Recently Diagnosed

mochaberri1971

Hi All! I was recently diagnosed with IDC cribform Stage 2 and I have undergone lumpectomy surgery and a SND. I'm currently healing. I am overwhelmed with all the decisions that are being place before me. I'm still awaiting the results of my Onxcotype test before I enter into the next phase of treatment. I'm' 49 soon to be 50 and I'm not at all looking forward to the radiation plan and the hormone choices since there are only two. Any advice? Looking for homeopathic ideas of dealing with the tender feeling on my breast and armpit from friction while I'm healing like a salve of some sort to use, hormone free supplements to combat the menopausal symptoms I'll get from the hormones, deodorant choices while dealing with radiation, etc. this is all so overwhelming to say the least.

NorCalS

Hi Mochaberri1971.

To help prevent too much damage to your skin from radiation, my radiation oncologist recommended calendula cream. I took a tube with me to every session and applied it immediately after the treatment. I also applied it after a shower at night. It helped me tremendously. I didn’t get anything worse than a sunburn pain during the last few days of radiation. Other women I met during my radiation treatments also recommended aloe in a spray bottle to help ease the pain during treatment. The spray bottle allows you to have aloe without having to touch your sensitive skin.

AliceBastable

I used Aquaphor and aloe and my skin got just a tiny bit dry and pink, and a little red on the clavicle. I didn't use deodorant while undergoing radiation.

mochaberri1971

Thanks Alice! I love Aquaphor. And did you use cornstarch in place of deodorant?

mochaberri1971

Thanks NorCalS! I love the idea of a spray bottle for the aloe and the calendula cream sounds great. I looked It up and it does wonders for skin irritation. I think I’ll try the oil version so I can put that in a spray bottle too.

NorCalS

Mochaberri1971,

FYI, some of the women that were getting the radiation treatments at the same time I was did not take care of their skin from the first session and instead waited until their skin started showing damage from radiation. That was a big mistake because they had awful skin irritation and pain by the time they completed their radiation. It’s best to take care of your skin from day 1.

mochaberri1971

Thank you @NorCalS. I'm a huge advocate of skin care and I was adamant about taking care of my skin before all of this came upon me. I am currently experiencing issues from radiation ( burns, rashes, minor cuts, hyperpigmentation) and it is painful. Any suggestions?

serendipity09

Mochaberri - I used Miaderm during radiation. My skin started turning red within the first week and became worse throughout. It was after rads that it blistered and became worse. it was painfully awful. I used a very generous amount of Aquaphor daily and kept the area "greased" up. They also gave me Mepilex for right under my breast, it really helped me. I started healing about two and half weeks after I finished and luckily my skin has healed and is back to normal.

I hope it gets better for you.

wondering44

I am in week five of six weeks of radiation. I use Renu28 twice a day (since day one) and Seven Cream (since end of week two) at night. No issues except a tan on my right breast and underarm.

NorCalS

Mochaberri1971,

How far along are you in radiation treatments? Has your RO been meeting with you at least once a week? If you are in the early phase of radiation treatment and you’re already experiencing those severe side effects, your RO needs to provide something to help relieve the side effects. If you are close to the end of radiation, unfortunately the worst of the side effects seem pop up around this time for most. My last week of radiation was the worst for my skin. It took about three weeks after radiation for my skin to heal - redness and skin peeling stopped. The side effects for you seem to be pretty serious. I hope your RO has some recommendations (possibly stronger prescription topicals) that can help

Orleans

Good morning. Your experience sounds so similar to mine that I wanted to say, practical advice aside, I think it helps to take one day or hour or step at a time. Trying to metabolize all the info and worries and what if’s at once is just overwhelming. I was diagnosed last January at 46, had lumpectomy, 5 weeks of radiation, and am now on daily tamoxifen. Looking back over the last year, none of it has been too awful or unmanageable when broken down into separate steps and pieces, just dealing with one thing at a time. And also letting yourself have whatever moments of anger, sadness or worry you need, to get it out of your system. Optimism is very helpful, but I’ve found that allowing muse to feel the whole range of the experience is equally helpful.

On the practical side, aquafor from day one of radiation really helps. You can’t really use too much.

LKC71

I was just diagnosed with grade 2 IDC. I have an appointment next Tuesday but now I just sit and wait. Im hoping for some positive people to help me with this diagnosis. I don’t know the stage yet so it’s harder to find information