Starting radiation September 2017

Radmonkey

First session done! Took about an hour. I had to lay still the entire time and my arms started to fall asleep with painful pins and needles. But I didn't mind because I wanted them to take their time and get it done right. Lots of buzz noises and I felt like a human canvas. They drew on my right breast with green, blue and black sharpies, road mapping the treatment. If you have any errands to do, do it during the first session. So far I feel normal.... well, as normal as I can be

deedledee

Radmonkey, Congrats you have now started on this part of your journey. It helps to no longer be waiting.

deedledee

Darn if fatigue didn't hit this morning. Decided to take care of me and called in to work. Had a great refreshing nap til 11. Was glorious. Exciting thing though is high school friend posted she was flying into my area. Haven't seen each other in 42 years. Plus our other friend- was the three of us in school - is available and in the area. Got to arrange for us all to meet up on Sunday. It's a couple hour drive to get there but so worth it. No way fatigue is going to keep me down. Then Monday is my last Rad. Woo hoo!! On my way.

MelDent

First tx tomorrow, getting a little nervous.

My nurse gave me a recipe to use for tx. Brew 2 green tea bags in 1 cup of water and let them seep for 30 minutes. Put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray the area to be radiated, 4x/day, air dry. Ha ha! Who has time to do that? but I will try. Aquaphor lotion was also recommended, which I have been using on the area.

Good luck everyone- love reading how everyone is doing. I will pray for each of you as I read your posts.

deedledee

Many on the site have said the tea works well to reduce the heat. Especially right after. I've heard their success was with the square cotton pads dipped in the tea and holding it in various places on the breast to cool it down. They felt it "pulled the heat out.

Canela

11/28 today. I noticed some pink last night on my shoulder and back by my trapezius. It was gone this morning so I didn't think to mention it to my RO when I saw him. Now it's pink again, and I think there's some very slight pink under the "breast" (really tissue expander) and on my sternum, and it extends a bit beyond the tattoo there unto the other breast.Still not feeling anything besides the occasional pinprick. I've been using aloe right after rads followed by a calendula cream, and before bed calendula cream followed by Cerave Healing ointment, just because I already had it and it's similar to aquaphor.

This week has been brutal at work so I'm not sure if any fatigue is work or rads related. It feels like normal on-my-feet-all-day-at-work fatigue so I'm guessing the former. TBH, if radiation fatigue made me sleep through the night again I'd look forward to it. I really, really miss sleeping like arock like I used to.

Mari-

hi ladies!

3/30, no pink. Using Miaderm 3 times! My RO said to expect pink and sore towards the 5th or 6th week. For now try to really put on miaderm, which is especific for radiation

No fatigue yet but I still have lots of muscle soreness from chemo. I feel my muscles are so ight! Anyone else?

shelabela

3 /15 done. Got the mepitel put on. Hope it does what it is supposed too. I did see a little pink in a couple spots. Used vanicream and aloe

Radmonkey

Hi everyone,

3/30 today. No redness but I was carrying a heavy backpack doing errands and the skin on my right shoulder felt a little sensitive. Right now, I'm using aloe vera plant and miaderm. I put aquaphor in my axillary area and under the breast to decrease the skin on skin friction. Today took less than 10 minutes.

Mari, I went walking/running for 2 miles and my legs are incredibly sore... more so than usual. But I might just be out of shape.

bmm11071

I just completed 4 of 23 treatments. Tomorrow will be one week in. So far it has been pretty easy and I am getting more comfortable. I swear as soon as they line me up and leave I need to scratch everything! It is a bit unnerving and the machine seems to need rebooting every time I am there. But everyone seems really qualified and has done a great job explaining to me what they are doing, how the breathing works and how the machine will not zap me if I am not holding my breath properly. There are so many sick people there and that is the worst part. I wish everyone here the best.

MommyErin

Hi everyone! Sorry y'all are here! I'm joining the September radiation club. I started last Thursday, so 6/32 done! (I'm jealous of those of you getting fewer tx). I started chemo in March, BMX in August, so I'm so ready to be done with this! So far so good. I'm tired and achey, but I think that's due to the cold my preschooler passed onto me instead of the radiation. No pink skin except for smeared sharpie ;-P My RO told me no creams until he gives the go ahead, but I did buy a couple aloe plants and a tub of aquaphor for when I get the green light. I have some cording for my BMX and have started PT. I'm really hoping radiation doesn't make it worse.Are any of you having your supraclavicular lymph nodes radiated? Hope your treatments go well

lovepugs77

Erin, I haven't started yet, but I will be having my supraclavicular nodes radiated on the left side. I'm a bit anxious about that. I'm also getting either 30 or 33 treatments - my RO hadn't decided which yet last time I saw her.

deedledee

Seems like we're doing well with the redness so far. Sure hope it continues for us all. Today completed 13 of 15. Two more left. Tomorrow then last one Monday. RO confirmed that's the final today. Explained redness most likely will continue to grow for the first week after then start settling down and start improving the second week. Keep using the miaderm for those two weeks. See her again a month after last Rad for check up. Have MO appt the 5th to discuss dreaded Ai. He wants my husband there for the appt. DH is dreading that as he already has heard of the SEs but hearing it from the Dr will make it real.

SuzyFL

So I was doing well last week, but now I am starting to really see the pink and the red colors appear on my chest. A lot of red bumps/redness in the center of my chest and under the breast, the rest of my breast is just a light pink, but more apparent than last week. I am at 12 out of 30. Other than that, it's going well!

carmstr835

Hi everyone, sounds like most of us are doing ok. I am as well. I have completed 7/30 treatments. 4 treatments last week; 4 days off, 4 more treatments and 2 days off this weekend as usual. No real pain, just some twinging and some deep soreness (muscles or bones?) and some incision soreness both intermittently.. I have queasiness, but not sure if it is Chemo or radiation related I am still getting herceptin and just finished TCHP 3 weeks ago. They stopped Perjeta till after radiation.

I am working with my Lymphedema Phy.Therapist and she is still trying to get rid of my cording. It does seem to be getting worse, not extremely, just nothing breaking and it came back in the other arm. Maybe it was always there and just not painful before and now it is evident, there is cording in both under arms. I have had 3 different PT people working with my cording and each one is a bit different. My seromas from the surgery have come back under both my arms and I am not sure if the seromas are what is painful, or the cording, or effects from the radiation. I had them aspirated 3 weeks ago to help with the cording before my radiation, both seromas are attached to the cording and hinders the massage and stretching required to break them. However, the seromas are both back and more painful than before.

I have no pinkness and no skin pain. I have missed alot because the tomo machine was broken on Friday and Monday last week, so I have only had 4 treatment last week and 3 this week so far, I will have another tomorrow morning. I then the weekend off again. It bothers me to miss so much so early in my treatment, I posted a thread about missing radiation and my thoughts about that yesterday.

So, so far, so good as far as Side Effects I hope everyone one else is able to be rather pain free still, as well.

shelabela

4 of 15 done! So far the worst part is what time these appointments are. Radiation runs til 11:30 PM. So far this week my appointments have been 3, 8Pm, 6pm, 7:30 pm. Next week I have 9:45 pm, 8:30 pm, 9pm, 730pm, and 4. Makes a long day

Radmonkey

Machine down today... I've only gotten 3 treatments. Carmstr835... I feel you.

Canela

Today I felt a bit of an itch right above the breast and I thoughtlessly scratched it. Holy hell, did that hurt! The area isn't even pink but it felt like scratching a sunburn.

Now that area on my back is very pink and feels sunburned all the time. It goes to show that all the aloe, calendula, and ointment applications do help some in preventing side effects, since I'd been using then religiously on my chest and axilla but didn't think to put them on my back until I noticed the pink the other day.

MelDent

Hi-

Round 3 of 20 today.
Sounds like everyone is doing well. I'm so happy about that! It's encouraging that we're all on this journey and can help each other thru it.

I didn't even think about my back getting red!!!! Now I'll add that to the regimen.

I was concerned about the machine having issues last week, but it sounds like it's a common occurrence from reading these post.

Very surprised at how quick the tx is. I did have a "dry run" the first day and tx which took longer. I didn't like being in the room alone. I could feel a panic attack starting, but I closed my eyes and kept praying, "the Lord is my helper" over and over... each day is better, but today, there were 4 techs in the room to get me set up. They were pretty chatty and then without saying a word, they all just walked out. I thought it was sort of rude.

All in all, it's going well.

JennD

7/20 done! I'm pretty pink and definitely fatigued after treatments. It's like I've been in the sun for hours for about an hour or two after then I feel a bit better. It doesn't help that I have a 17 mos old that struggles to stay asleep all night so I started out pretty sleep deprived. But the sound of only 13 more makes me feel a bit better. Sending good healing energy to all of you

shelabela

5 treatments done! So far just a little itching. No redness, I think the Mepitel works. I sure hope so.

Have a great day

Mari-

5/30! Yey! I am slightly pink! So now I am worried since I still have 25 to go.

I have a lot of deep twinge dull pain. Not sure where just I feel a big heavy pain, hopefully weekend off will help.

I still have a lot of muscle pain! Legs and arms. I don't hear you guys complaining of that. And my hair is still Shedding quite a lot! Starting to get worried here also!

Yes! Already fatigued, yesterday I slept before my kids! In their bed! Woke up kind of lost! Went back to my bed!

Good weekend everyone!

deedledee

Happy weekend and break from treatment to everyone! My last treatment is Monday. More red now for sure. Can feel it more too. Using the Miaderm with Lidocain today. It's helping. No blisters though and am thankful for that. Just need to get through the last one and the week or so we're still baking. Hoping this is the worst of it now. Still not going to hold me back though. About to drive a couple of hours and will be hanging out with friends from Jr high. It's been 42 years since the Terrific Trio have been together. So looking forward to it. Hope you're enjoying your fabulous weekend too. Take care of yourselves mighty warriors. Diane

quincycutie

Hi. I have had 14/30 treatments so far. Have always worried about a seroma from my lumpectomy that has been drained twice. I decided to stop draining it after the last one. Now my nipple has been blanching at times and fills more swollen. This had started before the rads treatments but is a little worrisome. I am also blond and fair complexion. What has been frustrating to me is that my radiation team has had no recommendations about skin care. I decided on my own to put on aquaphor every night and am thinking about getting aloe or calendula if I can find it. It seems strange to me that after all of these years of treating cancer that there isn't a standard protocol for preventing skin damage or for treating seromas

Castigame

I agree 110%. I only used cool aloe the entire treatments (30)

For me, the following happened

L fatigue hit me really hard after half way it did not matter how much i slept or exercised,

2, Right after 1 st boost, everything peaked,

3, i thought i got it easy bc i had no blister or peeling, after completion i had a couple of blisters and minor peeling, it took a week for those calm down.

Anna-33

Has any of you seen your radiation dose plan? What does it say

VLH

Anna, I believe I'm getting 42 grays over 16 sessions. I also asked for a copy of the mapping image that shows the beams don't intrude on my heart or lung. I didn't get any additional details beyond that.

My family is from the Lofoten Islands. I think it was my great great grandparents who immigrated to the United States.

Lyn

Legomaster225

Ladies, I'm jumping over from the August rads group. I have 7 of 33 left but just starting to get peeling and raw skin. Most of my issues seem to be under my arm and right where my neck meets my shoulder. I think extra lotion on these areas early on might have helped. Just want to share that with you. Hopefully, it will help someone.

Love pugs, are you getting rads on both sides? I have/had bilateral cancer upon BMX but not getting rads on my left side. Just curious

lovepugs77

Legomaster, I am getting both sides. I had lumpectomies instead of BMX. I'm supposed to start this Wednesday

Legomaster225

Thank you. I should have read your bio closer and noticed the lumpectomies. Oops. Good luck with your rads. Hope they go quickly and are uneventful :-