MAY 2009 Rads

I know!!!  Here I thought, oooh, goody, I'm done with chemo, let's rev up the body and feel good!  Take those vitamins and supplements, pick up the weights, break out the exercise videos and go go go.  Until the rad onc say, "oh, you don't want to do that just yet" and it was like someone pulled the rug out from under me.  I'm counting the weeks until I am done, and then will start this all over again - and nobody better tell me not to this time!

kathy, LOVE the avatar!!  That's what I feel like too!

Going to go lay in the little kidde pool we bought for the dogs, but they won't use it (afraid of the water, Pekingese are not water dogs) so we do in the summer. 94 today, and it feels like every degree!  Of course, slathered myself silly with this wonderful sunblock milk I bought in England, SPF 40 - usually only use it on my face and chest, and use 15 on the rest of me, but not today.  Then, to make sure I'm really covered, have a thin white t-shirt on too.  Now, I'll lay in the pool, listening to the stereo from the rock speakers, with a cold lemonaide and my wide brimmed sun hat.  Trying to cool the pinkness, ease the breast tenderness and just pretend its a normal summer day!

Morning Radettes...

Belinda....The Calendula Cream I found is made by California Baby it can be purchased at Target or on it's website...www.californiababy.com.  I bought the cream and use it and its wonderful...no staining...it is a white based cream.  Also bought their Aloe Vera Cream....I also have Miaderm that the rad nurse gave me a sample of...just about the same effect as Calendula cream.  It sure helps with this diaper rash I have under my boob.

Jess...good for you...going out of the hat closet....doesn't it feel good?  Wait until summer hits and we start getting hair....I think about staying BALD.....just for the summer of course.

Bkokie....YEAH..you are done and no peeling that is fantastic...you are blessed!!!  Now go on with life and enjoy your FREEDOM.......

Hello everyone!  Sounds like all is doing well this weekend.  Trying to stay cool here.  In the 90's in East Texas.

Cruise: I'm 3 treatments behind you.  So far so good.  Tomorrow begins another week of Rads.  Counting down....

aglive - i'll be at caddo lake in july for my annual trip there. i grew up in dallas, but love east texas and louisiana! are you near caddo?

well, my doc warned me that my "fair skin" might break down, and it has. i have finished 19 radiation treatments and have 16 to go, and i have hundreds of red bumps on my chest, and i have broken skin up near the clavicle.  lots of scabs everywhere. really annoying and itchy. i use aloe vera for the itching. i've been trying to keep the area mostly dry, rather than put on the aquaphor like i was before, because it seems like the aquaphor makes the sores worse. my doc said i might have to quit radiation a few days early because of the skin reactions. very disappointing.

Like the rest of you, I am so grateful for the weekend rest.  My energy level definitely improves.  With some good sleep and some nice walks in the country my mental state improves as well.

Hoping all of you had a restful weekend.

Genia: I am so sorry you are having problems.  You are so close to being done.  Hang in there.

Deb, so very sorry to hear about your SIL. That is so scary and unfair.

Genia, good luck with your treatment today. Hope those blisters don't hold you back.

I start my last 7 treatments today and I'm thankful there's a weekend in there too because hopefully it will help my skin hold out for just a little while longer. Tomorrow I go for a bone density test then back to the oncologist to talk about hormone inhibitors.

Oh Deb: I am so sorry. It is hard to hear a friend is ill but this is hitting you so close to home. I will put her in my prayers along with all of us. Did she do chemo and Rads?

Lisa wow can you believe that time is going by so quickly you are 2/3 done. Hang tough.

Genia: Yikies!! I hate that you are have skin breakdown Come on Medical Advances it seems we could circumvent that some how. Be strong.. I am so sorry that you have you go through this.

I am 1/3 through. 11 out of 33. I have pain internally. Sharp stabbing pains and a continuous dull pain. But if this is as bad as it gets I could handle it. Oh hell I could handle a lot just hope I don't have to. I better go get dressed for rads. I hope I have more energy this week. Last week I felt depleted. I think walking into City of Hope everyday is depressing seeing advanced cases and children etc... Its tough. I have to remind myself that I am early stage and have a very good chance of long term survival. We are still Kicking Cancers Ass!!!!!!!!

Deb -- I am so sorry about your SIL.  That must be so difficult and scary for both of you, but she can beat the beast again and you are well on your way to good health, so keep the faith.

Bold -- Love your avatar!  Rads went very quickly for me and I hope that happens for you too.

Texas -- You are getting so close to the finish line -- I hope your skin holds out!  I had the Bone Density test and went on Arimidex before rads -- the rads kept me from focusing on the Arimidex SEs too much.

I finished 28 rads last Monday, saw the onc on Thursday -- he doesn't need to see me again for 6 months unless something comes up!  He did order an MRI that will be done this Thursday to find the source of pain in my neck that radiates down into my shoulders and up into my head,  Two of the discs in my neck were removed and replaced with a titanium plate in 2007 and the pain is the same as before that was done. Guess I just need to wait and see what the MRI shows, but suspect there are other discs that are degenerating in my neck -- bummer.  --bonnie

Hi Deb, Hugs and so sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. 

 Bkokie - - I think you are the first of our group to finish rads!  Thanks for hanging out and letting us know how it's going.  Are you taking tamoxifen/an AI??  Who in our group will finish last?

I'm on my count-down now; I have three more "full" treatments and then five boosts.  The RT's did a planning/measuring session for the boosts after my treatment session today.  My armpit has an area of open/raw skin under a silver dollar sized "peel." It stings / hurts, but the RT and RN both say it looks "not that bad" compared with what they've seen.  Will keep doing what I'm doing...

My husband gave me Sat night off from mom duty and I went up to the Sonoma Coast with four of my close girlfriends.  Very fun but we went totally off diet.  I perfected my margarita recipe and we took long walks on the coast, stayed up too late watching chick flicks (Dangerous Beauty and Love Actually), and talked.  Fun. 

Bold, Thanks for the warrior princess photo, beautiful - - is that you? My brother-in-law was an actor. They lived in the Bay Area and he mostly did commercials, but he had some small parts in movies.  He played Johnny in The Enforcer, but his character gets killed before the opening credits.

You know, my Oncologist told me to stay off the Internet, but she was mistaken.  I really appreciate all of you, your support, and this place to commiserate and share ways to best get through this time.

Love & Light, C

Well today was 14 out of 33.  19 left to go.  That's starting to sound a little better.  A little pain in the small scare under my arm.  It's the first time I noticed that.  But then most of my pink skin has been under the arm.

My SIL had a mastectomy and reconstruction and also receive chemo.  No radiation due to the mastectomy.  She had all of her lymph nodes removed and 3 or 4 of them were positive.  That's all I remember about her initial diagnosis and treatment.  Thanks for all of the support.  I keep hearing about stress leading to breast cancer.  But, I'm not sure how we avoid stress.  I mean life happens and keeps happening cancer or not.

There were times when I kept telling myself I needed to quit reading about my type of breast cancer,  It's pretty scary reading.  I never talked about with my oncologist, but, he seemed more positive than the Internet did.  So, I choose to believe him.  But, I'm so glad that I found this support group.

Early in my diagnosis I searched for support groups on myspace.  I found when but, when I went there, there were a lot of bikini babes wiggling their boobs.  It seemed pretty insensitive to me.  But, latter in my treatment I found you guys.  This is much better.

Well, today my energy level is good.  Hope it stays that way this week.

Bold I love you're Conan princess warrior pose.  We all need to take up a sword and go after this beast.

Best to all