May 2010 Rads Group

dazd and retrvrmom - thank you.  You both made me smile.  I must say I laughed to myself as I walked into the rads place with all 4 kids!  I am usually the youngest one when I go in there and to then fill it up with kids was kind of funny,  You find the humor where you can, right?  I have met so many women there and all had DCIS.  I didn't know how 'common' it was!  I am a tad jealous as all I have met have had lumpectomy's.  I really wanted a lumpectomy!

My dh is home again and I know we need to sit down and talk.  He really is a good guy and he will listen to me.  I know he's been scared out of his mind in the days leading up to my surgeries.  I think he's tired and just wants our life back.  I CAN relate to those feelings.

diane -I found I could not wear the tank tops because they were really irritating to my skin under my arms.  For me, no bra with a soft tank top or t-shirt.  I found some really cute tanks at Gap with no lycra and they just kind of 'drape'.  They don't cling and aren't body-forming at all.  The one nice thing with a mast is that I don't need a bra! 

thanks ladies you made me feel better,

k

Nancy:  Your post gave me a chuckle.  You would never find that happening where I live.  Most folks at least pretend not to know where the liquor store even is.

Mom3:  My neighbor has 4 kids, oldest 9 years old; her DH comes from a family of 8.  I imagine she will be expecting again soon.  She's healthy and looks dazd&fused!

I am off for my last zap!  My nipple is red and shiny.  I didn't have the underarm or clavicle, but that concentration right to the nipple was a killer for me.  Looking forward to giving my skin a rest.

Cafe:: UNCG alum here.  Love Greensboro.  Ask your team for every bit of topical help they can give you.  Being so tired brings on the tears, plus the frustration of it all drag on longer than you expected.  

Love the red wine story!  So very sweet.

Anyone have their skin react from the stickers?  My techs pulled off 2 of my circle stickers and made that 'face' and asked it it was hurting.  Well, my chest is completely numb, so no I didn't feel anything.  My skin is reacting to the glue in the stickers!  I have 2 spots that look pretty bad.  They told me to  put neosporin on them.  I'm glad I'm numb!  One of them looks like I have a nipple again!  My ps will love this!  Humor where you can, right?!  Looking pretty pink today.  This is the end of week 4 for me.

retrvrmom- no more kids for us!  4 is my limit!  As soon as I tested positive with our 4th I knew we were done!  I don't even want to hold other people's babies anymore!  Never thought I'd feel that way.

Hi guys!

Retrievermom...Congrats!  I'm so so happy for you; yippee!  Stay on here for awhile and let us know how you are doing, k?

Cafelovr, I'm so sorry...thinking you are almost done, and then, wait!  Here's some more fun for you! (Not.)  Check in here more often and we shall keep holding you up.  (Can you tell I like talking to you ladies?)

Nancy, that is very nice about the zin gift.  I did give up wine...I'm a total alcohol free girl now darn it.  I do love a glass now and then, but I'll be honest, I have felt better not drinking it.  I think the main reason is I tend to drink more water when I don't drink wine.  It was hard to give up I must say and I totally understand why people don't.  It's so hard to change every single little detail of your life and I'm not sure it's good for our mental health to boot.  

Leslie, hope you are doing well-I remember you said you were having some pretty significant red and burning. 

My nipple is totally caved in, speaking of nipples.  It is pretty ugly, ha!  I had DCIS very close to the nipple and a small IDC close to the chest wall.  My lumpectomy is like a big tube of tissue was taken out of the exact center of the breast, so it looks like a volcano went off...a crater really exists there.  After a couple of opinions both said lump with rads was more aggressive in my case than mx, I went with it.  The nipple is black from rads and the scar tissue around it.  But it doesn't itch..yet.

I had #22 today.  Eight more to go including the boosts.  In some ways it has been fast, in others, a slow bad dream.  

OK everyone... bye for now.

Kim 

KittyDog, I sympathize with you. Hang in there, though; it may take the injection a few days to work.

I've had a bad shoulder for almost a year and there was no way I could raise it over my head for rads. I had an injection on a Thursday and my sim on the next Tuesday. The pain was almost unbearable for the sim but it has gotten progressively better in just these 2 weeks. Additionally, I take 2 ibuprofins about an hour prior to my appointment.

I have some physical therapy exercises but do modified versions because I'm afraid too much will make my rads sessions worse. Tomorrow is #8 of 33. 

Well crap,

  Spent this mornings treatment with warm tears rolling down my face.   My sister told me on Wednesday that she has brain mets and needs rads or gamma knife. Just spent the evening with her no plan as of yet waiting for the neurologist/onc recommendations.  She was diagnosed in 01, recurrence with bone mets 09 both of us BRACA2. Mom died in 1983 from BC at age of 53 . Me...dx 06, recurrence 09 just lymph nodes 9/23.  I have two treatments left and can't stop thinking about her while I am lying there. It cannot end soon enough for me.

So tired of this bloody pink disease and it's effect it has had on my family!  One foot in front of the other two more to go. 

Diane

{{{{{{{{{Diane}}}}}}}}}  So very, very sorry.  You and your sister are in my prayers.

Diane, I'm so sorry. Deb

Thanks everyone,

   Today was better.  The shock is wearing off, it is what it is but it still sucks!  One treatment left on Monday d/t the long weekend here in May.  Busy weekend to help keep my mind off things.  End of season for kids activities and then maybe we can enjoy the summer... even though the weather is not cooperating.  Rain, rain, go away...

Diane

My heart goes out to you, Diane.  It does suck.

I have 2 more treatments and then 6 boost to the scar.  My skin is ugly now and lots of peeling and oozing skin.  Dr. told me the same thing that my skin still looked great.  What does bad skin look like then.  I can't stand to have anything on it.  So I am living in my nightgown.

I'm close to you Kitty. I have 3 more treatments and 5 boosts. I'm not seeping or oozy yet, but red, pimply, and sore. I feel like I'm in high school again!!  We're almost there! I'm ready to rip the bra off and go flat!! Of course my gutadema would stick out even worse...LOL

GUTADEMA! CAFELOVR, I'm laughing so hard my gutadema hurts. Too funny! Five more treatments and five boosts to go. Skin good. Don't sleep well, though. Anyone else with this problem?

cher

Finished 21 of 25, then 5 boosts after that.  My doctor is the opposite - says my skin is looking very badly red - I really didn't think it was that bad! - like a sunburn with some tiny red bumps/blisters. Not oozing, just itchy.  He prescribed 1% hydrocortisone cream for night-time. Still lathering on the Glaxol too.  Today I was there for 3 hours - more than 2 of them waiting for the doctor for a 3-minute check-up. So frustrating!  How can someone be so far behind schedule just 2 hours into the day? Why do doctors figure their time is so much more valuable than yours?  Just ranting now....