December 2017 Radiation Group

DownNotOut

I feel a huge relief after finally meeting my RO yesterday and getting a radiation plan. Due to the holiday won't be starting treatments until January 3, so I may start a new thread, but I do want to keep up with you wonderful ladies who have already helped me with your words, wisdom, and attitudes! So I'm sitting in the office yesterday with my husband, and the nurse starts a video with general information about RADS, all of which I already knew from my reading over the last month, and towards the end I break down and cry for the first time since my diagnosis. At first I thought I had gone crazy because the video was not even that profound, but then I thought about all of you and decided just to let the tears flow. Of course it was that moment that the doctor came in, but I figured it was OK for him to see that side of me too.

lifechoices2017

PVM: Thanks so much! I'll actually be done Dec 27th; I have next week and 2 days after Christmas. I guess the JOY of that is that I'll have 2 boost next Thurs/Fri and then my boob gets to rest for 3 days...and then the final to zaps on the 26th and 27th! But really when I knew of my timeline early Nov; thinking that starting on Nov 29th; seemed like i was waiting FOREVER! But now that Im 1/2 way done; time has just 'zapped' by!

I can't wait to go out tomorrow and get my giveaways for the lobby. Thinking I'll get a basket of random ornaments and tag them with different messages and some pink/white candy sticks... just something to lift everyone's spirits as they come in.

scaligirl

Thanks everyone for the quick info on my question the other day! I had my simulation yesterday, got my prep instructions (and avocado cream) and plan laid out to start rads on 12/26. I'll have 30 treatments so will finish up the first full week in Feb with the couple of holidays taken into account. The techs in my RO office were really nice so I think this should be a pretty ok process, compared to chemo for sure. So glad to be closer to having this fingers-crossed-final step in my my treatment journey started.

OCDAmy

So, I found this video of the IMRT that I am getting and wondered if others are also being treated with this? I find this facinating and since I am laying on my back, I like to watch the "leaves" as they move.

PVM

OCDAmy that is a great video thanks for sharing & to be honest i have no clue if that is what i am being treated with as i close my eyes from the moment i lay on the bed & don't open them till they say, okay were done lol Yeah i know its silly but since being diagnosed in March & all the MRI's & CT Scans i have done i have closed my eyes for every single one that way i don't have a panic attack.

Lifechoices i am so jelly that you are going to be done soon but super happy for both your boob getting a break & that you have the finish line so close As for the giveaways that is so nice & sweet i am sure you will brighten up peoples day. I love this time of the year for some reason it makes me happy. All the lights & decorations & we even got a bit of snow.

DownNotOut & Scaligirl you both will do amazing you will see. Please keep us updated with your progress. I wont be done till the 2nd week of January & can hardly wait. Im sure like all of us ladies this year has been one that we def want to see go & start brand new. My friend that is a 2 year cancer survivor said to me once you are done all its like you are reborn.

Georgia1

I RANG THE BELL! All done, and the techs were so sweet. I hadn't even seen the crazy bell, but they walked me over to it and smiled and clapped while I marked the end of RADS!! There was also a great quote on a plaque near the bell, attributed to Henry Thoreau, which we read out loud together: "Advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavour to live the life which you have imagined."

So on to my reward, with big thanks to all of you, which is of course SHOES!

Happy Friday and a RADS-free weekend to all.

lifechoices2017

Georgia1 CONGRATTTTTSSSSS!!!!!

I'm so proud of you, and love the shoes!!!!

Georgia1

Thank you Lifechoices! The shoes were a Christmas present from me to me, so why not open the box early?!

lifechoices2017

Georgia1 nothing wrong with that. I'm trying to decide what my gift from me to me will be...hmmmmmm.

OCDAmy

Georgia! Yay! Congrats and love the shoes...😄

gigibee

woo hoo Georgia1, wear them in good health!

Jellybean68

Feeling a little fed up today and in need of encouragement ladies :0(

Day 15/20 rads done today and my skin is soooo sore, red, burnt,has now started to peel and itches like mad. Also feeling really sick from the Tamoxifen, so want this nightmare year to be over!

Georgia1

Oh, Jellybean I am so sorry! The side effects of radiation do seem to vary so much. I had 15/15 today and have just a bit of soreness around the nipple. Could you perhaps find some calendula cream? Or hydrocortisone cream for the itching?

Sending you big hugs and warm thoughts from across the pond.

PauletteK

Congratulations Georgia!! Now you are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So glad you don’t have much t SE.

Jellybean - as Georgia said, do you have hydrocortisone cream you can use? Or else call you RO for the special cream.

Just finished my 7/30, skin is holding up well except I have some mild swelling. So I have to do my manual massage as much as I can.

Amy - great video! To be honest I closed my eyes most of the time. Now I’m checking the machine during radiation that makes me kind of nervous also.

So glad it’s friday, today I’m a little tired took an hour nap.

PVM

yay Georgia congrats that amazing & love the shoes - buying yourself Christmas gifts are the best & you deserved those shoes

Jellybean i am so sorry you are getting sore & peeling. Like Paulette said can you ask your RO for a special cream i know they can prescribe something to help ease the pain. Maybe also try aloe to help sooth the skin a bit. You are doing so good only 5 left & you will be done so stay strong. I am so sorry about the Tamoxifen SE you are feeling as well. Not sure when you are taking your pill but i was advised to take it at night to help minimize the SE. Sending you a big hug & wishing you a speedy recovery, stay strong you are almost at the finish line & done

Paulette glad your skin is holding up wishing that it stays that way for all 30 treatments so i am sending you positive vibes Sorry about the swelling, that's one of my worries too that i develop LE through Rads Its bad enough we have to deal with all that we are dealing with then end up with LE ontop of it. Oh well sending positive vibes your way & hope your swelling goes down & continues to stay down for the remainder of your Rads.

DownNotOut

It looks like many of you ladies are on a Hypofractionated (higher dose, fewer treatments) treatment plan & many are doing a conventional (lower dose, more treatments) rads plan. I seem to have a choice since technically I meet the criteria for hypofractionated with boosts, but my RO seemed to be on the fence during our first meeting. Reading some studies it looks like long term and short term results and SEs are fairly equal. A shorter course would definitely save $. How did you decide?

By the way, I'm so proud of you who are finished this week! I'm so happy for you! And I'm sending prayers for those of you not faring as well with SEs. Hang in there sisters

Georgia1

Good morning DownNotOut. I too read a lot and chose the shorter course. Two different ROs recommended it because results are the same as the longer course + SEs are less. I was also persuaded by talking to someone at Johns Hopkins running the IDEA clinical trial, which lets low risk women over 50 skip radiation entirely. I wasn't eligible because I had a small second tumor but she was an awesome third opinion and resource.

Your stats look like mine so if I can provide more background please let me know.

PVM

Hi DownNotOut to be honest my RO said that research shows that the SE are about the same with both treatment plans but stated like Georgia said that with the longer one you may experience a bit more with the longer one. He suggested i do 16 then 5 with boost in the area where cancer was found to help it never to come back again (fingers crossed). With respects to my treatment plan its all been pretty much standard with me as i believe everyone gets somewhat the same or similar depending on how aggressive their cancer is. I live in Canada & i think our plans are pretty standard as they are covered by the government & we do not pay for anything. I hope all you ladies that are still doing Rads & are about to do Rads minimal SE & that we kick this in the butt! Have a great weekend all!

Ellyn27

Georgia1 - CONGRATULATIONS AND I LOVE THOSE SHOES!!!!!! You wear them proudly OK? Walk with pride and if someone comments on them you can say (if you want) that they are your survivor shoes. I wish you all the best in your next steps and in the future.

I was thinking of getting a shirt like this one, or maybe just a coffee cup: 

Jellybean I'm so sorry you are not feeling well. I find it so interesting how each of us reacts so differently. I slather on the Aquaphor and have good luck (knock on wood) so far. Sending you hugs ... a Kardashian side hug because we don't want to smash our boobs!!! 

OCDAmy - Thanks for the video. I find all the options very interesting and educational. I'm sure our docs consider which is best for us, which is why it takes them so long between our first mapping session and first RAD session. My machine moves out and goes over me and side to side, I am in the prone position and I was told I'm getting this because there is less chance of the radiation hitting other organs. Since my left boob is hanging under the table (not a pretty site haha) I feel comfortable that my lungs and heart are protected. I think there are so many things to consider and we put our faith in our doctors. But it's ALWAYS good to question things and become our own advocates. The RAD techs showed me on their computers the exact boxed area that I was getting RADS. It had my boob up there, like an xray, and it had these lines around where I could see exactly where I was getting RADs. I'm learning so much. Thanks again for sharing.

OCDAmy

I read somewhere that the prone position is not used for women who have had mastectomy. I also wonder for those of you who are in the prone position if you had positive nodes?

Jellybean68

Ahhh thanks Ladies for your support, it’s very much apppreciated. 💗💗💗 Managed to get some hydrocortisone cream (thanks for the recommendation) from my Doctor which has helped the itching and some dressings for the sore bits...I think I’m costing my Doctor a fortune in prescriptions but he’s wonderful and he never seems to put money in front of patient recovery, I am very lucky.

Feeling a bit more positive today and can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can not wait until 22/12, I’ve even booked in to have my eyebrows done straight after treatment! The start of getting back to the old pre cancerous me!

Big hugs ladies xxx

Georgia1

Ellyn, I love that shirt! A coffee mug would be good too...I can certainly see it on my desk at work where I already have a reputation for kicking butt!

Amy, I have no positive nodes and did prone position. But I honestly have no idea why my doctor recommended it for me.

Hope you have a great weekend.

PauletteK

kick butt Georgia .... 😂😂😂😂

Ellyn, that will be a great coffee cup!

How’s everyone doing this weekend. So happy no radiation today AND TOMORROW!!! I did my pump today and hope the swelling will go down a little. I’m not going to think about too much, will enjoy my weekend!

lifechoices2017

Happpppy Saturday all...

I love the mug..or t-shirt!!! I too am in the prone position; right breast. I was negative nodes..i don't think I'm being zapped under my armpit, but I'm at #13/20 with no skin SEs, so I'm not sure. I have boob tenderness and a little swelling but no skin irritation...

My RO recommended prone because I'm -nodes and I'm busty, 42DD... he said it would directly zap my boob and cause less irritation seeing that prone, my boob falls down. On my back my boob would probably fall flat OR under my arm (lolololol)... so far, no complications in this position. I'm in/out in less than 15-20min.

Today, mom and I did the grands; my great nieces/nephews CHRISTmas shopping ad also picked up my giveaways for my warriors at the Drs office.. I ended up getting 40 bags completed; gloves, socks, joyrnals, crossword puzzles/pens (for the waiting), tissues journals, candy. I will not put my name on them, but will make a label for each to say ... A little bag filled with lots of love, from me to you! May your holidays be filled with Hope, Strength, Peace, Love and Joy!

Here's a pic...

Rhyfelwr

DownNotOut, my RO tells me that the hyperfractionated course has become the standard for bc without lymph involvement, and that it is the standard already in Europe for those with lymph involvement. I am enrolled in a study where I am at, at a NCI location, so I am feeling pretty good about the decision.

A nurse friend of mine gave me some Silvadene cream. It's a prescription burn ointment and it is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I got a prescription of my own from my RO when I finished this week -- the one he gave me has lidocaine in it as well. The Silvadene makes the irritated area feel nice a cool below the surface, as well as assisting with healing.

I didn't miss having to go to rads on Friday. It has been so weird. I went to chemo on Tuesdays, and did labs on Fridays, for five months. The rads office is right next door, so every day I went it felt like another Tuesday or Friday. That made the weeks long, and short, all at the same time. Now, I am dropped into the middle of the holiday season, and I have no clue what day it is!

OCDAmy

lifechoices, that is the kindest thing to do for others! What a surprise they are going to have. God bless you

CindyNY

lifechoices2017- your gift bags are such a great idea. Love it!

lifechoices2017

Thank you ladies... it was just placed in my spirit to give back. It may not be much, but I pray that it brings a smile to their hearts. Coming in and out, undressing and dressing, getting zapped, mapped and then you get to come back and do the same thing for 4-6 weeks.. For some its seamless, for others not so much. This is just one of the little things....

PVM

Lifechoices those bags are wonderful & the ladies will appreciate it more than you know. Its so very kind of you to do & arrange & go out of your way to brighten up someone's day. I am so glad that you are having minimal SE too that is great.

Rhyfelwr thanks for the cream info that is good to know. I am like you sometimes i have no clue what day it is either. Now you get to heal your body & enjoy what is left of the old year & start a wonderful new year

have a great non zapping Sunday all

PauletteK

Lifechoices- you are an angel to all the ladies there, it is wonderful to have you around.

I’m enjoying the NO zap day, tomorrow we will get zap again.

Rhyfelwr - did you have skin problems after radiation? I’m just curious is everyone have skin problem after rads?