October 2010 rads

Congratulations LINDA!!!

Kathy

Beanius-  So sorry for the delay.  Hope you get your show on the road!

My RO told me to slather the cream everywhere, inccluding under the breast.  I just finished #20, so far only a little sunburned and sensitive.  Had another 3 hour delay tonight.  I told my RO he better get the cocktail cart rolling in if these delays keep coming.  He thinks I am kidding but I have my eye on the water cooler,  sure would be easy to spike with Vodka and lemonade!

chiefswife - Ask your Rad Onc for a prescription for Topicort for the itch. It's a miracle drug. It worked for me after hydrocortisone 1% and prescription strength hyddrocortisone 2% did not. I was waking up at night because of the itch. After the very first application of Topicort, I never itched again. I used it 3x daily for a few days then 2x daily. I recommended it to a woman in the Nov group. Her Dr. thought she would have to stop treatment for a week because of the rash, but she asked him for Topicort and healed so much over the weekend that she missed only one day of treatment.

Hi everyone

Congrats to all who have finished! I will be finishing on Friday - yippee  but I had a question. My skin has become very dark  and the pores  on my breast are enlarged. Has this happen to anyone?. My RO said it is common  and not to worry  but it sure does look strange.

Hi everybody, I AM DONE!!  (Maybe well done, but done nonetheless!)  Every tech I've ever had was there and when I walked out of the treatment room they all cheered, and I got to ring a bell 3 times.  Boy, that thing got rung too!  Even rad onc was there clapping.  It was a nice send-off, but I truly hope to never see any of them again unless maybe at Walmart.  Anyhow, I'd made them some pecan tassies (these things are just divine)  and written a note to them.  They were most appreciative of that, and I left feeling good.  No, I left feeling absolutely euphoric! 

DH and I later went to his retirement group lunch (some people who worked where he did all meet for lunch once a month).  We got there early and went to the bar and got marguritas!  At noon, no less.  Talk about decadent---but we celebrated.  

 My next appt with the rad onc will be in Dec, the same day I see the medical onc.  The appts are close together and both oncs are in the same part area of the hospital complex.  Also have an appt with the surgeon in Dec.  Now, I'm taking 2 weeks off and then will start arimidex.  So, the beat goes on, I guess.

I'll continue to post here and let you all know how the healing process goes, and help anywhere I can.  I'm anxious to see how long it takes for everything to look normal again, if it ever does. I know the redness will get better, but hope the strange coloring of the nipple will improve--right now it's sort of a bluish tan--dye+radiation effects.  And there's also a very pronounced circle where the boosts went.  We shall see what happens.  Right now I'm just glad I don't have to be somewhere at 9:00 AM every day!

Hugs to all of you,

Kathy

Congrats QCA/Kathy and Roberta!  You did it!  Seems that this thread is really starting to get alot of Rad Grads!  I am five days post rads.  My skin is peeling, but the next layer of new skin is so raw yet.  It stings to put much of anything other than Aquaphor on it.  I've been gooping the stuff on and then wearing a mock turtlenect shirt to keep it off my other clothes and bedding.  I do think that I am seeing some improvement this evening.  I am really looking forward to being done with this part also.  

1: No

2: Yes

Colleen

diamondgirl-1) No, the RO is never in the treatment room to check.  He was involved in the initial planning with the Physics dept.  I see him once a week.  2) yes, there are always 2 techs aligning me.

1. No.

2. Yes, sometimes 3. 

DiamondGirl,

My answers are

1.  Yes

2.  Yes

Kathy

DiamondGirl, I took this a step further and talked to my radiation techs.  I won't name names, but another major Chicago hospital routinely never had a doctor present for lineups, and often only had one tech.  Today, I had three techs.  I think it is fair to expect an NCI ranked hospital has at least two.  Just the other day, my tech made a mistake, and the other called her out on the measurement.  Believe me, that happens A LOT. I imagine your doctor would feel significantly different if his butt were up on the table.  Having two people makes sure these kinds of mistakes are kept to a minimum.

Thanks to all of you gorgeous and amazing people, I asked for two treatments in one day.  Wasn't offered, the accommodated my request.  It means Monday will be my last day before my parents get in for Thanksgiving week.

As usual, this board is a lifesaver.  I plan to donate whatever money I would to other organizations to this one.  I have learned so much, continue to be challenged, and feel in control.

And I've also gotten emotional support to-boot!  Congratulations to all of you for your bravery, perserverence, and kindness.

Diamond Girl... I am a little late with my survey answers but they seem pretty typical. 

1. no

2. yes

I am now a week PFR.  Skin is peeling big time and very raw skin underneath. The reddened area is getting smaller every day though.  I will be so glad to put the Aquaphor to rest, but I have been using it day and night.

Joan

Joan

MHP70 has a good point about the need for 2.  I always have two techs and they call out numbers to each other--something to do with lining me up. One has reminded the other to measure.  I think it's important to have two--something for others to think about when choosing a rad clinic!

Good evening ladies,

Thank you soo much for taking the time to do the survey.  Like I said, I told my rad onc yesterday that I was not happy that this office was 2.5 weeks under staff.  He again told me that it is the norm to have only 1 tech to align throughout the States.  I quickly told him that I talked to you ladies and it was not true.  They are quick to cover up and tell me anything other than the real truth, that which is sad.  It's not only a breach of my privacy at the beginning, it was again a breach of my well-being when they re-use dirty sheets.  I don't have good feelings about them any more.  It is just a chore for me to finish my few days of regular treatment and then 5 boosts.  I know that my rad onc did not sign up for this as he just moved in town a few months ago.  This center has been around for many years and it is just poorly run by the corporation.

How do you ladies feel about the new TSA pat down rule?  I think they should have a BC survivor on the panel.  I just can't foresee myself being pat down, my scar did not heal well and I have LE symptoms, I just can't forsee being touched.  What do y'all think?

I should start a thread and talk about it here.  Wonder if there's one like it already?

I, too, will be opting for the pat down to avoid any more radiation, even thought they say the radiation is minimal.  It's minimal for those who haven't have all the ct scans and radiation therapy I have had, but for me, it might just be enough extra to put me over the top and give me more cancer!

I rarely ever travel by plane, so maybe this nonsense will be over by the time I actually fly anywhere!