December 2009 Rads Group

Jules, sorry you are so tired, I have more energy than I had before Lumpectomy and have not noticed  a decline yet....On the World News last nite, they were saying that the H1N1 flu seems to have had an effect on regular flu and they think it has kept regular flu from accuring this year...May not even need regular flu shot this year...Do some research and check it out before having both shots....I can't believe I got my shot at my local Walmart for $15..while doctors I have asked have gotten none....No se's so far, not even a red spot where injected....

Mimi, my redness so far goes away by morning, I am soaking my breast with calendula ointment in the evenings..My rad doc said okay to get shot, I figure it's a good idea before starting hormone drug so I can differentiate the symptoms....Also about that doc that checks you out with no nurse, that doesn't sound right!!! Trust your gut on this if it doesn't feel right...then tell him that you are more comfortable with the nurse in room or better yet, bring someone in with you during exams!!!!...

Happy Rad-Free weekend to all.....

Mimi sorry you have to make up rads Sunday. (I thought I would too but I dont) I guess the good news is, at least will put you further ahead towards the goal line..

Mimi, and everyone do ALL of your docs always listen to your lungs? They never listen to mine. They weigh me and take my blood pressure, thats it.

Somanywomen, its good you got the H1N1 shot at Walmart. We dont have any as I said. I think some schools here had the nasal one for the kids but thats it so far.

Thanks for the well wishes. I have a sore throat now, and am hoarse (on and off). Not so tired today yet, (it usually hits me at night). After rads I was nauseated, but ate early lunch (even though I had breakfast hours before..lol..) and the nausea cleared up after I ate. So anyway, I must be getting a cold. I hope thats it.

I saw my pain team after rads today. Now I need a hip MRI after rads is overwith, because my hips bad in addition to my back (grrrr).

At least I can rest this weekend. They want alot of snow here. (blah.I wish I was in Florida...lol)..

Take care everyone and have a rad free weekend or half a weekend (mimi) and keep us posted on all your updates.

((hugs))

Jules

Thanks Mimi. Im sorry about your ribs. I read someplace on here that others had trouble with their ribs. Maybe check the earlier rads threads and maybe you can find it and see what they said and what they did for it.

How is everyone else doing today? We are in the middle of a major blizzard in PA here. Ugh. I hope it clears by Monday for the rads trip. Nothing else is new, just enjoying the weekend except for the snow. That Im not enjoying...lol..

Take care ((hugs))

Jules

9 down, 21 to go. I'm glad to have the weekend off. Christmas, New Year's Day, and MLK day will be off as well.

I got the H1N1 vaccine. Kaiser put it on my list of stuff to do. Also the regular flu shot.

In my two weekly checkups so far, they only weigh me and look at the skin. No listening to lungs, no blood pressure. The dr has been saying that I won't feel anything in the lungs at all. I'm not sure I go along with that. My voice is also hoarse at times.

A patch of skin in the center of my chest is turning red. Weird isolated place. This is along with the entire breast and armpit also turning redder. 

While my breast is turning red, all the rest of me is turning quite pale.  I have not read about this as a side effect. Has anyone else? 

I have some swelling, too. The breast and also the upper arm.

Mimi: I had pain in one spot for about 5 weeks after the second lumpectomy, but it has gone away. Since I have been putting the lotion on three times a day I have been rubbing the scar, especially a thick, lumpy area. It was very uncomfortable to do at first, but it is easier now. 

Have starting feeling very tired at times. Naps!

Bonnie

somanywomen and Bonnie - I have started to get more tired lately.  It seems that all I want to do is sleep, at times I get so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open... of course I do, I am not able to lie down in the middle of the afternoon or evening and take a nap. 

To all you ladies that are on the East Coast from North Carolina to Boston and New York... Merry White Christmas.  I'm sorry that you are buried in snow if you don't want to be, for those of you that do... Enjoy!!! Stay warm and cozy.  

I'm off to get ready for # 8, I have a 9:30 rads appt this morn and then off to church to sing in our Christmas program. :-)

Renee

Hi Ladies,

I am joining late. I have #11 of 25 today. I'm a teacher and have had a hard time keeping up with work (report cards, conferences, holiday stuff) but am off for 2 weeks so I'll have time to check in now. Can you believe the rad tech asked me if I was going away on vacation for these weeks? I said, "No. Just going tanning everyday.". He's gotten on my nerves since day 1. The other tech is adorable though. Is it wrong to hit on him? Lol. Looking forward to sharing and learning from you all!

Hi Lissette - Welcome!!! Wow #11 out of 25 that's great...

I did #9 out of 38 today!!  This evening I found a small hard "knotty" area just above the area where my sentinel lymphnode dissection was done.  It is a little tender and seems to coincide with running down my side to my rib area where I have had so much soreness.  I was wondering if this was the beginning of "cording"?  Does anyone know?  I am hoping not!!! I going to ask the RADS techs in morning if I can see the rad onc and let him check it out.  I'm kinda worried.

Renee

lissette, welcome..what a beautiful smile you have, that tech should be so lucky if you hit on him...

sunnyfornow, I too am jealous, today  is my 15 of 30, I thought I would be finished by first week of Jan, but with all the holidays, not until Jan 14..Will you be going on hormone treatment, which and keep us updated...

Mimi, I am sore also still (surgery Oct. 28)  have firmness all around lumpectomy and very hard scar area...Also tenderness and hardness at sentinel node scar....I don't know what cording is, please explain for me....

One down, 27 to go!  I was surprised to find that it takes longer to park, check in and get gowned than the actual treatment itself.

Ladies, I had my 1st of 19 rounds today.  They were so nice--told me in advance everything they were going to do--the room was a comfortable temperature (not freezing) and I got to keep everything on below the waist.  I am using Aquaphor Intense and am going to use it twice a day although I think someone suggested using it 3 times a day.  It sure is gunky and kinda creeps me out but I guess I will get used to it.

somanywomen- Here is some information I found to explain exactly what cording is... Hope this helps.

 # Cording occurs as a result of the lymph glands and lymph channels being removed from your axilla region or armpit
# Cording often shows itself as a palpable tight and painful band of tissue (like a cord - hence the name) running down the arm towards the hand
# Cording can be felt at any part of the arm (Marjory had pain and tightness down the back of her arm but I've heard of other women who feel it in the forearm or around the elbow)
# Cording is a kind of soft tissue tightness usually seen in the axilla.
It can extend from the mastectomy or lumpectomy or even the drain scar down the arm to the wrist. It is painful and can sometimes recur. The pain of cording can settle in a few weeks or can last for months
# Some physical therapists say that the cords can be stretched or massaged and that this can lead to an immediate improvement in range of motion and a decrease in pain. Some women say that massage is too painful to tolerate
# Cording is probably due to changes in the arm's lymph vessels and can appear six to eight weeks following surgery or even months afterwards.

Many surgeons don't tell women about this, like they don't tell you about lymphdema or about the need to do exercises for the arm on the affected side.

Congrats to you Jayne and again to you sunnyfornow on completing RADS!!

cowgirl - Congrats on starting your first rads... you are now on your way to being done.  

I completed #10 today out of 38!!! I hate the last rad day of the week... gotta see the onc and the stinking nurse (LOL I am one), get vital signs and get WEIGHED!!! I still don't think it's any of their business how much I weigh.  May not let them weigh me again tomorrow.  They may end up not liking me by the end of this.  haha!!  If I still weighed 136lbs I wouldn't care, but add about 34 or so to that and I don't want to be getting on the scales for no doc. :=)  that's my perrogative (sp?) 

Thanks somanywoman Im glad someone misses me..lol.. (I feel alone at times).. My husband is playing w his 45 records so I have time for awhile. Actually he doesnt mind if Im on here, I just feel rude typing away, since hes off work.

I hope everyone is doing ok. Thanks Mimi for the fantastic info on cording. (and I agree, docs dont say anything until it happens! And they lie!)

Today I need to vent...Sorry....I am very upset and mad. Because at rads, the man doc told me the lady doc (whos been on vacation for 2 weeks) will add 5 boosts at the end. Well my chart says 28 total and thats what she told my husband and I.

NOW it will be 33! My husbands job is waiting for months to put him on dayshift and hes supposed to start the 18th. (He even added extra time on there in case but not 5 more boosts time!)..Sooooo. Now I wont be done w rads (due to the 5 boosts) when he starts days AND my place has NO afternoon appointments EVER... The reason Im mad is this is the 6th time docs lied to me since this whole thing started! Do they think this is a game? So I dont know what Im going to do. I dont drive anymore because I am on so many back meds Im in slow motion, plus Im not supposed to drive due to my spine issues and nerve pain in my legs.

Well take care gang and thanks for listening. We need to stand up to these docs like we are standing up to cancer (IMO)!

(((hugs)))

Jules.

somanywomen - I was told by my rad onc that I was getting 72.4 Grays (?) kind of a weird number, but that is what he told me.  He did tell me that he usually prescribes 60, but since my clear margin was only 1mm he increased my dose and I am getting that over 38 txts with the last 5 being boosts and the last 5 before that they will take some kind of cylinder and pull all of my breast tissue away from the chest wall and just radiate the whole breast tissue where the tumor was and the boosts will be done directly to the incision site.  So I guess if you do the math I am getting about the same per day as you are but I am just getting more txts over a longer period of time.  If my doc does it the way they explained it to you.  I haven't asked, my techs don't seem to be to forth coming with the technical info.  But then I've never asked them...guess that might help huh!!

sunnyfornow - definitely stick around we need your input since you have completed everything and know what we all are going through... You too Jayne!

Jules- Glad to hear from you.  Hope things work out for you with your rads appts.  I really hate it when people lie to me. That makes me "madder than a sore tailed hornet" as my grandma use to say... we are from Alabama.  LOL!!

Now ... I was going to talk to my rad onc today about the little hard area I had found by my incision under my arm (that was sore but now it's better), but when I went in today they told me he had left already.  It seems he is gone on a deep see diving vacation in the South Pacific and will also be gone all next week.  I had the nurse look at it and she doesn't think it's anything.  She also told me that another doctor will be covering for him next week and he will be seeing me on Monday... everyone is suppose to be seen by the doctor every week (that's what she told me).  Anyway I asked her if I had to see another doctor, that I already had too many doctors and of course I named them all off (5 to be exact) and that I really didn't want another doctor looking at me that I don't know and that doesn't know me.  I told her that they were probably going to think I was difficult, she said no it was my body.  I told her I was just in my nursing mode.  Am I wrong for not wanting a "filling in doctor" that doesn't know me or my case looking at my breast and my skin for one week?!!!  What would ya'll do?

Hi folks, Pill here - I just changed my  ID -

 Since my doc accelerated my treatments so I could finish before 2010, I now have only 4 treatments left. 

As for the boosts - that would add another week if I opt for it. She gave me the choice because she said boosts are less helpful for women over 50. 

My big 5-0 b-day is in a few weeks - so I'm opting out of boosts - I lose about 5% protection from reucrrence she says.....    hence the new name - runs with scissors.