Spring 2016 Rads

Hootowl

It's encouraging everyone seems to be doing better.

Cbowle--Your picture is great. So glad you had a good time and a break.

Lovestofly--you have turned the corner, hope you do well with the tamoxifen.

Carlsoda--My boosts were way easier on the skin that the whole breast radiation so you should do well.

I have been finished with rads for about 12 days. Healing well. I just look a little tanner. I've been on the arimidex for almost 3 months with no side effects until last week. Now I have hip pain. Guess I'll be with the Arimidex community for awhile now. I'm trying to find out more about taking Claritin for joint pain from the arimidex and about how to get my insurance to pay for a compression sleeve to prevent lymphedema when flying. Seems like it's always something.Best to all.

Truffles1214

Hello all! I'm 4 days post rads and not feeling great. My RO told me that my skin would continue to react for a week or two post rads, so I'm not surprised, but I'm not happy. My breast is still very red. I'm peeling like mad! It's so bad I don't even want to put on lotion. All the dead skin ends up coming off in my hands. I know, gross! I'm scared putting on lotion may make it worse. My underarm is peeling as well. It is a combination of red and purple. Very sore as well. My last day was Monday and my techs said they didn't think I looked that bad. In fact, although red, they thought my skin held up fairly well. I saw my PS on Wednesday and he didn't seem concerned either. He said it looked as he would expect it to look. I guess I'll just wait it out? Did anyone continue to use lotions and creams while peeling?

LTF - I'm so happy to hear you are doing better! I'll be joining you with Tamoxifen soon!

cbowle - I love the picture! I'm so glad you were able to enjoy your break from rads. How many more?

tbalding - How is your skin holding up?

It's great to hear how everyone is finishing up and healing!

tbalding

truffles, my nipple is peeling. Outer edges & underarm have turned brown and feel kind of leathery, but not peeling yet. (Keep expecting it) Boost area still red. I keep putting on the lotion even on the nipple (which sometimes peels on me). I've heard others talk about being scaly but not sure if they kept putting on lotion. I'm still tired, but not sure if it's still from rads, or tamoxifen. Other than that, I feel good.

mltdd

truffles -- I continued to put lotion on. I used a hand towel first to gently wipe of as much dead skin as possible. I had dead skin every where..the shower, bed, bathroom floor, etc. I was done with the major peeling in about a week.

Truffles1214

Thank you tbalding and mltdd. I'll keep on applying the lotion despite the dead skin and peeling. I'm feeling pretty worn out as well. My RO said I should notice an increase in my energy within a month or so. I'm not on Tamoxifen yet, so I'm sure it's the rads. Thanks again for your replies! I'm not sure what I would do without this forum!

fightergirl711

I just started rads, I've completed 6/28 on my left breast and axilla. Has anyone here had radiation in the left breast and did not do the deep inspiration breath hold? From what I read this is pretty common, and yet when I asked my RO he said that my heart isn't affected. I saw the imaging and indeed my heart isn't close, but there has to be residual radiation occurring. I just find it unsettling that I'm not holding my breath. Posting on the summer rads board too...

kbutler

fighter girl I was a lefty and didn't have to do the breath hold. I was concerned at first also but RO told me they are so precise at angling the rads now that they can miss the heart and lungs. Hooe all goes well for you. I finished May 19 withjust some redness no major SE's

Carlsoda

fighter girl, I am also a lefty with no breath/hold. I googled it because I didn't trust my RO and only about 30% of lefties qualify for it. My tumor was not anywhere close to my chest wall and I saw the treatment plan and nothing near my heart so I need to trust the expert! As you do too

8 treatments left and I have never been so tired in my life....except when I had newborn babies eating every 2 hours

fightergirl711

Thanks Carlsoda and kbutler, it's reassuring to hear. I had such a rollercoaster when I was first diagnosed (misdiagnosed) that I don't trust anything the first time around. I didn't know that only 30% of lefties qualify. I'm getting my collarbone zapped too, just that whole area makes me nervous. It is skimming my lung slightly. Still so many to go!

LovesToFly

good luck everyone, as bad as my skin was, it's now perfect!

I was told to continue to use lotion everywhere except where the skin was open, on those spots I alternated Polysporin and the silver lotion that was prescribed to me (I kept the silver lotion at home, and Polysporin to use when I was out).

I also switched from Glaxol base to Aquaphor, and then Calendula. My skin really started to heal with the calendar, but I don't know if that was just a coincidence because it was time.

Carlsoda

I am using the aquaphor now and it is amazing...pretty greasy but does a good job on the skin! Before it was so dry and now it isn't! I bought some very large cotton sports bars to wear during this and I am looking forward to throwing them away and pulling out my Calvin Klein underwire bars in a few weeks

Ingerp

Re: breath hold, I did it but my tumor was huge.

Re: fatigue--I did notice that I was still pretty tired/sleeping more than usual for about a month post-tx. I'm really back to feeling pretty normal except for the big hard sore area in my left hooter.

And speaking of that, I had my follow-up with my RO on Friday. Everything looking good, although nipple is still swollen, and there is the big hard area. She told me to give it a few more weeks of healing and then massage the tumor bed once a day to try to break up the hard stuff. This is exactly what I was told after hand surgery--to rub the area pretty firmly to try to break up that tissue. She also said to do it lying down so I can use the ribs to push against. We talked about general health and prevention--diet and exercise and what-not. I think I'll make an appointment for a regular old check-up in the next few weeks.

Other than that, they had already scheduled me for a mammo in February. I'll see my BS after that, but won't go back to my RO for a year. Weird to be on the maintenance schedule going forward after the billion appointments through the spring.

Cathytoo

Finished today‼️ I was very surprised that instead of feeling happy to be done, I actually cried a bit on the table during the last treatment. It's such a strange feeling for me...and totally unexpected

Carlsoda

Congrats Cathy! You are done! I have 6 left but I think I understand what you are feeling. I was explaining to my husband last night how these daily appts have felt like a safety net and I have felt emotionally secure going to a medical appt daily. Once its over then I move from daily care to watching for reoccurance. It is going to feel odd and scary. But I decide last night that it will all be ok. I love my MO and totally trust her and I can move from being a cancer patient to a cancer survivor! I have her watching my back

Ingerp

Congrats, Cathy!! It is a big, emotional day, but you will quickly embrace your new normal.

Grazy

Congratulations on finishing, Cathy! I teared up briefly on the table during my final boost - but I clicked my heels together once I got outside! haha Carlsoda is right, there's a feeling of security when you're in active treatment - when you're in radiation you know something is being done. I remember saying to myself (to the machine, actually) during my final whole breast treatment as the machine swung overhead for the last time, "You'd better have done your job.". As Ingerp said, you'll move on pretty quickly from the routine of going to rads to your new normal and you'll be glad that part of your treatment over. Mine finished 7 weeks ago and it already seems like a distant memory. It's amazing how you just forget about it and get on with life.

Cathytoo

Carlsoda, Grazy, Ingerp...thanks for responding My sadness was so unexpected. I didn't ring any bells as they wanted. But, I did slam dunk my mold into the trash. I think it will feel strange tomorrow morning when I don't have to run out the door at 7:30 for my treatment.

Carlsoda

Grazy, you almost made me tear up tomorrow is my last whole breast so last time it will swing around for me! Definitely time to move on

cbowle

truffles - so sorry to hear about your skin! I hope it is begining to heal. I just completed #26 today and tomorrow is the last full breast rads. I'll have 6 boost treatment starting Thursday with the last one being next Thursday. I am soooo ready to be done with this. Fortunately my skin is holding up really well. The skin is brown (different than being in the "sun" brown) and it never got anything past a hint of pink. I had some irritation right before I went on vacation where it looked like a rash/acne in the middle of my chest and itched like crazy! While I was on vacation I had a couple massages and they used some wonderful oils on my skin and let me tell you it healed me up in a snap!

cathytoo -Congrats! I can't wait to be there next week!

LTF - so glad to hear you are healing well. Seems your experience was rather grueling so I'm glad you are doing well now!

fightergirl - I'm a lefty with no breath hold either. I am trusting wht my docs are doing for me. They have all been amazing so far and I figure they are way ahead of me with their knowledge since they've all been doing it for 25+ years.

LovesToFly

congrats Cathy. Finishing it certainly is very emotional.

tbalding

Congrats Cathy! I found last day emotional too. 2 weeks post rads, still tired, nipple still peeling but so far rest of skin is the brown color cbowle mentioned and hasn't started peeling yet.

Been on tamox for 10 days & no noticeable new se. Still keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope everyone has a good week

MelancholyInNC

I am almost three weeks post RADs. I grew to hate RADs as much as I hated cancer. I had a terrible time. It started after the third treatment, my breast was swollen, red, and tender. My RO thought that I had a an infection from surgery. I explained to her that these symptoms did not start until I started radiation. After a couple of weeks, my nipple peeled. My RO put a block on my nipple after that, thank goodness. If not, I swear it would have burned completely off. Then about four weeks into it, the area under my breast started to breakdown. I had to start Domeboro soaks 3x/day then use Silvadene cream. It was so painful. I started taking Tramadol while working just to get through the day. I even started taking something for sleep. It got to a point that I couldn't even raise my arm above my shoulder because the skin was so tight. Then, the area under my arm opened so I started the soaks and Silvadene there as well. Then it was time for the boost. A couple days after I finished the boost, that area opened. So, I started Domeboro soaks there and the Silvadene cream. On the fourteenth day post RADs, my skin was finally closed. I was so relieved! Now, I could finally soak in a tub! I am off the pain and sleeping meds now. The swelling has gone down and it is no longer that tender. My skin now looks darker than normal. The boost area still has some pinkness to it. It has been a journey that I hated. I just hope and pray that the Radiation did it's job. Now, I get to start the Tamoxifen. #cancersucks

Truffles1214

Congratulations on finishing Cathytoo!

tbalding - Sounds like you are healing well! I hope it continues!

cbowle - I'm happy to hear your skin is holding up! I hope it continues to hold up through your boosts as well!

Melancholy - Thank you for sharing. Quick question, did you use any sort of dressing after your Domeboro soaks? I'm going to begin tomorrow. I'd feel better having some sort of dressing as the skin is open, but I'm not sure what I would use that wouldn't irritate the surrounding skin (like adhesive).

I'm thinking about you ladies! Hang in there!

DFWFLYGIRL

Cathytoo- Congrats....I am three days away from finishing rads. Had that emotional feeling post chemo so hope that was it:))

Cathytoo

DFWFLYGIRL ... Those three days will fly by and then you'll be done. Congratulations‼️

ejmann44

Turffles, the staff gave me some soft gauze pads to put on my skin. I do the domeboro soak and then the silvedane (sp?). Then the pads to keep skin-on-skin contact from happening. I also sometimes use an old t-shirt I cut into strips. I find the t-shirt more comfortable.

The skin under my arm broke today so they were talking about taking a break. I really don't want to because I have two daughters I home-school and I need this to be over. So they are going to ask if we can do the boosters to get away from my underarm and then go back to the whole breast and finish that way. That might be good to have a week break from the armpit being radiated since that is the most painful for me.

Today was number 20 of 34. The last 8 are boosters because my chest is so large.

Cathytoo

Great cream!...While searching the web I came across the Sloane Kettering site and a mention of Calendula Cream for radiation relief. Can be ordered from CVS or Walgreen. Under $10 and very effective in relieving irritation or itching. I used it this morning...itching and burning gone quickly!

Truffles1214

ejmann44 - Thank you for the suggestions! I hope they are able to rearrange your treatments to help you stay on schedule, yet give your poor underarm a quick break. I hope you find some relief soon!Hang in there!

marijen

oops! wrong topic. Letrozole brain.

tbalding

ejmann, hope they can rearrange it so you get some relief but still finish on time.

dfwflygirl, yay, you're almost there!