directed. Not dry or peeling, just red. Am concerned about another 14 to go when it's red like this. Anyone take a break or do you just keep going as long as no pain?

Ingerp

Quick note to Grazy and gardengypsy--please plan a trip to Central Virginia pronto. My gardens will take all the help they can get. ;-)

Grazy

Paxton - I have a couple tiny red bumps on the periphery of my radiated area which I assume are a result of rads. Even though I'm doing only boosts now, I have noticed that the area where lymph nodes were removed is a splotchy light red - the techs did tell me that the pink would continue to deepen for about a week after whole breast rads ended - I feel like a chicken continuing to cook on the cutting board after it's removed from the oven.

Artista - I hope your skin doesn't get too much worse. I bet you're one who really enjoys your weekend breaks! I doubt they would give longer breaks unless you have serious skin issues, but others could speak to that.

Ingerp - your comment made me laugh! Honestly, gardening is what calms me - getting my hands into beautiful soil, tending to my shrubs and flowers is very zen for me; it's also great exercise! (and then I pour a lovely chilled glass of Pinot Grigio, sit back and enjoy the beauty -- there's that part of the process, too! lol).

Wishing everyone a "radiant day"!!

#RadiateTHIS

Artista928

Redness has gone down overnight but had to pop a Norco as was getting weird stabbing like pains and had to sleep. I rarely pain pills. I still have a pretty full bottle of Norco from my sx last Aug.

rrgoods

Paxton29,

I started noticing blotches and freckle-like spots during the middle of my treatment. The techs were having a hard time finding my tatoos and got out the famous black sharpie. Both the Techs and the RO said the blotches are normal and will disappear in time. Just finished today with my last booster and am pumped! Will be expecting more blotchiness, redness and itchiness from the boosters but thanks to the Aloe Vera plant I bought and the Mepilex I do not expect too much discomfort. Hang in there! The end is in sight!

Bliss58

Gardengypsy, no my skin doesn't look or feel tighter, but then I am already flat. My tightness feels more like muscles tightening.

I am getting much redder now, but mostly under my arm. I don't have any pain or discomfort and I'm not peeling or blistering. My daughter is out of school this Friday and we always take a couple days off the following week to do something fun, so I'm taking a couple days break. I reminded the RO about it and he said that's probably good timing since I'm starting to get so red. I haven't see any blotches or spots though. Edited to say: 16 down, 9 to go!

iammags

Wow! I take a couple of days off and things get exciting around here

pinkwarrior- you have named yourself well. What a war you've been through. I can't imagine. Good luck with the rest of your journey.

gardengypsy- you should be able to do whatever you feel like doing during rads. When you feel tired, take a break. I know that I had to take several naps during my tx, and I'm not a big nap gal. I'm about a week out of rads now and still my legs feel so heavy. But, it's getting better everyday.

Grazy- I love to garden, too.

I'm on my 3rd day of Tamoxifen now and so far, knock on wood, no SE's. I'm still very red from rads but the blisters have healed and I'm less fatigued. I see my BS tomorrow, my MO in July, and then, well, hopefully not much. I'm so thankful to have all of you lovely ladies to commiserate with but I'd also like to see a day that I don't think of bc all of the time. Sigh...

#RadiatedThis! tee hee #AllAboardTheTTrain!# woot

Lovinggrouches

tomorrow is 3 weeks post rads, the brown ugliness is looking better and skin is peeling away from sentinel biopsy site with normal looking skin underneath. Itching is lots better. Only downer is that about 1 1/2 weeks ago or so, I developed cording. It wasn't painful at first ,but it is a little bit now I'm taking anti inflammatory and doing stretching exercises and hoping it doesn't get worse. It definitely starts at my sentinel lymph node site into my armpit and upper arm. I figure the rads made it get inflamed and pop out. You can see it in the mirror without feeling now. Hope all are doing well with rads and congrats to those finishing up. I'm finally feeling more normal without ten thousand appointments, but now going for hysterectomy next week, so working overtime to get stuff ready for consultant coming in to take my place for 6 weeks. Ill be stir crazy, so hopefully ill be able to keep up with everyone and join the 'T' train soon!!

Sheri64

Dr. gave me silverdean for my rad burns today anyone else use cream? Did it help quickly I am in a lot of pain under my arm and breast. Only 6 more boosts to go.

Grazy

iammags - nice to see you pop back in today!! I haven't check into the Lumpectomy Lounge for quite a while and, holy cow, there are about a thousand posts to catch up on. Amazing what you miss when you're 'gone' for a while. Can't even begin to think about posting anything there on the Lounge, I'm so far behind everybody! This thread is a little more manageable, hahaa! Glad you're livin' life. Good luck with your Tamoxifen! I'm over on the AI board and comparing notes with those gals.

LG - you've had so many niggly issues, ugh. I bet you'll be so glad to that hysterectomy over with! You do so well to keep a great sense of humor throughout, even when you're down. Humor can definitely keep us sane!

Sheri - I completed 19 of 21 today and just yesterday I developed a splotchy red spot in the lymph node removal area -- it really doesn't bother me much, stings a wee bit now and then, but otherwise I don't notice it much. Even after telling my RO that, she said I might want to apply a cream to that area now (I haven't used anything to date, at her direction) and she said if the skin opens (cracks a bit) to use Polysporin. She mentioned that even though I'm finished up in two days, the skin will still continue to "react" for another week or two. She gave me some Glaxal Base cream by Wellspring - it's lovely and thick, and non-greasy. My breast overall is still just a very, very light pink so I don't feel as though I need to treat it, but I will - why not.

She also said to stay out of the sun for the next couple of weeks, no sunscreen to the radiated area during that time, and to minimize my time in the sun for the next three months - so, in other words, I'll be hanging out under an umbrella all summer. Blah. I joked -- so museums and cathedrals this summer, no beach? I wonder if any of the rest of you got or will get similar advice, or if my RO is just overly cautious.

Lovinggrouches

Grazy, my RO just said no v neck shirts and keep sun off of chest for a year!!! Overkill maybe? Then again- don't want to suffer and say "well he DID warn me!" LOL!!!!!!

Grazy

LG, I guess the radiated skin will just be too sensitive to have sun beating on it. My RO wants me to wear UV protection shirts if I'm at the beach. I think my kids wore those when they were toddlers. I will be very careful (of course) this summer - really, 2016 is just going to be a different kind of year.