October 2010 rads

Deb - I'm still using the miaderm samples.  Have you tried their website?  I'm not sure if it's RX or not.

I am now waiting for BS office to call back.  Have swollen axilla, pulling and slight numbness all the way to the elbow, breast slight swollen as well. Nipple got 2 shades darker already.  Inside elbow is a bit swollen.

Anyone going through this too?

DaimondGirl - I've finished 23 and have never felt it; but I feel my skin burning within a few hours.

Gingen24 - I call the room the bunker; I hate it every single time. But they have never bound my feet; I just have to keep them in the same position every time; they put something under my knees to ease the strain on my back. 

I was advised from the start to use either Aquaphor or Eucerin; I've been using non-greasy Eucerin, the calming formula. I got it at Target. With that and aloe 3x daily, my skin is burned but not as bad as I anticipated; I have fair skin (redheads in the family).

gingen424... really, bind your feet??? Seriously???  That sounds awful.  My tech ladies are wonderful.  They just put a wedge under my knees that makes the back feel better.

For me, 14 down, 13 to go.  Feel like I turned the corner today.  So far, not having any skin issues at all, but I am being very diligent with the Aquaphor every night... it's so sexy.... goop it on and throw an old turtleneck over it.  Using Special Care Cream three times a day also.  Doc says that I could start seeing some skin reaction later this week though.  Hope he's wrong.

I finnished 7 of 30 rads today.  No skin issues but sometimes I feel a heavyness in my right chest.  It seams to me the my armpit and breast is swollen and I do have nerve pain and cording that gets tight.  My PT gave me exercises to loosen them up.  I see the rad ocn tomorrow and will ask about a lymphadema assessment as no one has even bothered to look at the arm..I would rather catch it early and treat.

As to aliens, I didn't think that but NOW will imagine all sorts of alien goblins in the machine now. thanks,

Love and Hugs, Mimi 

Today, they used a kind of gel mat (about 8 x 10, and inch thick) to overlay 2 places before irradiating there (they didn't do that yesterday on my first treatment). When I asked, he said it was to make sure the radiation didn't go too deep. I thought all of that calibrating of the machine did that? Or were those especially tricky spots? I'm getting rads on the left and I'm glad they're making an effort not to burn around my heart and such, but why those places and not all of them? Has anyone else had this done?

AICA-

doing diff kind of boosts with gel pad. I have those little plastic patches and I was tatooed.

marmalade-haven't noticed odor, but mine is wrapped in plastic

 It is my understanding that the gel pads keep the rads close to the skin. I had BMX, so there is not a lot of deep tissue left and have expanders in place. I am having a lot of tightness w expander-it feels like someone shrink wrapped the expander-everything really tight, but saw PA in office yest and he told me that shdn't be happening yet after 3 txs. Anyone else noticing this. Am thinking of calling PS and asking him to look. Diagnosis: 3/2010, ILC, 2cm, Stage IIIa, 1/14 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-

When i went for my treatment today, my techs told me I needed to have another CT simulation done.   It seems my boosts are going to be done while lying on my back. I have been lying face down for my rads. They explained that the boosts are concentrated on the tumor area  and the machine will get very close to the skin and thus the need to be lying on my back. Has anyone experienced this ?

I'm half way through treatment!  Yeah!!  I've stopped counting the days, I just have the tech tell me when I hit a day worth noting!  Feeling pretty good overall, you know, except for the swelling, itching and redness.   Fatigue seems to be subsiding...maybe I'm just getting used to the schedule.   

riley702- I don't think it's tpp early to be tired. I think each of us responds to the treatments soo differently.

Yesterday I went for my routine vs and told them I thought breast really felt tight and looked a lot more swollen to me. It feels like someone shrink wrapped it around the expander. They told me it was too early to feel like that. Today went to PS who confirmed that it is very swollen and is worried ab incision line and whether infection could be developing, so will have blood work drawn tom. If still really swollen by fri, is considering taking some fluid out of expander, but doesn't like to put needle through radiated skin and if it has to be done wants to do before a weekend to give skin a rest. but then it could change treatment plan. Life just stays interesting doesn't it.

I did my radiation before chemo. Just finished 21 days. 16 days of whole breast and then 5 days of boost.

Also? I fell asleep in the accelerator every single time. Techs thought it was hilarious.

My side effects were minimal until the very last week. I am prone to topical yeast infections, so I got ringworm like WHOA! Also, although my boob looked parboiled, it wasn't really sore. Advil was fine. My bigger problem was that I developed serious dermatitis under my left arm and a deep infected abscess in the incision where my sentinel lymph nodes were removed. Additionally, the area right above my sternum is badly burned. And even with all the burning, my skin itches more than hurts. Right now I'm on Cipro and using a topical antibiotic/steroid on the dermatitis. 

I was very good about using aloe vera three times a day on my boob but I didn't use it on the areas where I now have the burns so NOTE TO SELF: aloe vera everywhere next time! LOL!

For what it's worth, 100% aloe vera and Aquaphor are awesome! Miaderm and Biofine were useless. 

Lastly, fatigue hit me hard the last week. Kept falling asleep on the subway. Oooops! But it was not debilitating. 

Good luck!

Chiefswife, you'd asked why my treatments had been shortened from 33 to 30.  The rad dr. said it would be the same amount of radiation all told, but he looked at where his pts lived, how long their commute was, and concentrating it by such a short time made no difference in the ultimate goal, just made it a tiny bit easier for the pt.

He also said the last 7 tx would be boosts.  So, now I guess I have 7 more regular tx vefore the boosts begin since I have 14 more in all. 

Kathy

No, I went to Columbia Eastside on 60th Street, was usually in and out of there in ten minutes.

DesignerMom

They did another CT simulation and created a cast for me to lie in. I know what you mean about your neck  when lying prone  though I must admit  I felt more vulnerable lying face up.

CT 124 I am having radiation done  at the Cancer Treatment Center at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco.  I have has 17 treatments so far.  I must say everyone at the facility is very nice. After saying that I must admit I was taken aback when one of the techs asked me today if I was sitting out in the sun.  She said my chest looked tan  My response was - Are you crazy?   Why would I be siting in the sun while going through radiation? I can barely drag myself and my very swollen sore breast home from work every night because of the fatigue and she thinks I am lying out in the sun,. Sorry for the rant but come on...

Got to rads 10 min. early today (rush hour is different every day and I never know how long it will take me!) and was told they were having problems with the machine's computer and should be fixed soon.  They gave me a $5 coupon for the cafeteria, so I went and had a danish and juice.  Then came back and waited some more, and finally told me they couldn't fix it today.  The nurse told me to wait a minute, and she came back with a $10 gas card!

Before I went to get my danish, they got me in to see the doc.  I told him I was already having little shooting pains and he said that was normal and I'll continue to have them throughout tx.  If they get worse I can take ibuprofen.  My skin is also a little pink already.  I was surprised to have any side effects after only 3 treatments!

Tomorrow I have to wait for them to call me.  Hopefully I can get in there in the afternoon.  I suppose these skipped treatments will be added on at the end...

Has anyone had sternum pain?  I finished 21 of 33 treatments today.  I had the pain last week, doc suggested advil/tylenol.  I have not had the pain for the last 2 or 3 days.  Today it started again.  Feels extremely sore, almost like someone took their fist and punched me in the center of my chest.  The funny thing is that I am a little pink there but not bad.  I am more red/purple under the arm and red on the right side of the breast but not the chest area.  Doc did give me script for Gentamicin (sp?) instead of the Silvadean (sp?), which antiobiotic cream for the armpit and right side of the breast.