January 2010 Rads Start

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  • weety
    weety Member Posts: 1,163
    edited February 2010

    Oh, I forgot to ask my question.  I have a family funeral (my uncle) to go to on Monday.  Is it safe to skip the rads that day even though that would mean 3 days with no treatment (sat, sun, mon)?

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  • DebbieSawyer
    DebbieSawyer Member Posts: 133
    edited February 2010

    weety--I thought that was interesting too, about breathing or holding your breath during tx. I was told to breathe normally.

    Double check with your rads dr for the okay, but I and others have missed three days in a row for a holiday, or a break due to health issue (acid reflux). And when we had a huge storm a few weeks ago here in CA, the cancer treatment center lost power, so I only got three tx days that week. Shouldn't be a problem, but again DO check with your doctor.

    Oh hey, I see you're in CA too...you probably got that same big storm...

    (edited to correct spelling. I hate when I do that!)

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  • RedheadPam
    RedheadPam Member Posts: 98
    edited February 2010

    weety - In my case, it's the position of my heart.  When I did the sim, they checked it first breathing normally, but felt my heart was too much in the rads field.  So I fill my chest with air, and that pushes my heart back out of the way. They always shoot for breathing normally, but go the other way if necessary. Maybe being over-cautious, but that's ok by me!

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  • sophie305
    sophie305 Member Posts: 37
    edited February 2010

    Dear weety and precioustime, no chemo for me either.  And I've not been told to hold my breath although I've heard others who've been told to do that.  Interesting how different things are from one person to another.  Maybe it does have something to do with supine patients and how the breath-holding effects lungs/heart? 

    Debbie, consider yourself HUGGED, propped up, supported and whatever else is needed to keep us moving.

    Well I just shifted back into high gear...no naps today..just learned my 80-yr old aunt (my mom's sister and my godmother) was just admitted to the hospital due to a bad fall and head injury today...I'll stop to see her after my tx today and see how she's doing.  oh boy......

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  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited February 2010

    I think the idea is to just hold as still as you can without stopping to breathe! My rad onc told me that with breast, radiation is not a perfect science anyways and they keep adjusting every week. Not very comforting to hear, is it? :-)

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  • victoriasecret
    victoriasecret Member Posts: 333
    edited February 2010

    Weety they canceled my friday last week for equipment maintenance so that was 3 days so do not think it will be a problem they will just add it on to your treatment..

     ML...C

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  • victoriasecret
    victoriasecret Member Posts: 333
    edited February 2010

    Back form rads...again ...no one has told me to hold my breath ...just breath normally.

    I have a group of 4 friends who signed up for my chemo treatment they would take turns..although  I can take myself to rads again I have a group of friends who tag along( 1 at a  time )...they don't realize how much it means to me ! Usually we do lunch after make a mid afternoon of it  . the radiation team has let me show my GFs the rads room so they can see what exactly is being done, most of them had never been in a Cancer treatment center( I hope they never do) and it has been an eye opener for them . I love my friends !!!

    ml C

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  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited February 2010

    What's up dawgs!

    I just tried to take slow breaths. I figure with full breast rads it's all good.

    Anyone here do partial!

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  • DebbieSawyer
    DebbieSawyer Member Posts: 133
    edited February 2010

    You have GREAT friends, victoriasecret! You must be a wonderful friend to them as well, if they're wanting to go to the cancer treatment center with you. I would have loved my GF's to come to tx with me, then do lunch or something fun. But no one offered... :(((

    ((Hi sophie!))

    Onty---that's the second time I've heard that rads isn't an exact science. Remember Cookiegal mentioned her techs said the same thing. Gulp. With all the mathmatical calculations they did to design the treatment, you'd think it would be as accurate as the World Clock!

    Checked out your cancerzilla blog, cookiegal. If you're not making money as a writer, you should be---it was a fun read!!! You have a crazy sense of humor. And that's a good thing.

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  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited February 2010

    when they tell you the se's get worse after...believe it!!

    I just blistered this evening...still VERY tired.

    Oh well....could be worse

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  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited February 2010

    Yeah my rad onc told me to expect the worst skin issues near or after the end of rads. She said the same is true for chemo side effects and I experienced it so I totally believe her.



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  • AsiaYM
    AsiaYM Member Posts: 2,216
    edited February 2010

    3 down and 30 to go.  Skin looks OK and could feel a little bit warmth so far.  Karen

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  • Sido
    Sido Member Posts: 234
    edited February 2010

    Chemo hit me the hardest at the last tx too.  But rads fatigue for me is different than chemo fatigue.  It comes on more suddenly and goes away after I rest a while, where the chemo lingered.

    Congrats on finishing Cookie!

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  • DaylilyFan
    DaylilyFan Member Posts: 80
    edited February 2010

    Juli-CA:  Hair follicles?!!  Who knew?  I had itchy red bumps right in the center of my breastbone but was told it was allergic reaction to the sticker covering the mark and that the radiation didn't quite reach that area.  I have adhesive issues, so this sounded plausible, but now I wonder why I didn't react to any of the other stickers.

    RedheadPam:  Seems like a pap smear during rads is adding insult to injury!  Kudos for getting through it without murdering anyone, metaphorically, I mean. 

    #16 of 21 today!  Boosts start tomorrow (Thurs.), and I am nervous, which is ridiculous but there it is.  I am quite relaxed and cheerful and calm for treatment until the techs leave the room.  Then I become super-conscious of my breathing, which all of a sudden becomes harder and faster.   So I am quite sympathetic about fear and nervousness!

    I'm 61 and haven't experienced any fatigue yet.  I think it's adrenaline kicking in from the stress!  Or maybe all that exercise is helping.  No appetite loss, either, darn it!  Dear lord, I ate an entire box of cheese crackers last night.  There's something so satisfying about crunching!

    Armpit to breast edge is "sunburned" and feels it.  The rad onc warned me that it would continue to color up but he's not expecting lobster red, thank goodness.  My last session is next Wednesday, which is also check-in with the rad onc day.  He said he would not see me after that for a month, so I guess he's not expecting any dreadful reaction to the boosts.

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  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited February 2010

    well radiation nation

    I am starting to peel

    nite dawgs!

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  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited February 2010

    Cookie,

    Hope the skin heals fast. I am beginning to understand why so many choose mastectomy and reconstruction instead of lumpectomy and rads.

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  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited February 2010

    Sanaisa,

    Good luck for your first rads today.

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  • precioustime
    precioustime Member Posts: 233
    edited February 2010

    This evening will be #4 of #33 treatments.

    My skin is feeling a little warm today and after treatments, I am VERY thirsty!  Maybe because they are doing RADS to the mediastinal lymph nodes?

    They are using a Bollus on me for all treatments.

    The boosts are incorporated in all of my 33 treatments per Rad Tech.  Is anyone else getting this?

    Unklezwifeonty-  I am one who had BMX and rt. axilla dissection and still going through RADS!  On the positive side-- I feel like I have done the most aggresive treatments as possible to rid myself of the C word!

    Loretta

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  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited February 2010

    Dear Precious,

    I feel for you. I guess you are having Rads because of # nodes?

    Gals, I am 2 done, 19 to go!

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  • mom2acat
    mom2acat Member Posts: 556
    edited February 2010

    Weety; I am having heartburn issues from radiation to my spine; my radiation oncologist has had take last Friday off from rads and also this Friday.

    Saw my internist today about the acid reflux/heartburn issues. No need to go in and look with the scope for now, but if the pain gets worse, and I have symptoms of an ulcer, then he will need to do it. For now he is trying me on some new meds (and a bland diet) til my stomach heals. I have a 25 day supply of Kapidex samples to use instead of my usual generic prescription Prilosec.

    3 more treatments to go; 1 this afternoon and I finish up on Monday and Tuesday.

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  • sophie305
    sophie305 Member Posts: 37
    edited February 2010

    Cookie, Radiation Nation indeed...I love your comments but hate that you're having these SEs kick in. 

    Onty, your comment on mastectomy vs lumpectomy plus rads is EXACTLY what my mom said years ago when her SEs got so bad.  But today she still has her breast...smaller after the partial mastectomy (when they took about 1/3 of the tissue) and sagging (at 83 1/2 yrs)...this too shall pass. 

    Daylily, we both start boosts today!  And I'm dragging today with my left girl getting pinker by the minute...little red bumps on my chest between my boobs and it's not any kind of allergic reaction to adhesive...it's rad burn.

    (((Debbie)))

    So many of us right now moving in the same direction...pink, red and all variations between, dragging our fatigue-ridden selves as we limp our way to the finish line....HUGS to all...we're going to make it...

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  • SoCalDawn
    SoCalDawn Member Posts: 51
    edited February 2010

    Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all you gals who posted in January. I have read each and every post and it has made me more prepared for my radx which is to start on 2/15. I am a single parent and a business owner so I have some significant anxiety about all of this that comes and goes without warning. Your posts have been incredibley informative and I admire each of your strengths and senses of humor. No one quite understands this as well as someone who has experienced it.

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  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2010

    Well, today is Tx 28 out of 35, and I am getting very. tired. of going to the hospital.  I'd misremembered the split between full field and boost treatments, so today is my last full field day; I start boosts tomorrow.  At least the skin looks good where the top layer has peeled away, and it's only now starting to get a little tender.

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  • precioustime
    precioustime Member Posts: 233
    edited February 2010

    Thank you January Rad Ladies for all of your insight and shared experiences-- I started RADS Feb 1st so I moved on over to February 2010 Rads post. 

    Loretta

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  • sophie305
    sophie305 Member Posts: 37
    edited February 2010

    Welcome SoCalDawn, as a fellow DCISer, single and trying to maintain my full-time position while dealing with this, I emphathize totally.  My diagnosis is exactly the same as yours except they didn't do the nodes test and I'm ER+/PR- which they tell me is still "okay" for the hormone therapy which I'll learn about tomorrow when I see the med onc for the first time. 

    This has been a great discussion board to help me through these past weeks.  Keep reading and posting and good luck in your journey!

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  • AsiaYM
    AsiaYM Member Posts: 2,216
    edited February 2010

    4th down, 29 to go. I can do this.

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  • DebbieSawyer
    DebbieSawyer Member Posts: 133
    edited February 2010

    A big shout out to the 1/10 Atomic Dogs!!!  ar-ar-woooOOOOoooo!

    Well, my breast pink/red color is turning to red/tan, light brown. Doesn't hurt at all, but the incision sites sting a little. Some blistering on my chest is now showing up, though (definitely from rads, since I didn't have any adhesive tape put there!). I am continuing to apply lotions 2-3x a day, use Dove soap, and drink wine. Or was I supposed to stop the wine when rads ended? Ah well, I'll keep drinking until someone tells me to stop....

    Pretty fatigued too. I can do what needs to be done, and the fatigue seems to hit hardest when I sit down, so I don't sit too much during the day! But at night, WHAMMM. I'm on the couch watching TV (good thing "Lost" and "24" are back on), and can barely stay awake.

    Cookiegal--since you're now peeling, how red/painful did your skin get? How is Big Red doing? Read about your Vancouver trip, sounds like a blast. You're a gutsy girl going to SLC by yourself; that's very cool.

    Onty--Yahoo, gurl, you're finally on your way! Are you feeling pretty comfortable with the process? How are your techs treating you?

    catwrangler--Way to go!! 28 txs down! Glad your skin is doing well. Where it peeled, will it be affected by the boosts? Understandable you're getting very tired of going to the hospital. I really feel for the gals who have 25 to 38 treatments; 16 trips back and forth for me was bad enough, but twice that? ugh.

    Yes you can Karen1959!! Love your attitude, keep it up!

    Sophie--How's your aunt doing? Let us know how your med onc appointment goes tomorrow; assume you'll be finding out which drug they want you on?

    Precioustime and SoCalDawn--Nice to have you here on the January thread! Best wishes to you as you travel through February rads, and beyond.

    Mom2acat--You're almost there, you're almost there! Have a great three days off knowing you only two rads tx left!  So, what kind of cat do you have? I think my avatar should be "slave to four cats".

    Daylilyfan---Only five more tx to go! That is great news you're not having any fatigue. The box of cheese crackers may be the reason, though....lol. Gosh, I love Cheese Its and Goldfish.

    Sorry I missed some of you but I've been sitting too long and the brain fatigue is settling in.......

    Naptime. zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited February 2010

    Big Red is big and red...blister is my big problem...I have to go pick up prescription meds.

    Hope all are well

    woof

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  • RedheadPam
    RedheadPam Member Posts: 98
    edited February 2010

    16 down and 12 regular+5boosts to go! I am definintely 'pinking up'..it's funny that the line where the pink ends is soooo clear and definite across the top of my breast. You can almost see the box around the breast.I don't see any pink at all under the arm, so here's hoping that area stays out of it.

     We're expecting 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow - I asked what to do if I'm snowed in, and they said to not worry -- just call and they'd see me on Monday.  So apparently going 3 days without a tx is no big deal from time to time.

    At what point did everyone start to feel fatigue?  So far I don't think it has hit me yet....beyond the normal tiredness of a cold, being a mom to a hyper 10-yr-old, working full time, driving to rads and back at lunch, la la la la.....

     Congrats to all who are done or almost there!

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  • SoCalDawn
    SoCalDawn Member Posts: 51
    edited February 2010

    I am not entirely sure this is a rads topic per se...but....wanting to know if any of you experience days where you hover on the edge of tears and then the next, you are (relatively) fine. Hormones? Typical? Thoughts?

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