April 2010 Rads Group

woo hoo suepen - so nearly there!  I have 3 left and we have 3 days of curfew!!

wyldblumusic - thanks so much for your kind words.If you want to see today's very quick update it is here

Take care everyone

Philippa

Congrats to all who are finished!!!!  Wow, a lot of this group is wrapping up this week.

I'm lagging behind a little, but should finish Wednesday. Can't wait.

I'm getting pretty glowing red, but not too uncomfortable, so hopefully it won't get to that point.

So ready to celebrate..... 

Hurray for you!!!!

Hi, you brave women!  

I haven't contributed to this forum but a couple of times.  I usually get to it late at night and don't have the stamina to think..much less to write.  I do appreciate your frankness and support.

Congratulations to all who have finished and may it all be worth it. 

 I have finished 28 IMRT rads  and began today with the 5 boosts.  Almost there.  Breast doing ok except there is an area under my arm that has turned dark reddish brown.  I had DCIS, lumpectomy with no lymph node surgery so wonder why the area is so different from the rest.  Doc and techs say it is "normal".  Any of you have that happen to you?

Sweatyspice:  I can relate so well to your entry of May14 where you share your frustrations. I try not to dwell on them but the thoughts resurface like: having to be looking over our shoulders for fear of recurrence and frustration about torturing our bodies, our breasts. Even though it is/was  DCIS confronting mortality earlier that I wanted.( It may be a blessing in disguise encouraging me to make changes long overdue.) I keep thinking that it is worth it considering the alternative.  Nevertheless, it sucks! (No pun intended.)

I worry about the treatment itself.  It is supposed to be intensity modulated and at least 3 times more expensive than regular. I was under the impression that the time on the treatment table would be more than regular rads.  Yet, I am in and out just as fast as others who aren't receiving this.  3 minutes or so.  And if it is so intensity modulated, why do I have that big area under my arm (on my breast) that is so much darker?  I know, I have asked and they say that it is normal.  Anyone out there with similar situation?  I have nothing to compare it with.

Also, my ribs are sore.  They have been for a couple of weeks.  Again "normal". What do you think?  There is a "shadow" area under my treated breast on my chest. It extends from my breast to 2 inches from where breast meets chest wall. Anyone have a similar experience?

Sorry to be so negative.  I guess on the upside:  At least we are doing something about it. 

Willheal - The area on my chest below my inframammary fold is also red for something like two inches.  I think it's intended to be an area that gets treated, or, there's some reason it's impossible to block it out.  Not sure. 

I do know that the top breast areas at both the inner and outer corners....I know I'm not describing this well....kinda like where breast meets chest (middle of rib cage) and where breast meets armpit....those areas.....get more intense zappage because there's more fat there.  Or something like that.  I was looking at the graphic of my treatment plan with my rad onc last week and noticed a squiggly line around those areas or they were in a different color on the chart or something....anyway, I noticed that they were different in the diagram and that was her explanation of why.  More zap power.  So that may explain your dark underarm area. Or not.

2 left, can't wait.  Yes, I have found my ribs are hurting - yesteray when I was being put in position it really hurt when I was moved around.

hugs to all, special celebrations for those who are finished, warm hugs to those in process

Philippa

WHAT dsj SAID!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to anyone else who's finishing today and hasn't posted yet, I'm going away for the weekend!

To all those still slugging through, have a wonderful rads-free weekend! 

CONGRATS Suepen!!!!

Hopbird, Sweatyspice, Feistybluegecko, pj12345,  thank you so much for your response to my concerns.  It helps to know others' experiences through this journey none of us chose to travel on.

Congrats to all who are finishing up.  

When diagnosed and told what the recommended course of treatment was, I researched and went positively into it.  Later, as it went on, I thought about how we fellow cancer survivors had to draw on our courage and determination to undergo our various treatments.Hope we continue to support each other through this, whether we are done for now with treatment or going on Tamoxifen or other pill next. 

A new concern:  I am now undergoing 5 boosts.  Wonder if my heart is getting zapped with these more concentrated "boosts".  Seems like the attachment to the "linear accellerator" is pointing at my scar and my heart.  Anyone want to talk about this?

Hope all of you have a nice break this weekend! 

Hooray to all who have finished! I finished last Fri. and have had a whirlwind of family events since.  Amazing how energy is created! My breast had looked like someone had scorched it with a very hot iron in a rectangle pattern for weeks.  "Normal!" Right. With boosts it looked better and now it is peeling but looks so much better.  Very glad now I opted for lumpectomy. Can't swim for a month-bummer since I live in Hawaii.

Start on pills next week after med onc visit.  So glad to be through this part for me and everyone!

Aloha and God bless.  See you on the hormone treatment site.

Kathy

Kathy - why can't you swim for a month?  Nobody has told me that...  just curious.  

I am so happy to be done and onthe road to recovery.  I get to walk in the Breakaway from Cancer walk this morning at the Tour of California Bike Race.  Pretty exciting.  Glad to be a survivor!

Katie 

Hurray for you!

Tomorrow will be #21 of 33 for me.  My skin has been a little tender since around #8, but hasn't seemed to get much worse.  It does look awfully red tonight, though.  Until now it has recovered a little over the weekend, but this time, not so much.

I discovered that you can clean Aquaphor off your hands fairly well with Dawn dishwashing liquid.  I also tried on pajamas in the laundry, and it's pretty effective.

CONGRATULATIONS Suepen, Philippa, Katie, and anyone else that I may have missed!!!!!!

jarlwin - I think I am on #24 today and the incision under my arm is very tender and sore, also.  

I think I may have the beginning of lymphedema.  I can get my ring off and this weekend my t-shirts were tighter around my arm pit...it feels more swollen than what it actually looks like:-(  Going to ask to see the Onc and see what she tells me....wondering it they will have to cut my ring off. Anyone else having problems with swelling?