December 2009 Rads Group

Pill - I like the new name runswithscissors... haha!! it is very different for sure.  I asked my techs and doc about increasing my radiation even more in order to get done by the end of 2009, but was told no dice.  I don't know... guess it's in my best interest but not my best pocket book interest.  I wish I lived somewhere I could have done the mammosite.  In the deep south we don't have a lot of options in small towns.  Good Luck opting out of the boosts.

Jeanette - Thanks for the positive spin on the fill in doc.  I may let him have alook see.  I'm kinda funny about things like that.  You are right he may tell me alot more than I know, but then again I may get nothing and and all he may gain is a look at my boob!!!!!!!!  And waste my time...

I'll just pray about it. 

Merry Christmas ladies!!

Merry Christmas to all......My husband is vacuuming and I have to get my feet off floor so here I am...Had a sunny Florida Christmas morn....Santa was good, got my Vitamin Shoppe gift cards, Home Depot cards, Gas cards, pretty nighty set, Blue Man Group tickets, I even got my plastic beach bucket with 2 shovels and a sifter (my best friend asked her husband for a metal detector) we figure as we are walking on the beach and getting our vit D that maybe we will find our fortune...

Jules, this will be our 10th anniversary, were both married twice before and finally got it right!!..My husband has gotten me an anniversary card every Friday since we met (we met on a Friday), I have hundreds of cards saved.....I was married less than 5 years to my first two, they were both nice guys, just not for me....I kept good relationships with both......Jules, you better slow down with those nintendo games, maybe you should see if they sell a "Knitting" one to play it safe!!..lol...

So to all the very best of Holidays......1 of Somanywomen

This is my my very first post. I have been reading about the different subjects for months. I was dx-ed back in June. I've been through chemo and surgery. Lump was removed with clear margins and 17 lymph nodes were taken out - only one had cancer. I started radiation December 30th and have 35 treatments to look forward to.

I am so grateful for these discussion boards. I found out that my feelings were shared by others. Even more so I felt like for the first time I wasn't alone. Sometimes I would sit and cry because somewhere here had my exact feeling. Thanks everyone. Now I start radiation and I am scared. I cried as they marked me and I cried when I got into the car and drove away. I'll get used to it in time. They tell me this is the easiest part. Is it????

 Hi everyone, I hope all is well this rads free weekend!

Welcome Veggy! I can understand you being upset. I was very upset when finding out about this and surgery day I was a complete mess. It is totally understandable. I was wondering what general area in PA you are from if you dont mnd me asking. (I am from PA too) The reason I ask is, my doctors said the radiation is the easy part so that rang a bell with me. As far as rads,. I am tired in the evening, and burning a bit but the main things that annoy me are the daily trip and the rads doctor. The machine itself is scarey but you feel nothing and its quick. Well please keep us posted on how you are doing. I hope everything goes smoothly for you.

Mimi Im so sorry you were not happy with the tv. I can understand that. Well just so hes a nice guy and not mean. Some men arent good gift givers. This year I got the Kindle yes, but sometimes my husband buys stuff he likes too. lol..Last year I got an LCD tv but I did wish for one because our old giant screen broke and we were using a portable, and believe it or not I watch tv more than him. But he doesnt send flowers and stuff anymore like the dating days, but hes still a good guy and has stuck by me thru all my health issues even before we got married. So thats all that matters is how men treat you.

Somanywomen, Im glad you had a nice holiday. Sounds like you have a great husband. That is so romantic a card every Friday! I had a friend who I now lost contact with, but her husband used to send her flowers every week. I often wonder if he still does it because this was long long ago after they first got married.

Well Im off to the shower. Have a good night and a good Sunday!

Jules

somanywomen, I know you've probably mentioned what the brand of calendula you're using is, but I can't seem to find it... would you mind sharing that again?

Mimi, yes I do have a great thoughtful husband, he's the only person that I have ever known that had the "Leave it to Beaver" lifestyle..., one brother and perfect parents (their house in Massachusetts even looks like Beave's house and the first time I saw my husbands childhood bedroom it still looked the same as it had while he was growing up and still does!!!)...Maybe that is how he became so nice, he never says a bad thing about anyone and the only person he gets mad at is himself when he makes a simple mistake...My upbringing was just the opposite!!!....But somehow it works!!!..When he first started getting me the every Friday cards (about 13 years ago), I asked him to stop spending money  on cards every week, now I don't know what I would do if I didn't get one.....I hate to tell you this, but he also always opens the car door for me, when he first started that I also thought (hey, I can get the door myself!!) now, 13 years later, I love it!!

Mimi and RunswithScissors, when I used to want nice material things (diamonds & gold) I would put them on a one-year no interest account at my favorite jewelry store and would have my husband and son make larger payments on my birthday, Mother's day, Valentine's day and Christmas (I called it my once-a-year-gift)..that way I got one really nice gift instead of a bunch of smaller gifts that I didn't want, I know it sounds selfish (I'm over being that materialistic now), but my husband and son would go to the jewelry store and make the payments and have the payments wrapped up in a pretty box, so it was fun and it made it easy for them, so it might work with your hubbys....

RunningWS..the calendula I found is Boiron's Calendula gel, found at "Vitamin Shoppe", but what I really wanted was the cream or even the spray, this one only has 7%  calendula, so look for the most calendula in a product...I just found Hyland's Calendula Spray on "Vitamin Shoppe" website and I am going to order it, has 22% calendula and a spray just sounds like it will feel good..it's on sale for about $10....

Jules842 - I am in the N.E. PA. How about you?

I'm sure it will go well. I just have a hard time getting used to new people and new routines.  I made it this far, I'll make it the rest of the way.

Hi Everyone, hope you are having a great day! My husband and I took my dad out to eat breakfast this morning and my son also met us there. Then I took down all the Christmas nik nak stuff. The tree and outdoor lights are still up. My husband will take them down New Years Day, Otherwise Ive been laying around most of the day.

Veggy, Id say I am in SE Pa. About 30 min. south of Allentown in the boom docks..( I used to live in the city until I got married for the 2nd time almost 3 yrs ago.).

Sunny, I love my Kindle so far. I only bought one book so far though. How do you get free books?

To everyone, I find it interesting how we each have different amounts "of total days" of rads. Even people with nearly the same stages (kinds) of breast cancer have different amounts. You would think if people have the same stages the rads amounts would be the same. Oh well..

Well, Im off to watch 500 Days of Summer with my husband. Take care for now and have a good night.

Jules.

Hi All - I saw the Onc filling in for my RADS onc today (the one I wasn't sure I was going to see), but I actually liked him better than mine.  He is older, he didn't feel the need to touch and mash on my breast, he looked at my skin and said is looked a little red but overall looked good.  He did check my underarm just to be sure that little knot I had felt wasn't there and it was gone.  Thank you LORD!!  He did listen to my lungs (I'm still not really sure what that is all about, they do it every week?).  He asked me if I was having any problems with my work letting me off to come to my rads appts. (Not sure why he asked that?)... But I told him NO!  I asked him (just to see what his answer would be) about the soreness in my rib area, he asked me when it started and I told him about on my 3rd RADS txt, he asked me if they were using a positioning device on me ( the thingy they put your arm up to the side of your body into keep it away from your underarm and breast when they are doing your treatment) and I told him YES.  He seems to think that the positioner is what is causing it.  I don't!! It doesn't pull my arm up over my head it lies it bent at the elbow with my forearm and hand pointing up toward my shoulder but pulled out enough away from my underarm.  But who really knows?  He thinks that has caused some pulled muscles in my side.  I would have to be out of shape pretty bad for that to happen and I'm not.  I think that is their way of not having to blame it on radiation.  So I guess I might as well "suck it up" and deal with it...  I have 26 more txts to go.  Oh my GOSH!!! Will I ever get done?  If my breast is already getting red after 12 what will it look like in 10 more?

Renee

somanywomen- My thoughts are this... it has been my experience with medications that usually one in 10 people will get at least one of the side effects that they tell you 1 in every 10000 will get.  So, therefore, I believe with radiation and from what I have read on these boards and the research I have done myself, that the opposite is true.  That more people, particularly ladies, receiving breast irradiation, tend to experience some sort of side effect.  From what my rads onc and techs have told me they do expect some level of burning and they have prescription creams that they will write for it, if and when it happens.  I believe it just depends on what clinic you are using.  But there again they are quick to ignore that other side effects are not "related" to the radiation, but the evidence is there, some research has been done, but it has not been written in STONE!  So many of the oncologist's chose to ignore it... like the inflamation in the rib area.  There is written evidence and research that rads causes Chostochondritis, but the Onc's are not quick to admit that is what causes it.  I am almost positive that is what I have.  I have all the symptoms and I expect it to go away when rads stop.  I totally agree with you that my confidence in doctors has been lowered about 75% since starting this journey, actually in the entire medical field.  I'm not even sure about the hospitals and insurance companies.  I don't trust them at all.  This is totally off subject, but I have 2 insurances and both are providers for the hospital I used for my surgery... the hospital is suppose to expect what the minimum they offer to pay is, but I received a bill Saturday for $2500.00 on my surgery!!!! What the heck is that about... I mean I don't feel like I should be left owing little to nothing with what I pay out in insurance premiums on 2 insurances.  But here I am with bills, and if I'm right I'm going to end up having to fight with insurance companies and hospitals over bills and then probably will still have to pay about the $4000.00 that the insurance companies didn't pay on the hospital/medical bills.  Heck I have a good job and so does DH, but we have other bills to pay and are on a budget.  Hospital bills are unexpected things that aren't included in the budget.  I'm not sure where $4000.00 will come from.  You can't get blood from a turnip (so to speak).

Thanks for listening to my rant!!!! 

Renee

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