MARCH 2010 Rads Group

Hi Charmaine.

Thanks for note. Same cream as you were prescribed.

 Feel for you re the burns so hang in there the end is in sight remember.

I am also finding a cotton cami with a "shelf" built in can be OK at times. But some days as you know are worse than others.

Hi All!

I'm going for #13 of 28 later today and it seems to be going well.

cabmom indigestion or heartburn?  You should mention it to your onc or call for something before it's get too uncomfortable.  I was given an RX for Zantac - not the over the counter stuff but stronger (on the bottle it says Zantac 150 mg Ranitidine HCL).

I was also given a RX for the same cream as some of you others have gotten (Betaderm/Betamethasone).

As well I was given a recipe for a saline compresses - Heat 1 litre of water to boiling, remove from heat and a 1 1/2 to 2 teaspons of table salt, stir until dissolved.  Pour into clean container, cover and leave out at room temp to cool.  Make a fresh batch each evening for the next day.

To use the solution you put gauze or clean facecloth into a bowl and pour the room temp saline solution over it until covered.  Then you lay the wet gauze or facecloth over the involved area for 10-15 minutes.  Remoisten if needed.  Discard gauze after use and gently dry surrounding skin.  Repeat as needed.

So far I haven't needed either the cream nor the saline compresses and I've been doing ok going braless (tried the shelf cami but the elastic irritated my skin).  I'm just using Lubriderm morning and night and as needed when itching. I keep a tube in my purse and one in the car!

I haven't seen this mentioned before but out of laziness and from memory of previous sunburns I decided to not shower every day like I usually do.  I only shower every other day since I started radiation and just do a "bird bath" in between. 

So far my skin is pink a couple of hours after radiation but by the next day it's settled down again to normal.  At least it looks normal but I do have increased sensitivity to my clothes in that area.

This is working for me so I'll continue until I need to do more.

"Gentle" hugs to ALL!

Marie

Hi cabmom I asked the radiologist nurse today if you can get heartburn from the rads and she said absolutely not.......my 2 cents worth.........

I went in today for the dry run, not so bad, arms sore from holding the position for 20 minutes, but other than that not so bad....

They did tell me I have to concentrate on losing weight since I have gained 10 lbs since end of November......they want me to see a nutritionist.  Told me with this type of cancer grade 3/3/ it feeds on fat cells and it can become more aggressive if I am not careful.....

Also told me in a nice way that I look like shit, because I am so tired and do not sleep......I guess the bags and dark circles under my eyes really show......

I left there wishing I felt better, I just cant wait for this to be over.....

Will keep you all informed.  June

Cabmom......you had chemo so isn't that part of the weight gain?  I hear that you women who have to have chemo in addition to the rads will be more tired and she said I might feel a tad tired, but it should not affect me like it would you..... so I guess I will just have to wait and see.......How are you feeling, treatment #7 or 8?

13th treatment and CT scan today for boosts.  Still tender with swelling.  The nurse indicated that the SE's may get worse before they get better.  I'm hoping that my skin continues to hold up.  I have the suntan effect on my chest.

I also ran into a co-worker in the treatment center.  He's being treated for a brain tumor.  I was glad to see him, as he was having a rough time right after his diagnosis.

The treatment center gave out daffodils, courtesy of the American Cancer Society.  It was a nice touch.

Hi everyone,

I'm jumping in, too... Had my CT&tats appt on Mon 3/15, simulation coming up on Fri, and then I start for real on Mon 3/22.  Not looking forward to this AT ALL!

The cancer center is 30 mins from my house but only 12 mins from my parents' house, so I'm moving in with my parents for the month of April...which has both its pros and cons!

My appt is at 2 pm every day, and my plan is to park about a mile away and walk to and from the hospital along the nice path by the river...this will be my attempt to get enough exercise to assuage the fatigue, but not so much exercise that I'll be exhausted.  We'll see!  

I just bought 2 pure silk camisoles (from Wintersilks) to wear for these 6 weeks to keep my skin a little happier.  They are so soft!  You know, I'm surprised by how bitter I'm suddenly feeling about my skin potentially being burned... up until this point, I haven't been concerned with aesthetics at all.  From day 1, I told my surgeon to be sure to take out PLENTY of tissue to get clear margins, because I didn't care what my breast looked like, as long as it was cancer-free.  I even came very close to choosing to have a bmx even though I didn't "need" one/lumpectomy would suffice.  And yet...after a lumpectomy + 2 reexcisions, my breast still looks damn gorgeous, and suddenly I'm feeling more possessive/protective of it than ever.  It already has the biopsy needle scar, the lumpectomy incision scar, and now the little tattoo (which I stupidly tried to wipe off with the towel after my shower this evening, forgetting that it was a tattoo!!), and I'm just feeling like, no, I'm DONE.  I don't want to not only have to expose my breast to strangers EVERY DAY for a MONTH AND A HALF, I also don't want my skin to change color and hurt and itch.  I just want to keep both of my breasts safely and happily inside this soft, soft silk camisole and leave them BE.  Sigh.  And like I said, it's bizarre that I'm feeling this way now, considering just a couple weeks ago, I was rambling on and on to my surgeon about how I'd be totally fine with a double mastectomy, really, because I appreciate my body for its strength and health and abilities, not focusing so much on my appearance, and I'd still love myself without breasts, etc!  Secretly I'm wondering if I will even make it through rads... maybe I will chicken out, or get fed up with it all, or freak out about the dangerous side effects (rare as they may be, but I only had a .5% chance of having cancer in the first place), and end up quitting partway through and just opting for the mastectomy instead.  I don't know.  "I'll TRY it," is about all I can say right now.  One day at a time.

Denise and Raili - welcome to the board.

Denise - My condolences on your loss, this much be difficult to deal with at this time.

Raili - it's difficult to wrap your brain around what radiation may do.  Try to think of what the end goal is, and take good care of your skin during the process.  The other tip is to make sure to stay hydrated.  I try to drink a lot of water daily. 

Hi girls,

Denise - my condolences also on your loss.

Today was treatment no 12 out of 33, so far so good, just a slight redness for a few hours after the zapping.  Still wearing an underwired bra, no problems with discomfort at all.

MarieK - thanks for your saline compress 'recipie', it sounds very do-able, may be needing this as time progresses!

Hello everyone,

I've been waiting (for what seemed like a cruelly long time) to hear when I'll start radiation, and finally found out today that I'll start on Monday - after all this anxiety of waiting for a start date and trying to figure out how to carve 5-6 weeks out of my hectic work schedule to be in one place, it's finally happening.  Yipee, it's getting underway and I'm closer to being done.. Boo, it's really happening to me. 

I've been through the simulation - 4 tattoos, the most visible one in the center of my chest is pretty big.  I'm saying that I'm going to get a real tattoo over one of them when I'm done.  Let's see if I'm gutsy enough.

I'm really glad I have some other brave women to go through this with to keep me brave...

  - Andrea

Denise my condolences on your loss also, how very sad and so much that you have to deal with....stay strong and know you are in our thoughts!

I started my treatments yesterday, so far so good......I feel like it is too early, but already the sharp pains through the evening and boy no-one talks about the heat after treatments....my boob was so hot to the touch.....not bad as I thought, I thought I had to be exposed the whole time, but after they line you up they cover you up as well.....and I think it was 5-6 treatments at different angles of no longer than 20 seconds each....the countdown begins as we have 29 more to go.......

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the welcome!

Denise, I'm so sorry to hear of your mother-in-law's death.   A death of a loved one is difficult at any time, of course, but I imagine it's especially difficult at a time when you're already dealing with the stress of cancer treatments!  Sending you good thoughts and energy... I hope the funeral on Saturday brings some comfort and time to connect with other loved ones.  I'm glad your employer is being supportive throughout everything for you.

So Sherri, Pam, and Andrea, we're on the same schedule, starting Monday!  What time of day are your appts?  Mine will be 2 pm every day, except for the first two days because I already had other stuff scheduled.

CTmom, I agree that the waiting is the hardest part!!  Well... I would have to say the wire localization & dye injection before my lumpectomy were the worst part of the cancer journey thus far, or maybe diagnosis day was, but other than that, it's the waiting that gets to me - e.g. waiting an entire WEEK for pathology results, waiting nearly 3 weeks for my Oncotype score, waiting and waiting and WAITING for rads to start, etc.  I have always hated the feeling of being in limbo.

MaryAnn, yes, I am THRILLED that spring is finally here!!  I was dx'd in Nov., and obviously there is no "good time" to be dx'd with cancer, but I was at least glad that I would be dealing with cancer treatments in the winter instead of the summer...because I hate winter/snow already, so it made sense to me to get all the cancer treatments then anyway, spend extra time "hibernating," etc.  I would have been so mad if it was the opposite, and cancer treatments took over my summer, my favorite time of year!  Now radiation will be complete by the first week of May, and the timing is "perfect" for me - I feel like I will be coming back to life/blooming right along with the rest of the Earth.  Yoga by the lake sounds lovely!

Re: tattoos... how big are your tattoos, everyone/anyone??  Mine are so tiny that I don't even understand how they are useful/able to be seen.  They are about as small as a dot of ink from the tip of a ballpoint pen.  There's one on each side of my torso (my breasts block my view and I can only see them by looking in a mirror!), and one an inch or so from my lumpectomy incision.  I have a lot of moles and freckles already, so these 3 tattoos just look like tiny moles.  I'm not sure if I would consider getting a real tattoo after all of this... I've never gotten a tattoo.  Doesn't it HURT??  I am already so sick of needles - core needle biopsy, countless IVs, dye injections, etc.  Do you at least get a shot of lidocaine before getting a tattoo??

Hi, all. I wanted to check in with you since I started rads on Wednesday. I was actually supposed to start on Monday, but chemo brain lead me to believe that it was a Wednesday start and I thought they were crazy to call me on Monday to see where I was. Then I looked at the appointment card and oops!

Denise- I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for the loss of your Mother in Law. We lost my Uncle to lung cancer last month and it has been difficult for my family. When my Aunt was greeting our family members at the funeral, she was very strong, until she got to me and she broke down crying. I felt awful. 

As far as the indigestion goes, I woke up Wednesday night with it. I had stomach cramps all day yesterday and didn't sleep well last night either. I'll see my radiation oncologist today and will see what he says. I have had indigestion maybe 2 or 3 times in my life and that was while I was pregnant. I have to believe that this is caused by radiation. 

Just finished tx13. Some redness for a few hours after  treatment.  Some itching relieved by a coating Aquaphor in the affected area. Not doing much else other than moisturizer after tx. The only other symptom seems to be a mellow fatique towards the end of the day.  My only question is the stomach cramps I seem to get on a regular basis- not sure if its the Femara, the rads or something else- like stress. 

Hello Carol,

I see your mention of inflammation at the incision site.  Could you tell me how you know it is inflammation?  As my incision site seems to be more sensitive now with the RADS.  I am now 7 treatments short of finishing....  very red and am now doing saline compression treatments 3 to 4 times per day instead of the prescribed hydrocortisone creme treatments.

Charmaine