Radiation burns with 2 days to go and mini rant.

Having been there, done that with radiation, I hear you on the frustration.  But for what its worth, it is not uncommon to get a bit of burning/blistering at the very end--I had the same thing.  As I see it, I was luckier than some people who are in misery from the first day.  Make sure you put some burn treatment on the burns and I think its a great idea to ditch the bra--I didn't wear one during all of radiation and I think the access to air helped.

I am seven months out of radiation and to a certain degree, I am still recovering.  I ended up with radiation pneumonitis and now I find I just don't have the stamina that I used to have---I get winded walking up the hill to the bus.  It scares the beejesus out of me mostly because I am turning 50 this year and it feels like its going to be downhill from here.  This is not what I wanted for my life---my elderly role model is a childhood friend's 75 year old mother who is in the middle of a gig with the Peace Corp in Africa, not my own mother who spends most of any phone call discussing bodily failures. 

I have decided to refuse to accept it.  I am making myself walk more and walk faster.  I signed up for my first yoga class.  I am getting my dreadful bike swapped for one that doesn't send me over the handlebars when I brake so I am ready to bike to work in the spring and so on those nice days, I can get my boys to go for a bike ride with me.

Kellie, you will get through this.  At times it may feel like one step forward two steps back but it won't always be that way if you don't let it.  Hang in there and happy new year.

Hang in there, Kellie. I was in your shoes last April and man did I turn lobster red in that last week -- was doing so so well for the first 20 zaps and then ouchy (I had 25 full and then 5 boosts)!  But you are in the homestretch now and no one can take that away from you. Please don't be surprised if it actually gets a little worse in the week after you are done, I recall it taking about 2 weeks post treatments before I really felt like it was looking good.

It's been nearly 9 months since my zaps ended and I can barely see anything, really have to look to see the tan rectangular area, and you'll be there, too.  Congrats. on being D.O.N.E. this week!!!!!!!!

Thank you 3Monstmama for your battle cry.  I finished my radiation 01/18/2011. I felt terrific.  Almost back to 100%.  I was thinking, "Wow!  I made it!  Now I'm cruising!"  Well, just 2 weeks later a dry cough and tightness in the lungs appeared. I figured it was just the start of a chest cold and I started a regimen of the typical over the counter meds.  I didn't develop any other cold symptoms like runny nose, congestion, or achiness.  Just this continued tightness, and it was becoming harder to breath deeply - especially exhaling.  Nothing I did was making any change in my condition so yesterday I decided to call in the pros before the start of the weekend.  I stopped at our neighborhood walk-in clinic on the way home from work. (Remember, at this point, I'm not connecting the dots.  I'm still thinking that this is just some stubbon type of cold or bronchitis that normal people get.)  I got there at 7:30pm and they close at 8:00pm. They did an EKG (normal), Blood Ox by finger (98), temp (normal), blood pressure 140/80 (my normal is more like 115/70).  Doc didn't hear anything in the lungs but opted to do a chest xRay.  He thinks it shows some pnemonia in the right lung (won't be read by a radiologist until Monday).  He prescribes predisone and antibiotics and instructs me to follow up with my doctor who I will see on Monday while I'm getting my herceptin therapy.  Today I called my sister, who happens to be an ER nurse for 35 years, and told her about the diagnosis.  It was she who gave me the words Radiation Pneumonitis - first I heard of it.  Now I feel like such a dope.  My radiation was to the entire right breast area.  Is my inability to connect the dots a form of denial?  I don't want to be that patient who every time I get a boo-boo immediately jumps to cancer.  Even cancer survivors can get run-of-the-mill colds.  Anyway, after doing some research this evening and getting a better understanding of the symptoms I think she's right.  The good news is that the clinic's ER Doc ending up prescribing the same drugs needed.  It just looks like the dose will have to be higher and last longer.  I'll call my Radiation Oncologist first thing Monday morning and we'll get on the war path.  So maybe the finish line is a little further away than I thought but I'm taking 3Monstmama's approach.  I won't accept these things that lower my quality of life.  I'll walk farther, I'll walk faster, and I'll show you Big C - that I can't be beat!

MinstrelIMM3.  I was experiencing some anger for the first time during my cancer process when I was about to start radiation.  After all, I had the bilateral mastecomy, chemo, and was finally starting to feel like my old self.  Now you want to do radiation! What was there to radiate! And I have to go every day!  Well, my RO explained all the stats. My tumors were large (over 5cm), aggressive, and I had lymph node involvement.  I stood to gain alot in terms of recurrence risk with radiation treatment.  I had DCIS in my left breast in 2007 (lumpectomy & mammosite internal radiation) and IDC in the right 3 years later.  My stats are something like 25% chance of recurrence based on my BC history and that could be lowered to 5% with treatment.  Those are really good odds - and worth the side effects in my book.  I had a good experience during my 28 treatments.  The staff was wonderful, knowledgable, and caring.  They gave me progressively stronger creams to keep me comfortable - BEFORE issues developed. They gave me Biafine (Rx) emulsion cream on day one. About 2 weeks in they mixed together a batch of Biafine, Aquaphor, Hydrocortizone, and Lidacain. The final week they substituted the Biafine for Silverdine (burn cream Rx) in the concoction. I did not have any significant pain, and healed very well. I did not have any fatigue either. I continued to work through the whole process and the daily visit just became part of my routine.  Bottom line: I vented for a couple of days when I realized I had yet another detour to go through in my path to recovery.  I prepared for the worse and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't come to be.  Cancer had taken so much from me already (time & hair ).  I refused to let it rob me of anything else.  I wasn't giving it my smile or my sense of humor. Maybe these detours are the scenic route (sure met alot of incredible people and learned alot about myself) and I'll just open the windows wide and enjoy the view.

I hope your radiation goes smoothly.  Just when you think you can't possible continue - it's over.  Hang in there and good luck.