MARCH 2010 Rads Group

JOJO: As for a nice gift for your RADS Team such as personal home-baked chocolate chip cookies in a nice jar and with a thank you card, I am most certain they would more than appreciate that...  you are more than half-way finished girl...

Charmaine

Sugar77: Sherri I was told by my RADS team to not have baths or use shower/bath gels and bubble baths/oils for at least a month and a bit.

Charmaine

Sherri: I was never told when I could or not take these.  I started taking Biotin and Vitamin D last week.

Charmaine

Owww-eee.  2 more to go and I'm starting to blister a little under my arm.  Felt like I was wearing a shirt of coarse-grit sandpaper this afternoon.  I started using the silver sulfadiazine tonight - a new messy cream.  It's really good to hear from those of you who are done so that I know how long and what to expect afterwards, and that there is more normal-feeling chest (at least one that doesn't feels like I'm wearing a sandpaper shirt) at the end of the tunnel - so please, keep it coming.  I'm also wondering about the anti-oxidants - I'll ask tomorrow.

Hey all, today will be treatment 22 so only 11 more after this.

On another topic, there is an article on yahoo today that is from Reuters that everyone should read.  It is about insurance companies cancelling policies of women with breast cancer.  The companies doing the cancellations were all subsidiaries of WellPoint.  What I gleamed from the article is that one of the tricks used to cancel was to claim that the patient didn't comply with requests for information like employment history or the like.  That scared the crap out of me.  I get so much mail from the insurance company and the like that it would be easy to miss such a letter.  I urge everyone to read this article---not to scare you but to arm you---and share it not only with women with cancer but with anyone you know who has any serious illness requiring lots of pricey care.

And if you have had insurance cancelled or know someone who has, state regulators and private attorneys are looking for you.  Apparently the insurance companies are hiding behind privacy laws [designed to protect you] to keep from telling investigators and attorneys exactly who who they have cancelled so that the investigators can talk to these people.

If the link doesn't work, just cut and paste.

www.news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100422/us_nm/us_wellpoint_cancer

Hmmm, I wonder if all my VitD has been helping me with my reaction to Zapping.  I started on the drops and the weekly pill before rads and have been continuing.  I think I am getting at least 2000IU per day but thats not counting whats in my calcium tabs. . . . .

I have had very little skin reaction to the rads until these last couple of appointments.

editted to add: 22 regular appointments down, 6 to go and then the boost, as my ZapTech says.  I say 22 down, 11 to go!  Much more redness today and a sore nipple.  The question is however, is it sore enough to sneak out even earlier today?  Sneaking out would make me more likely to get to bed at 9pm, something I have not been so good at this last week.  And I'd really be curious if a night or two of 9 hour sleep would help with the redness this far into the game or if I've just hit poor boobie's limit on Zaps. . . .

Hi girls - so happy to hear of some many finishing up treatments - I have 4 more to go.  I saw the doctor and she told me to keep the aquaphor and XClair on three times a day.  Under the arm is the worst.  She did tell me that once I am done with all treatments including boosts she will give me the prescription for silvadene and once I start using that - with in 48 hours I will see improvement.  But I can't start until I'm done becuase the creme contains silver.  Anyway hope everyone has a good evening.  Chat again soon.  Kathy

HI ALL

Im so happy to hear a lot of you are finished i guess after all treatment is done we can go on with life but i guess the mental chalange will be a longer road

All the best to all and to everyone still zapping hang in there it will be over soon yah

CHARMAINE

YEH  you can use that for your blog i dont mind

jojo

I finished rads 13 days ago and have been happily amazed at how quickly the skin is healing. Back during week 5 of treatment I was getting burned pretty bad, especially under my arm...today my underarm is back to normal.  My SNB scar is hardly noticeable.  My boob isn't red anymore, it's a dark tan that's pealing. The nipple is a little sensitive but not uncomfortable. As of yesterday, I'm back to wearing a bra!  I'm still using Aquaphor twice a day; the doc said to continue for another couple weeks.

During the first week after treatment, I felt alot of random jabs and jolts like little electric shocks.   The doc said it's scar tissue healing and not to be alarmed.  A couple days were kinda uncomfortable. I don't get them as often now, but they're not gone.   The doc said when I go back for my 30 day followup he will talk to me about taking Vitaman E; it;s suppose to help with scar tissue healing.  But I'm not to take it now because it interferes with the benefits of radiation that I'm still getting.

For the summer months, I was told to apply lotion with SPF50 all over before getting dressed. That way no matter what I wear, when I move or turn, all skin is protected. 

Best wishes to all; hope your zappings zip by!  

Brown dots here too! I hope they go away!

Energy levels are okay.... I do sleep like a ROCK at night, but I seem to be okay for the most part in the day. It's odd that a few weeks ago, I was getting really tired in the evenings -- almost like a first trimester pregnancy kind of fatigue. Now, I definitely want to go to bed early, but I can make it through the evening without feeling like I need to lie down.

Happy Friday to all, and congrats to those who've finished! Lucky! I finish next Friday, and have a champagne lunch planned with my husband.

Yeah AndreaS.....congrats on being DONE!

Congratulations to all you wonderful women who have finished this stage and now onto the next!!!!!!!  I am 4 boost away from my celebratory dinner and I cannot wait!

As for the brown dots I asked about that weeks ago as I started seeing them and they told me it is due to the amount of hair that we have that is not visible to the eye and it is not a permanent thing, once we are done being radiated all will go back to normal.......

I had my 1st boost today and have major heartburn.....but other than that, only the smallest of complaints I thought this was pretty easy.....just really a pain in the ass daily reminder of what we all have....I feel that you women who have had chemo have it far worse as your SE are going to be greater due to all the chemo treatments your body had to endure.....

I agree that it would be nice to keep in touch with each other....I really like being able to see updates on FB as well.....

 Thinking of all of you~ June

Ladies re the sunscreen factor,

My RADS Oncologist Nurse and Medical Oncologist Nurses both suggest to get sunscreen factor 50+ and that is what I have done...   good idea to also put on your face too when you are going out for those of you that have had chemotherapy... as well as your arms.  Oh, have it applied to your skin for at least 20 minutes before going out in the sun is what I was told.

Charmaine

Liz - sun and warm weather coming your way!  It was HOT yesterday at the parade...86 degrees!  I had to take an umbrella to protect my easily-burned skin.  Even 15 minutes in the sun turned my legs and arms pink!  But it was a great parade, and my daughter looked great (of course!).

I'm starting to get some nasty, painful peeling under my breast.  I'm slathering on aloe - actually after-sun lotion.  It makes the stinging slightly less torturous.  It's hard to sleep with the stinging pain every time I move.  I hope this heals soon!

June, thanks for the explanation of the brown dots.  I was wondering what they were!

Hope everyone has something fun planned for the zap-free weekend!  I'm just going to relax at home today, watching my husband mow the grass.  Tomorrow, it's back to homework.  I start my teaching apprenticeship on Monday, I'm nervous but excited!

Blessings to all,

Shelby