OUCH - the end of radiation hurts!!!

I feel your pain! I'm having the same issues on the underside of my breast. I still have 11 treatments to go, but I'm getting a small break from the whole breast treatment(7 boosts) and the doctor said that should help. I hope so! I'm using the gel patches as well-they're a little tricky to keep in place, but they seem to be helping. They make it feel better anyway.

I'm taking a couple of days off work and hoping for the best. I hope you feel better as well.

Mary

Ugh - hope it heals quickly.  Feel better!

This is a gross, disgusting story, Jenn, but might make you feel better. I have wavered back and forth about even writing this, so don't read this if you are easily grossed out.

 Well, shit, here goes: I did about six weeks of radiation over my mastectomy site and then 5 days of something called scar boost.Towards the end my skin got red and blistered and it was mid-summer--the heat rising up to my face bothered me-- it was like having your head in a blast furnace. Nonetheless, it was all manageable. One particular hot July evening night I was sitting at my kitchen table. I think I had had about two of the scar boosts by then.I kept smelling an elusive bad smell, it kinda came and went. It smelled like rotten hamburger meat.I had several indoor /outdoor cats who were in the habit of hauling dead things into the house and depositing them under the kitchen table for me to admire. Sometimes they only brought me in the livers, sometimes a live or dead snake, or a larger animal. Because the kitchen table was on an oriental rug with a bright pattern, it was several days before I would notice their gifts because they were hard to spot. So I was sure I had a treasure under the table. I searched and searched. Finally sniffed the kitchen garbage and a bunch of other things but could not figure out the source of the stink. I went to bed and took off my baggy tee shirt and to my horror I realized the stench was me. My mastectomy scar had split open and was becoming necrotic. The portion under my arm started getting really painful. I almost fainted--that was the smell I kept getting and not a deposit from one of the cats! I almost passed out.

I had been thru so many gross things but this last one was hard to take. The next morning at 8am I was back for another scar boost. First a nurse debrided the open mastectomy scar which caused me to faint from the pain. Then I had another scar boost and the radiologist gave me silvadene to put on it. A week after radiation it was all healed up again and I was fine. Whenever I find a present from one of the cats now under the table I always remember, it could be worse.

Oh, my goodness, Jenn. The pain sounds terrible. I hope this passes quickly.

Oh, yeah, this is bringing back memories--"the long q-tips"--I had forgotten about those suckers...

What I want to stress is that you heal back so quickly from this. I was amazed my ruptured-open mastectomy scar closed up by itself without stitches, nothing, and became a nice tidy little scar again.I think (hope) you will be pleased at how quickly this resolves once radiation stops. Please keep me posted, Jenn, I know this is not for the faint of heart--but time does heal all wounds, even this one!

oooh  -i'm so sorry you're having pain.  geez it sounds awful. (I spent 7 weeks in a burn unit with my baby son.. so I've an inkling).

Boy, that really sounds tough! I'm sorry you have to go through that. But this must be your very last valley and hopefully everything goes up from here :-)

JENN- I also completed my last RAD treatment last Tuesday and have had some pretty gross skin issues after my last treatment.  I was taking pain meds for a couple of days BUT didn't want the S/E that goes with that--- and have been applying Silvadene creme 3x a day along with a Mesh at night.  This morning I looked in the mirror at my skin and there may just be a turn around about ready to take place!!!  I wish you a speedy recovery:)

Has anyone else been told that radiation fatigue can last for 1 yr?  I contacted the nurse yestserday to get more Silvadene creme prescribed and during our conversation she said she had a friend that was nurse that did RADS and told her to let the patients know not to overdue themselves-- when your body says rest then rest and to drink lots of water-- and that this fatigue could last up to 1 year!!  OK-- I refuse to accept this--- I am Tired of being Tired if you know what I mean....

Wishing the BEST to ALL!

Loretta

Gentle hugs, Jenn.  I am sorry you had such a bad reaction.  I used a cream called Alra that is formulated for radiation patiants.  Of course, it sounds like your could have benefitted from the Silvadene cream.

If it gets to the point where you feel the need to add something, I found the Alra much more soothing than the Aquaphor and my radiologist said it was fine to use.  They were amazed at how well my skin held up, so I don't know if the Alra helped prevent more damage or not.

I know, I know!

I didn't have rads for my primary tx but did have ten shots in January on a met in my neck and, on the last day of that, they gave me  a one shot boost to one of my ribs. The day before, they marked my ribs and put a piece of clear adhesive over the X mark  so it wouldn't get washed off in the shower.

After the last tx and the rib shot, I walked to the counter to sign some papers and, while standing there, I experienced a blast of heat from my whole left rib area that took my breath away.  Even though I was fully clothed, I looked down expecting to see smoke/flames rising up from my middle.  Honestly, it felt like there was an oxy welding torch pointed directly at my chest.  This went on for 2-3 mins and then gradually faded away until I felt almost normal again.  Once I could leave, I virtually ran out of there.

We had a three hour drive home and when I got there, I went to a mirror to see if I had a big blister or some sort of mark to show where the burn was, but there was nothing except the piece of clear plastic plaster over the X mark.  It was stuck on so well I couldn't get it off 'til the next day.

Within hours of removing it I had red welts along the outline of the tape. These turned into blisters which got very painful as the day wore on.  Realising that this was a burn, I put Silverzine on it and it quickly healed up from then on, although I have a square scar there to remind me of it.

I wonder exactly how strong the rads were in that 2 min hit to cause such agony and also why nobody mentioned beforehand how much pain would be felt immediately afterwards. 

 Sheila.

gosh.. glad you're feeling a little better.