soooo red and blistered what kind of shirts would help

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mickey3
mickey3 Member Posts: 17
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hello I am 12 treatments in. My left breast  is sooooo red  looks like it is purple under my arm. I am using the B.A. cream like they told me. Doesn't seem to help. They are unable to do the bolus since I burned so bad. I have a few blisters along the underarm where your seam of your shirts hit. Do you have any suggestions to help with the pain, burning. What kind of clothes do you suggest. Most shirts have seams...ugh. Any suggestions would help. Thanks keep fighting

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  • Sparrow
    Sparrow Member Posts: 262
    edited November 2009

     I'm so sorry you're burning!!!  :(

    I have only had my 1st treatment so far  ;)  but what about wearing a soft t-shirt inside out under a hoodie?  That way the seams wouldn't bother you as much.

    I bought some  XL misses/juniors  t-shirts at Target yesterday.  They have a lot of super-soft t-shirts in stock right now.  I bought a few with long sleeves and they only cost $5!  :O

    I would normally never go without a bra but it's been chilly here lately.  A really soft t-shirt under a warm zip-front hoodie seems to do the trick.   

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  • mickey3
    mickey3 Member Posts: 17
    edited November 2009
    HI Sparrow!  Thanks for your response. I have been wearing shirts inside out with zip ups. That does help just tired of wearing same old thing...lol the camisoles I started wearing at night with my dressings seems to be working inside out also. thanks for the tip about Target will check it out. How many treatments do you have to have? I sure hope it goes well for youSmile Take care and keep fighting!!!
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  • apple
    apple Member Posts: 7,799
    edited November 2009

    i have silk tanks.. very plan, no darts - i wear them under everything.

    dharmatrading co. has them.. I've been fortunate to find them on the 2nd hand market

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  • rreynolds1
    rreynolds1 Member Posts: 450
    edited November 2009

    I finished my rads in August.  I was told to wear 100% cotton especially to sleep.  The best bra I found was called Barely There from Kohls.  I still wear it because it is sooo comfortable.  Not much support but very comfortable.

    Be sure to keep it well lubed.  There is a prescription creme that you can ask about.  It's expensive but insurance will cover it.

    It will be over before you know it and it heals quickly.  Just be sure to continue your moisturizers for at least 2 months after treatment.  I was advised that the radiation is still working for awhile and can still irritate our breasts.

    Roseann

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  • sandy22509
    sandy22509 Member Posts: 8
    edited November 2009

    I did not need to do radiation so I can not speak towards this personally.  I just wanted to say that I do wear a VERY soft t-shirt that I bought at Target.  This may be the same that Sparrow is talking about but just in case it is not.  These are in with the pajamas.  They are VERY lightweight, tissue weight they call them.  They are advertised as a sleep T and come in a variety of colors both short and long sleeved.  I have heard that Old Navy also has some very lightweight and soft T's but I have not gone there myself.  Hope you find something to help. Good luck.

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  • sta1129
    sta1129 Member Posts: 71
    edited November 2009
    The best advice the nurses gave me when I hit that red and blistered phase was this - lay naked in front of a fan as much as possible. Sounds kind of goofy, but it helped - along with the gel it kept the area cool, kept air moving so it could heal quickly, and kept anything from rubbing against the area. Of course, you can't go naked all the timeWink so I got rid of the bra and was 100% cotton, softest I could find, all the time. I, too, found soft shirts, towels, camisoles at Target.
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  • mickey3
    mickey3 Member Posts: 17
    edited November 2009
    Thank you everyone I am headed to Target tomorrow. I appreciate all your responses.  Smile
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  • mickey3
    mickey3 Member Posts: 17
    edited November 2009

    Hi Roseann do you remember the prescription name? I do have a cream they gave me B.A. Thanks again!

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  • Sparrow
    Sparrow Member Posts: 262
    edited November 2009

    Mickey, you have had 12 treatments so far?  You are my hero!!!...  or is it heroine?  ;)

    My doctor told me I would have to have 28 treatments but the tech wrote '25' on my appointment sheet.  I'm inclined to agree with the tech right now.  ;)

    The  $5 Target t-shirts  were in a display by themselves in the regular junior's department. They have long sleeves and are super soft.  There is no brand name on the tag, it just says 'Country of origin-  Egypt.'  I'm sure if you look you can find them.  The $5 sign is hard to miss.  ;)

    Haha, I work out of my house.  I have given up on wearing anything but t-shirts & hoodies until rads is over with.

    Let us know what works for your burns!  Ugh, I am so sorry!  Someone posted about 10% apple cider vinegar 90% water soaks for radiation burns a while back.  http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/70/topic/739585?page=8   MTG's post, about 2/3 of the way down the page.I'm thinking I will try this if nothing else works. 

    Good luck!!!  I am sending you good vibes!!!  :)

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  • chimayo
    chimayo Member Posts: 4
    edited November 2009

    Hi Mickey,

     I was advised to line my bra with a soft piece of silk.  Sounded ridiculous to me, but I swear by it.  I had a very thin silk handkerchief which saved me, I believe.  I laid the silk on my breast, put on my bra, and it really was remarkable how much it helped.

    Regarding the burning, I did not experience that at all.  I applied cream to the breast immediately after treatment (while I was in the changing room) and carried a fan (an Asian hand fan) to help speed up the drying process.  I did that each day, and applied more cream after each shower and before bed.  I believe OVERDOING it is better than underdoing it.  Nothing to lose by using a lot of cream! 

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  • rreynolds1
    rreynolds1 Member Posts: 450
    edited November 2009

    Sorry but I don't.  I found out about it by accident.  I asked the pharmasist for help finding an Aloe creme and he said they had a prescription creme if my symptoms were really bad. He said his wife needed it when she went through radiation.  My breast wasn't badly burned so I never found out what it was called.  I would ask you radiologist/oncologist for the best prescription creme available as long as you have insurance.  Why suffer?!

    Roseann

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  • Ivylane
    Ivylane Member Posts: 544
    edited November 2009

    Hi Mickey... When I had rads someone told me to get a GOOD quality mens cotton t-shirt and wash it in Ivory snow... worked like a charm.... hope this helps

    Ivy 

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  • nancy258
    nancy258 Member Posts: 162
    edited November 2009

    Mickey, last year when I was going through radiation the only thing that worked for me during the worst period was my husband's sleeveless undershirts (sometimes referred to as wife beaters).  The arm holes are nice and wide so the seams didn't rub like a woman's cut camisole.  I would tuck them in the fold under my breast to prevent skin on skin rubbing then cover up with one of my husband's button down cotton dress shirts.  These were oversized on me so they would just hang with no rubbing.  Good luck.  The worst is only a few weeks.  You'll be healed up before you know it.  Hang in there!

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  • linn56
    linn56 Member Posts: 210
    edited November 2009

    About 2 weeks ago the rad doctor prescribed  a cream called Radiaplex. The hospital pharmacy carried it, I'm not sure about regular pharmacies. It is a burn cream that is for both radiation burns and 2 or 3rd degree burns. It helped a lot. Before that I was using aloe, which was fine until about the third week when it was not strong enough. Aloe was soothing but it did not really sink in like the Radiaplex. The techs gave me Aquaphor but to me that just felt like slathering myself in Vaseline.

    I bought some 100% cotton sleeveless mens undershirts to wear. I had to wear a bra the whole time as I was too achy to go without. I bought a sports bra that has a back opening and a very wide band under the breasts, so it does not hit me in the wrong area.

    So I wore the soft cotton  undershirt UNDER the bra. If it had been a tee shirt with sleeves it would not have fit.

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  • desdemona222b
    desdemona222b Member Posts: 776
    edited November 2009

    My rads onc gave me a tube of lidocaine gel that help a LOT.  I am sorry to hear you're having these problems - hang in there.

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