APRIL Rads Anyone?

Hi and Happy Monday to all!  Today will be just #4 for me and I'm already feeling fatigued.  I slept a lot on the weekend and am at work and very tired this morning.  Seems weird to have this SE already and I really hate being tired all the time.  Grrr....

Have a great Monday.

~Bonnie

It worked, the other techs are calling me Beth!  lol  But now the cute guy is gone : (    Can't win!  lol  #16 down and 14 to go....

Starting to feel a little more tired, but have been extremely busy with life in general. But on the whole, I seem to be doing very well. Skin is just a little pink so far.

Lainey, Jeanne, Bette  hope you guys are all doing better...thinking of you....

When did it get to be dinner time...yikes...better go get something cooked or the kids will waste away to nothing lol    At the very least I'll hear I'm starving....

Hope you ladies have a good evening...

Rachel- Great list, thank you for sharing it with all of us.

Shan1171- make sure you apply for FMLA with your HR dept.  If your company has over 50 employees you can take up to 12 weeks off (without pay or go on Short Term Disability) or go intermittent FLMA over a 12 month period.  Take the time you need to heal.   Good Luck.

11 down..........

Alright, I'm claiming a seat next you, susan.  It didn't hit me until I got home........serving of light headed topped with nausea.......just lovely.  I utilized my collection of left-over chemo drugs, the Zophran seemed to do the trick. 

For me I think it's a cocktail of:  cell destruction, stress, and an eleven month old.  HA!  I actually took a two hour nap with him today, which is why I'm still awake at this hour of night/morning.  Oh, well. 

I'm trying to not allow the stress to get me, but it's hard when it LIVES with you (stress - AKA grandmother and aunt).  My aunt had a stroke a couple of years ago and my 88 year old (and should be sainted) grandmother takes care of her.  I asked them to come stay with me, hoping it would help my grandmother out.  Did I mention I deserve some sort of halo, doesn't have to be fancy or anything........HA!  It's about to get me, though.  The house is not very big and my aunts' green fog of a "f you, I'm taking my mind-numbing drugs content to rest on my laurels"attitude.......with a side of bitch, bitch, self-pity, moan, moan is bringing me d o w n.

Gotta get some sleep ladies......do it all again tomorrow.  

Shan

Hey ladies,

Well I'l ask my med. onc. Thursday, he'll give me the answers to the nauseau, I'll also ask him why the rad onc. don't want to take the blame!?!?!  I guess I'll have to take out my Zofran too..... $%#^^@ thought we were done with taking that sh*t!!!  But guess not to suffer we should take what we need to.   I was nauseas ALL day yesterday until I went to sleep.  Was ok this morning and during treatment at 10, but now I'm starting to feel it again.  My throat is also scratchy but I'm wondering if it's just allergies, tis the season.

11 down 14 more to go. Is it June yet?!?!?

Sue

I am soooo sorry to hear that some of you are having nausea and feeling cruddy, while others are getting open sores on your tender skin. We all just have to keep in mind that it will be over with SOON! Stay positive and focus on the fact that it won't last forever. I found out yesterday that I have done 11 treatments...and have 22 more treatments remaining. ARRRGGGHHH!!  I'm trying not to think about it....this chapter of my life will soon be closed.

Big Big Gentle hugs to all of you!!!

Stacy 

Hi all,

I have a 3-day delay (ending now 5/18) because of machine malfunction in my first week!  But the good news is I have my boost markings and they start Thrusday for total of 8 boosts.

Yes, there is light at the end and it gets brighter and brighter each day!  YAY!!!

Hi Britt,

My rad onc would not allow any creams/oils/lotions before or after rads unless and until severe skin issues arose.  Perhaps because of my AA skin and/or possibly because I adhered to that and have put no creams or lotions or oils on that breast, I only have some darkening so far but no pain, tenderness, or peeling.  I keep expecting it to happen (watch I'll be back here tomorrow crying from pain!)  Also stopped wearing bras from day 1 of rads.  Only wearing camis and when I walk around at work I just keep my arms crossed over my chest to hide any bouncing LOL.

Hi Patoo and Catherine!

Patoo:  I hope you skin remains in good condition!   I have been going braless 98% of the time - I am only a 34B, and wear a lot of cammies and tops with wireless shelf bras.  And if I do have to wear a bra, it has no underwire and is a size larger than I usually wear.

Catherine:  13 more to go!  I have 15 (starting tomorrow) - thanks for good wishes re the skin!  I am only using pure aloe vera on it from now on - AFTER treatments!

Only 4 more left here.  My skin is definitely red and prickly.  Onc has been more sympathetic and helpful than the rad onc.

Fifteen down and 13 to go! Skin still good.

I have an appointment with my PCP this PM to check out my ears, which began to ache last night. At this point, it would be nice to have a simple answer to my continuing dizziness and light-headedness.

Bette 

alright, I'm terrible at checking in, this past week has been crazy. I'm finally half way thorugh rads And I'm happy to say that nausea/queasy feeling has gone away and that crudy taste in my mouth is also gone My onc is admitting that these 2 can be rads SE, but they're not your typical ones and he told me that they usually go away within the first 3 weeks instead of getting worse like fatigue & redness. Today was #17 (out of 33), I can def. see the radiated area on my breast, it's red, but not horrible yet. I'm hoping it won't get much worse by the time I'm done.

Does anyone knows how long do we have to keep covering our skin after radiation?

Hi Everyone,

Just realized today was #25 (I intentional lost count for a while - seemed to make it go faster). I've been using Silvadene and woke up the other day with the creases in my radiated area & neck all black and burned looking! Seems my rad onc forget to tell me that the Silvadene does that - I was freaked. Scrubbing gently took it off, with some skin, too. Also noticing small bumps on my back - it this common?

Eadsla, I thought folks say I have to stay out of the sun for months - was bummed as summer is coming & I love our river trips.  Is 7-10 days enough time out?

Anyone know if rads has an effect on the thyroid? - seems I have a nodule there.

Great days to everyone,

Gail 

Starting to feel the tiredness, but my life has been non stop and I am not getting enough sleep for a "normal" night let alone with all the body is dealing with right now. So I am not surprised that I am feeling it more as every day goes by. Was watching a movie with my husband last night and fell alseep before 8pm lol, but then was up till midnight working on laundry.

I have a very distinct rectangle where I am being radiated, pink and sometimes a little tender, but nothing bad. I started to get a slight itch on Sunday, nothing that was a bother, but discussed it when I met with the doc yesterday. I normally see her on Thursdays, so now I won't see her for over a week now? Hope the skin holds up. Anyway..have a little itching here and there every once in a while. We discussed using hydrocortizone (?) cream. But I'll be danged if I remember how she said to use it. I know I can't use the other creams at the same time. There has to be time in between. But she did say it is ok, to use one, and then the other a short time later, but that it shouldn't be done the other way around for the rads. Guess I'll have to ask again. Thought I would remember better now that I am not in the OMG "C" state and am just going along with each day. Had to laugh, was discussing something with my daughter about my memory being worse if I had done chemo...and her boyfriend mentioned that maybe I have "radio" brain. I think it's just the aging process, but ....lol

18 down 12 to go..... 

Bette- hope they figure out the dizziness for you....