October Rads. 2009

I will start my radiation sometime in September, but will end in October.  I have my rad onc consultation 9-3.  It is not anything I am looking forward to, but we gota do what we gota do.

I am 2 weeks post lumpectomy and have felt really good.  I have full range motion of my arm and I am so thankful for that.

I live 50 miles from work, work 50 miles from the hospital and live 50 miles from the hospital.  So when I start I will be doing 150 miles a day.  I hope I am not too tired to make it home.  I will try to do mine late in the day, so I can get as much work in as possible, unless I get fatigued and just can't do it. 

The funny part is that I am working on a special project at work for "Fatigue Management".  I may be the first one to experience the fatigue.

I love your picture.  You have a great spirit.  So far, I have been told that I will probably not need chemo, but I have not seen the onc yet, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.  If it is what is recommended, then that is what I will do.

Good luck on your rads and I hope that don't make you toooooooo fatigued.

Hugs

Juannelle

Oh, I know I could do chemo, if that is what the doctor orders.  I have sister-in-law who was dx with ovarian cancer about 4 years ago, she was so strong through all her treatments.  She was OK for 4 years and is now undergoing chemo again.  She is my inspiration, because she has been so strong through all of her treatments.  Here she is just finding out her cancer has reoccurred and she calls me often to make sure I am doing OK.  The thing is, I had not even had surgery and wasn't feeling sick at all.  She is great support for me.

I bought the Susan Love Breast Book today and so far it is very informative.  Maybe it can give me some insite  on what to expect.  I get lots of information here, but there may be something that I just want more information on.

I have a great respect for all of you who have already gone through mx, chemo and are getting ready for radiation.  This just seems to be a very long process for any treatment that is required. 

Juannelle

Hi Oct Rads.....I just finished chemo two weeks ago and had my oncology radiologist appointment yesterday.  Got marked and tattooed and am ready to start on Oct 5.  I only have three tiny marks and it felt like a bee sting so was not bad.  My doctor suggested using unscented Vitamin E cream, aloe, Aquaphor, or Eucerin on skin following the treatment to keep the skin from getting irritated.  I know that Calendula cream is also very good for skin irritations or sunburn.  She also mentioned that some patients like to use the oil from Vitamin E capsules as long as they have no fragrance.  And, of course, no deodorant.....yuck!  Patti

JONI2.....You know, I am not completely sure why.  Everything I have been reading, just like post lumpectomy and lymph node surgery, says to not use deodorant.  I think it must have to do with fragrance and some of the chemicals (paraban) used in them.  I have since switched to a natural, fragrance free deodorant.  When I asked my doctor about using the natural deod....her response was "I wouldn't put anything on radiated skin".  If my brain had been engaged I would have asked, "then why the lotion after radiation to the breast"?  Definitely needs more inquiry..... Patti

Thanks Nancy-that makes sense-like when we get mammos!

Joni2

Hey ladies!! Not sure yet if I will be having rads in October or November? I am having my mastectomy surgery on September 25th, so sometime after that??

Nope, nothing! I finished chemo August, and he said he'd see me in 6 months. Not sure that there is anything out there for triple - ? after chemo

I believe there is the PARP trial that's going on but I missed out on it or something?

Hi Girls,

Thanks for starting this thread PauldingMom!  I'm joining you girls! 

I was diagnosed on March 10th, had a lumpectomy with 2 dirty margins on April 13th, did Chemo after surgery (finished Chemo 7/22 - Taxol, Carboplatin and of course, Herceptin which will continue for a year), saw my Rad Onc in late August,  and had a re-excision on September 3rd.  I had clear margins and no sign of cancer (Thank God!!). 

I'm going for my CAT scan on September 24th with Rads scheduled to begin the first week in October.  They wanted to wait until a month after surgery. 

Thus far, I've been given samples of Eucerin and was told to start using it right after my stitches were removed to prepare myself.  I'm nervous, but not as frightened as I was before Chemo.  After going through and surviving that, I think I can deal with anything although the idea of my skin breaking down is pretty intimidating!   I'm feeling much better after my Chemo side effects.  The fatigue and pain was crushing!!  It's a bit depressing knowing that the fatigue may come back, but I'm hoping it's not nearly as bad as the fatigue I suffered during Chemo.  At one point, I was sleeping 14-16 hours a day!!  It can't be that bad, can it?  I guess I'm about to find out!! 

Good luck to all my October Rad sisters.  May we experience as few side effects as possible!

Edited to Add:  I'm having 30 treatments.  25 Regular and 5 Boosts.  My surgeon suggested a Mammosite but unfortunately, my breasts are too dense.  Oh Well!!

Tracy here, I'll join y'all.  Just set my initial radiation appointment (the one that includes the ct scan and is supposed to take a long time) for Oct. 1.  Would have been this week, but I developed a seroma that had to heal first.

In August I had a right mastectomy for extensive DCIS.  For various reasons, my chances for discovery of invasion at time of mastectomy were as high as 30%, but final pathology says no invasion, so no chemotherapy.  However, my case did go to a tumor board because two foci of cancer were 0.1 mm from the chest muscle at the bottom of the breast, and I had similarly close margins at the chest wall and breast skin.  Apparently the lower half of my breast was filled with the stuff.

Unanimous decision of the tumor board is that I should have radiation followed by five years of Tamoxifen, so here I am...glad for the extra precaution, but of course anxious about side effects short term and long term.  Better to be cautious, of course, esp. now that I have learned no mastectomy specimen can be one hundred per cent examined under the microscope simply because it would be such an exhaustive process.  The tissue is blocked, then sliced, then placed on slides, but the slicing simply cannot be as thin as the cancer cells so there is always that chance of something being missed.  Comforting, huh?

In answer to the question about morning or evening, I've been told by two co-workers who have gone through it that the machines do go down periodically, and that results in delays...they tend to develop such problems later in the day after running hour after hour.  I was encouraged to choose morning if timing was critical--less chance of being stuck in the waiting room for an extra thiry minutes to an hour or more.  We're teachers, and the fact that in my case students will be in the classroom waiting for me at 9: 27 each day makes it all the more important that the treatments happen on time.  Could go after 4:00 when machine delays wouldn't affect work, but oh my, the difference in fighting traffic at that hour is huge where I live.  Talk about delays!

So, radiation in two weeks.  Sorry we all have to do this, but glad to have the good company :- )

I see my rad onc on 9/21.  I hope to start mine in October.  As much as I fear rads, I fear Mas. more.

Hi All - I am Linda and just finished my last taxotere last Thursday, met with the radiologist on Tuesday, and am going back on Oct. 6th for the ct and the markings, then the next day for simulation and then will begin the rads sometime shortly after that.  So I will be joining you all this October.  I am scheduled for 33 sessions and had a lumpectomy with re-excision back in late March and early April.  She said Aloe was the best, but that I could use whatever I wished.  Not sure what to buy.  I hope all of us have uneventful radiation sessions.  Dang, it's just got to be better than the chemo!

Linda 

Hello everyone, I will start rads on the 21 of sept. but since there are only 8 rad days left in Sept, most of my treatments will be in October and ending Nov. 3rd, so I'd like to say hi to all of you and wish you the best as you start radiation treatment.

Like L-one, I have a long way to travel for treatment too, about 76 miles one way, found out this week during intial consultation and SIMS that is is doable, but will probably toward the end be a drag.

I was asked what time was best for me, I thought 10:30am sounded good to me, would just have to leave home at 9 am, and being retired from working outside the home, I like to not get up at 6 am anymore. My luck was that this time was available after i have completed my first 3 treatments.

Being 68 years young I still can't imagine going to work too during cancer treatment, I can't understand how so many of you can do that, but admire you for it.

I had lumpectomy end of July, had a bad reaction to the blue tracer dye, so have been waiting for it to clear before rads.

I had already bought aloe vera as I was told that the first visit, and today was handed a bottle of that by the techs, how nice of them.

Well, I will check back in with you ladies on and off, and again best of luck to all of you.

dsgirl