January 2010 Rads Start

What is your experience with the treatment centres? Are you all getting good care?

Chinablue:  I continued my normal routine of about an hour a day, alternating cardio, yoga, and resistance.  I agree with RedheadPam that you have to listen to your body.  I was fine until I caught a touch of bronchitis after treatment ended; then I just crashed and slept twice as much as usual.

RedheadPam:  What are they checking in your bloodwork (if you don't mind sharing)? 

And everybody:  Vitamin E is wonderful for the skin!  Please remember reactions can be delayed, so keep up your skin care routine for at least week after you finish.  Hang in there...you'll be so glad you did.  I wore a "real bra" for the first time today (a very comfortable molded foam cup)!

I'm still trying to make sense of all this boost business.  I'm pretty sure I understand what it is, and what it is for.  My question is do women with mastectomies get boosts?  Why/why not?  I had a mastectomy and have NO boosts scheduled so I'm just wondering what makes me special enough to avoid them.

Aroooooo!  32 down and ONE to go!  Today was my penultimate treatment and I practically lept off the table.  I'm not even angry anymore (a different topic) and tomorrow I will bid the techs a hale and hearty farewell!

I get x-rays every week, usually about 3.  I see the doctor once a week and have blood work done once a month when I see the Med Onc.  As far as I know they are just checking blood counts, but there may be more.

I will have my port taken out on Friday.  I am so glad.  I hope that the port is what is making my left arm hurt.  About the only thing that will relieve the pain is hydrocodone.  I just hate taking that much, it just isn't something I would normally do.

Other than that everything is going pretty good.  I have started itching, but it is tolerable.  I am still not having any other skin reactions.

23 down and 10 to go.

Bless everyone and hope that all SES are mild.

Juannelle

At my facility (Kaiser) we get xrays at the half-way point and see a rad doc every 10 sessions (of course, if we ask or are having problems, they fit you in to see a doc wheneever needed.)

I also have a "mini" CT scan before each tx daily (also Tomotherapy), I see the Rad Onc 1 x per week but have not had blood work done since being hospitalized for surgery.

Weety--

My doctor explained it this way: in order for the radiation to have the most disruptive effect on cancer cells, it takes oxygen molecules being in the immediate vicinity of the cells you want killed.  The energy contained by the speeding radiation particles, electrons in my case, knock off an electron in the oxygen molecule, thereby causing a free radical to be formed.  This free radical is extremely active and will instantaneously react with the DNA in the cancer cell nucleus, thereby disrupting the cell's ability to grow and divide into more cancer cells.  This is what we want and the key is there being sufficient oxygen molecules present for this to work well.  In the case of a lumpectomy where a solid tumor has been removed, the chances are the greatest for cancer cells to still linger in tissue immediately surrounding the original tumor bed.  This area often is prescribed a boost of additional radiation to make certain the area gets thoroughly treated. In the case of a mastectomy my doctor said that scar tissue does not have as good a vascular supply of blood flow as scar-free tissue and therefore does not have as much oxygen present for the radiation to produce free radicals.  That's why the scar line receives the boosts---to again increase the chances that the all the tissue involved with the mastectomy get equivalent and adequate treatment.  Anyway, that's the way it was explained to me and it kind of made sense. 

As to why some mastectomies, if not most, don't get boosts, I am speculating that it probably has to do with how good the margins where after the surgery---the greater the margins, the lesser the need for boosts.  In my case I would be considered a very small breasted person and the margins were just not as large as they would have been had I more breast tissue to deal with. Of course there are other factors the doctors consider when deciding to boost or not---size, grade, etc.  Each person is an individual case and a good doctor will acknowledge that and based on her experience and the available medical evidence advise and treat accordingly---not just cook-book it.

Hope this helps---  now I'm off for the 4th of 5 boosts and I'm done.

bird

DaylilyFan - they are just doing a basic blood count each week,that's all. I get X-rays once a week, too.

Got my first boost treatment today -- they lined up the machine, the rads onc gave the ok on the alignment, and off we went. Instead of a total of 5 zaps, I just get two. And since the electrons are treating a much shallower area, I no longer have to hold my breath!

I talked to the substitute rads onc today (my regular one has been out for a couple of weeks due to a family illness) about fatigue.  I am running out of gas earlier and earlier each day.  He said it will keep going for the next three weeks or so, then will start letting up little by little. He recommended taking two aspirin to help the fatigue....has anyone else heard of this? I think I'll wait to talk to my regular doctor about it.

 29 down, 4 to go!

24 down, 9 to go.

Hey Dawgs! Bow wow!

Glad to report I am feeling better.

I hope most of you don't get this, but the SE's really started after treatment we over. My nurse case manager actually called it to the day when I would start feeling better.

I had about 2-3 weeks of feeling very tired and cloudy in the head, however I had almost none of this during treatment.

I did not have any Xrays...what are they looking for? Cancer?

Anyhow I am feeling like myself again, though I am behind on everything.

Hugs to all the fabulous radiant 1/10 atomic dawgs!

Today will be my halfway point. 18 full breast done, 8 to go and then 9 boosts. I will have a scan tomorrow, as it was pointed out, will be my halfway point. I am having more and more of an itchy rash on my upper chest. Applying now three times ady Cortaid, but it does not seem to help.Any suggestions?

Today will be 18 down and 15 to go!  I'm over that hump!!!  So far I have itching in the middle of my upper chest due to having RADS to internal mammary areas.  I was prescribed a miracle wash due to the fact that it's a little difficult to swallow while eating (this helps numb the throat)--suggested to take Pepcid for (belching) and was told to use some Cortizone 10 under my arm area where the RAD Dr. noticed some skin irritation.   I was wearing one of my husbands Cotton T-Shirts with a V-Neck last night to let air get to my chest-- but the RAD Doctor said to wear a Cotton Shirt that covers all the chest area???  I thought I had read where some women said it was good to let air get to the Radiated areas?

On Monday I had gotten sick 30 min. before going to RAD appt.  The Doctor could tell I was a little frustrated from this whole process and gave me a hug and told me "I've been through alot" and this will soon be over -- that I can make it!!!  In all that-- it's nice to have a Doctor that actually cares about their patients and I appreciate that! 

Loretta

18 down, 15 to go! Just tanned so far, no other SE yet.

25 down, 8 to go.  1 regular and 7 boosts.  I can see the finish line.  Got a big black mark right on my nipple, looks funny. 

Congrats Tangi-girl and to everyone else that is finishing up this week.  Feels good doesn't it?