June 2010 Rads

Hi ladies. I got my second path opinion back. Even though I have strong suspicions that the node slide was compromised in the OR, no way to prove that so armpit zap here I go. I do my final sim tomorrow and the 1st of 16 treatments is Thursday. My radonc says that despite my CA being left breast, my chest wall is constructed such that I will have no rad to heart or lung. Here's hoping. Kind of scared but have to keep the stiff upper lip going or my super-sensitve DH will freak. 

Hi Mouse...I'm one of them. The way it was explained to me is that cancer can go from the breast to the nodes under the arm to the nodes by the collar bone and out to the rest of the body. My rads onc wanted to be safe and radiate that area. How many rads have you had so far? Any reaction in that area?

Just an update...today was dr visit day...I asked a few questions and here is what I was told...

Question 1- I've been having muscle spasms in my breast is that normal? Answer- Muscle spasms are normal. Pins and needles may also be experienced. If it becomes painful, take Advil.

Question 2- I understand since I have had nodes removed I am at risk of LE, and that radiation will increase that risk, is that correct? Answer- Once nodes are remove you have a 10% chance of getting LE, radiation adds an additional 10% for a total of 20% or 1 in 5 of getting the condition.

I don't know how accurate his percentages are, but I asked for a referral to an LE therapist. I hope to be meeting with someone in the next week or two.

Hugs to you all!

Ana

Mouse6, I'm in the same camp - 1 out of 7 nodes positive so they'll irradiate the breast and the collarbone. 

The way they explained it to me of why the collarbone and not the armpit area is: (1) it seems that the nodes in the armpit area is taken care of (by seeing ONLY 1 out of 7), and (2) since there are cancer cells in the lymph system, the next place they will likely go is the nodes around the collarbone.  This is an area very difficult to get to surgically, so radiation is my best defense. 

It made some sense to me, but I do worry about how my neck will look and respond.  When do you start?

Hi ladies, I can officially join this group, my biopsy was B9, it was scar tissue that the MRI picked up!! 

I start on Monday since I have my markings and had my dry run last week.  My Radiologist also cleared my 4 day weekend trip that falls in the middle of rads, missing 2 txs.  That was a big relief!  I like faithfulc and others will have the breast and up to the collar bone radiated, but not the armpit.  Faithfulc explained it perfectly:)

Today was tx 1 of 16. It was weird in that around three hours later I felt heat from within my breast emanating out. I am using emu oil so have applied it three times today. After the tx, I had to go get a biopsy of my parotid lymph nodes (they lit up on the post-op PET). Lucky me, benign. Whew. I need to focus on BC.

had day 3 of 28 today. collar bone, left axilla and left chest being treated. double mast on april 15th, have expanders, DIEP to be done jan 5th. kinda dragging since yesterday, time will tell.

ray

Mabelle - I love Vancouver, it's a great please to be. Where in Vancouver do you live?
I lived there for more than 10 years and I still have my house in Richmond.
I think I will not have any blood work done with radiation that will start next Friday. This was my oncologist that gave me the post chemo/post implants exchange tests. She wanted to make sure I will be fine with radiations, so she's preparing me. I also started Tamoxifen this Monday.
Did you girls use any creams in preparation for radiation?
My rads people didn't bother to tell me anything. When I asked about creams, they said ‘use the usual staff: Aquaphor and Eucerin". I used Eucerin for the last 4 months with chemo, but I just got in the habit of reading the ingredients in any product I use and realized that it contains parabens. Great!

Chita - Miaderm? I never heard about it. Is it good?

Good luck with your workout, I heard it really helps fight fatigue.

I've done 7 out of 33 (I walked in there yesterday proclaiming this is REALLY getting boring and they just smiled and said you're only on 7? You've got a long way to go!).  They prescribed Radiagel so I've been putting that on twice a day. One part near my surgery site is starting to discolor and look sort of orange-peely, ever so slightly.  I noticed that michelle_nj said she starts Tamoxifen (presumably being taken concurrently with rads).  I've seen two radiation oncologists and they both said there is disagreement on this issue, with some wanting the Tamoxifen to start after radiation is complete. My medical oncologist warned me that radiation folks differ on this issue. It seems to be something to do with Tamoxifen serving to suppress rapidly developing cells and radiation is actually targeting rapidly developing cells, so you want radiation to be able to find the target cells, thus if they're being medically suppressed you might not get them. Interesting concept.   The one radiation doctor who advocated going ahead and starting was of the position that there were only two studies out there on this and that they had conflicting results, so he said it would be ok to start. My medical oncologist said he had absolutely  no problem with me waiting the 7 weeks to start Tamoxifen, so I decided to wait. Just wondering how many of you who will be taking Tamoxifen have already started while in radiation.

smiles to you all! 

Chita - Thanks a lot for the Miaderm suggestion. I'll order it too. The only thing is that my plastic surgeon didn't let me put anything on the incision, 4-6 weeks after the operation that was 4 weeks ago. And I'm still wearing a compression garment even at night. So I have to figure out how to use the creams under my garment.
Faithfulc - Thanks for the Aloe Vera Gel tip. It sounds like a good deal.
Access2010 - My oncologist postponed the Tamoxifen till almost a month after my exchange surgery. But now, almost 2 months after I finished chemo, she thinks I shouldn't wait any longer. She asked the radiation oncologist and they agreed on me starting it now, instead of waiting another 5 weeks.
I'm not very excited of starting Tamoxifen, even less excited about radiations, but even less less excited of getting the cancer back, so I decided to take it now.

Chita: Your comment reminded me that the other thing the radiation doc said for why he prefers to wait until after radiation is that Tamoxifen may have some side effects and his job was to be watching for side effects of radiation and he did not want Tamoxifen side effects to potentially interfere or obscure things he wants to be watching for. I thought that seemed logical.  I'll look up the Miaderm info too. Radiation doc also does not want me to slather any creams into my surgical incision from the lumpectomy (x2). It is quite a deep canal-like scar following the line of my areola (my tumor area was (oh, I like the sound of that past tense!) directly straight back behind my nipple. He doesn't want anything to get infected down in the crevice.

AllisonTom911: Goodness, you've certainly had a lot to go through. Sending you positive healing energies! 

And, I can't stand not wearing deoderant! I tried cornstarch babypowder and that smell really  stops me in my tracks (probably everyone else too!-- I feel bad for the poor Rad Tech working on that side  So, I did try Tom's Deoderant in Honeysuckle scent. I'm finding that's not too bad-- maybe I should ask the Rad TEch's opinion . The lady in the Breast Center giftshop was telling me there is some kind of stone that she usually carries that you rub on your armpit.  Hmmm, this sounds a bit fishy. Has anyone used this? Does it work?

Hi all...just finished #17 of 33 on Friday, and last week my skin started to get itchy, blotchy, and a little red, dammit. Been slathering on the ointment Aquaphor which helps for a little bit. I have 3 more weeks to go arrgghh....not feeling too fatigued yet so thats a plus.  I am only getting rads to the breast area, not above the collarbone--but I had a positive node so maybe I should ask why I am not getting it there too. Armpit itself is not getting zapped so I got the OK to use normal deodorant, thank God. I started Tamoxifen about a week after i started rads and neither the chemo doc or the rads doc seemed to have a problem with it. I guess I feel OK on the Tamoxifen...pretty much don't feel any different. My chemo doc does have me taking it with a baby aspirin every day b/c there is a risk of blood clots with it.  Well, 16 more treatments to go and I will be done with rads woo hoo!!!  Take care all!!!

Allisontom9, so sorry you had to go through all that on top of dealing with breast cancer.

As far as deoderant, I use the Crystal pump spray deopderant and it really works. You need to allow your pits to air dry (or use a hair dryer on cool) but it really works for me here in FL in the summer.

Had tx 2 Friday and noted that after both tx I had rib pain off and on exactly where the under-breast tattoo is. Wonder what that means. Also had pain around armpit incision off and on after both tx. ??

My big concern is, the radonc said he would be getting part of my lung. "A very small part 1-2%." he said. Someone remind me again why I quit smoking? I thought I would jump off a cliff while quitting smoking and now that I am cool with it, I find out I am a great candidate for LC?

As someone wiser than I said:

'when it rains it pours' and 'if it can go wrong, do everything you can to prevent it from happening'.

BarbarA: I share your "death machine" view. I never knew I had such a dislike of some huge machine scanning me. I had an MRI for my shoulder and I made the mistake of opening my eyes once I got in there. I made her pull me back out and cover my eyes... and that was with taking a Valium. 

I'm having both sides radiated because I had cancer in both breasts. Even though there was no node involvement, the rad tech said they were catching the edge of my lung because there were nodes there, too.

Redsoxfan: I was very concerned about mistakes being made and machine malfunction and asked the radiologist about it. He said that was their concern also and they did everything possible to make sure those things don't happen.

The machine forms a pixelated-like image of the area to be radiated and that must match up with the computer image the techs have. My machine makes noises while it's forming the pic; then when the techs compares pic and it matches, they turn the "in use" light and the resulting noise. 

Just this morning I got an email from The BodyShop advertising their new product called DeoDry a deoderant that has no aluminum salts or parabens. I think it is also the rock kind.  It says it costs $4 for the new introductory price and $3 for refills. I like their products and philosophy so I think I'll give this a try. Then I'll stop ranting about deoderants  

Also, my radiation takes place in a brand new Breast Center building and so its funny that I didn't even notice two-foot thick walls and doors. Today I'm going to look more closely. It may be that they have done a good job hiding the scariness with new architectural design (or maybe my single-minded focus on ushering those nasty cells out of my body with each zap contributed to my overlooking the "scenery")

 I also see the rad doc every monday after my treatment.

Welcome sunflower77-- hang in there!