October 2010 rads

Joan - Huge congratulations to you getting finished!

Linda - Yeah!!!

And to all who are done!!! Yeah!!

Beanius- Like with chemo, the anticipation of rads is worse than the real thing. You will see, it is not that bad. Just use your creams and you will be fine. Just keep your eye on the finish line and keep heading for it! What a great new year it will be! As always, keeping you in my prayers!

Hi all you October gals--Today I had the first of 8 boosts and finish day is the Thursday before Thanksgiving, if nothing happens like equipment problems!  .Beanius--, DesignerMom has it exactly right--the anticipation is wht worst part.  Once you get going it's not so bad, just a pain to have to be there every day.  I've had a little fatigue, but nothing devastating, and the skin issues have been manageable.  Today itching started, and rad onc advised hydrocortisone cream which helps a little. 

One good thing--today I actually got to keep my right arm in the sleeve of my gown and the right breast stayed covered!  I guess the double exposure must have been bothering me more than I thought, because I was surprisingly grateful for that.  Isn't that something?  To be grateful for such a simple thing.  This entire bc experience has been a total nightmare for us all, hasn't it?

Kathy

Day 26, and ouch--the burn is definitely coming in. Now using aloe from the plant in addition to the Biafine.  Ready for this chapter to close up shop!!

Hi All, 

Want to hear something grose? I went to my #19 rads tx this afternoon.  I was greeted by yet another student tech.  I walked in, saw the white bed sheet already on the table, mmmmm, it looked wrinkled.  So I asked the student tech, "Has this been used by somebody?".  She replied, "oh, we turn it over and use the other side."  "Oh Yew!!!"  I said to her, "I will not lay on top of this thing, can you please give me a clean sheet!".  

Can you imagine??? I read in my invoice that the rad's office charges my insurance $1700+ per day on my treatment, and I get to lay on "used sheets".  OMG!  I can imagine if someone is fully clothed and be laying on a slightly used white sheet (nah, I'm just teasing).  I get to lay on it with my bare skin.  Imagine that.  NOT!!! I don't think I want to be sharing anybody's bodily fluids.  

Sorry, I have to let you ladies in on this, it is just grosing me out.  Just wondering, do you all think that the rad oncs are "not aware of this going on ?"

DiamondGirl - That is too gross! I'll be inspecting the sheets at every medical appointment for the rest of my life. Thanks for the warning.

I am so bummed today!  Just got a call from my Rad ONC office apologizing that they had to cancel my appointment today because their equipment was not working.  I have only TWO left and was so looking forward to finishing up tomorrow.  This is the first time this has happened to me.  Sure hope that I can still finish by this weekend.  Real bummer!!

Joan - AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! I so hope they get it fixed - only 2, man that is frustrating......

Last week I walked into the rad room as the techs were changing the sheet and made some lame joke about "highly skilled sheet changers".  The techs told me at some places there is one sheet put on the table and then paper is put on top.  Only the paper is changed between each patient. 

Colleen

DiamondGirl--That's awful and unbelievable.  I agree with Dawn, you should most definitely complain to the  rad onc and anybody else you can find.  Where I go, I actually see them unfolding and spreading out a new sheet before I get on the table.  It's absolutely unnecessary to expose you to any germs, bacteria, etc, left by a prior patient. 

DawnKY-- Great to be almost done!  You're a little ahead of me, as I now have 5 more boosts and should finish next Wednesday. Like you, I'm also unhappy with the pigment changes to the nipple and areola area.  Wonder how long it will take to begin to look "normal" again.  I've heard that the redness from both the treatment and the boosts can continue to worsen for a while even after treatments end.  And I know all of us are so ready to get done with this!

I saw my medical oncologist last week and had blood drawn for vitamin D level checked.  It was of course low, and I now have a 50,000 unit vitamin D supplement which I'm to take once a week for 12 weeks.  I'll have 3 weeks on it before I'm to start taking arimidex.  Onc wants me to wait 2 weeks post rads before starting that.  I've read some on the hormone treatment board here and I really dread starting that pill.

Hope everybody's doing well and hanging in there!

Kathy

DiamondGirl-  That is absolutely inexcusable and definitely unsanitary.  Used sheets could definitely put you and other immune suppressed patients at risk.  I would discuss it with the RO.  Is it a hospital facility?  I would do a little research and figure out who to report it to.  So sorry you have to worry about this too!

My rad techs have been very good. I see them pull out a new sheet as I'm walking in and afterward, they have the sheet stripped off and in the dirty laundry hamper before I'm finished redressing. I also have a molded 'cradle' under the sheet to keep me in the same position each time, so it's only used by me. No arm rests.

Joan-I know what you mean. The other day the machine went down and they gave us a choice of waiting to be fit in on the other machine or wait another hr til the tech came or resched. I want to be done by Thanksgiving so waiting a couple of hrs worked for me. How great that you are almost done.

TMMarina- I was worried ab counts as mine dropped during chemo. Have been having weekly counts done. White count is down every week. 3.7 last week and am being drawn today. If it gets close to 2 they will have to stop until it pops bak up. Mine told me they worry when marrow has prev been stressed by chemo. I started with count at 5.7 before rads

DaimondGirl- I can't believe your facility does this. With the current push to eliminate healthcare acquired infections this should not happen. Do you know that as of last yr, Medicare will not pay for HC providers have to assume the cost, practice should improve. Hang in there.

I've been exceptionally fortunate with all of my care. While there's the occasional 'bad egg', for the most part, I think it comes down to 'corporate philosophy'. Everywhere you work seems to have a corporate philosophy, or attitude that is rewarded. Some bosses don't really care about people taking shortcuts, as long as they get a certain amount of work done. Other bosses want it done right.

Hospitals are the same way. The hospital where I work pays lip service to doing things right, but it's more of a 'don't get caught' attitude than a 'do it because it's the right way to do it' attitude. Needless to say, I'm not being treated by them! I went out of insurance network because my GP recommended this place, and I've never regretted it. It's a Catholic-affiliated hospital and it's amazing how everyone seems to have a good attitude, friendly, not rushed, really care, etc. Hmm. Maybe I've been working at the wrong place.

Hi Stacy!  I live in Circle Pines!  What hospital do you go to?  I go to Regions.  Love it there! Except they've been having problems with my machine, and now have me on the other one until it gets fixed.  I've missed a few days due to that, so they'll have to be added on at the end.  I'll be finished mid Dec.

I'm 5 weeks PFC and I hardly have any hair growing in--just a little fuzz.  No eyelashes yet either.  I've heard some people say that herceptin might make the hair grow in slower.    The back of my neck is always cold!!