February 2011 Rads

TORIGIRL-----you are up to the rads...yay.ask away.i am almost done.i did the first boost today.4 more to go.anything anyone needs to know just ask away.I started in Dec.lol.lots of cancellations due to the weather.Rads are really no big deal especially if you did chemo.Anyone of my sistas can PM me and ask any questions I think i know a lot due to the fact i have been on this thread for 3 months.ha.My best advice is to cream cream and cream a lot.ask your dr.what to use as all drs.like different ones.start now.

I wish you all the very best.GOD bless all of us.WE WILL BEAT THIS MONSTER.

HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGS K

  Started Rad 1/18/11.  Was very scared.  Not so bad now.  Have been emotional off & on since this all started.  Think it may be because I haven't taken the time to really grieve.  I was Dx'd 3 days before Thanksgiving and we have the holiday at our house.  I was supposed to be having surgery to remove ADH.  When the path report came back it showed LCIS and IDC in addition to the ADH.  Surgery was on 11/15/10.  My DH asked if I wanted to cancel, but I felt that I would be more depressed if we did that so I had to pull myself together & have the holiday.  I had been hanging out on the January site just reading what others have to say and it has been comforting seeing that others are feeling and experiencing the same thing that I am so I decided to join in.

Well due to bad weather my 5th week of rads has been extended.  I got in Monday and will be missing three days this week.  Hopefully Friday I will get in.  They were suppose to do scans for my boost treatments next week and give me more markers.  I guess I do not get my Valentines gift of no more rads.  Well at least my skin will have a break.  Saw a big change from the fourth week to the fifth week.  All I can say girls is keep the aloe vera/Miaderm or what ever you RO recommends on multiple times each day but not at least 2 hours before your treatment.

Hi there.  I have only 5 left to go (of 25 treatments).  I managed this very well for the most part.  I am exhausted at present and my poor breast is very tender, red and hot to touch.  My armpit is red as though I burnt it in the sun and feels very tight. 

After completing 6 session of gruesome chemo this certainly is easier in many ways.  And yet, more difficult in many ways, more visits, daily trips to cancer centre, parts of the day are ruined with either transportation or actual appointments, etc.  

Not trying to be a downer, only sharing my reality with those of you who are unclear about the path you are now finding yourselves on.

take good care, be gentle with yourselves, and just breathe. . .

Teklya

Hello all, I'm new - diagnosed at age 51 in December, lumpectomy shortly thereafter, and had planning session yesterday for radiation sessions, which will start in two weeks. Standing outside the clinic yesterday, looking at the ONCOLOGY sign, it just all seems so surreal. My mom passed away from BC in 1987 at almost 55 years old. I've learned a lot from reading in the different forums here and will be keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.

Hi all, I'm also on the January thread but I wanted to offer my support to all of you just beginning or about to start rads.  I have done 22 of 30 treatments and whilst my skin reacted strongly early on by getting quite red and hot, it seems to have stablised a bit and is quite bearable (fingers crossed that continues), just a bit uncomfortable and itchy.  I do have very sensitive skin so I was always going to have a strong reaction but I took the advice of many of the ladies who had been through it and put lots of cream on, drank lots of water and went braless as soon as my skin started going pink.  I bought some cheap stretchy camisole tops which sort of helped hold things in place but I also found that darker clothing seemed to disguise 'jiggling'!

Lestwin- My RO said there were too much chemicals in the Utterly Smooth cream but i saw some Drs. do rec.it.Im sorry you dont like your RO.that is a bummer.Listen to the sistas.they know a lot.AND if we dont know we can find out for you.There is a lot of info out there.The WHITE COATS do not know everything....Im sorry if I am offending anyone.Hey we are sistas and we try to take care of each other.Do drink lots of water,cream often,eat protein and ask away.Ya know what he can do with that smile of his dont ya..I hope you like your techs...they are very important.ask them questions too.We love you.hugggggggggggs K

PS I have 2 tx.left.yay

Did get in today and back to work with out troubles, took two hours though.  Most of it was on the road.  The RO stopped my bolus treatments (it is for mastectomy patients and radiates only the skin area) since it was making my skin real red/purplish, only had two more of those any way.  Well three more regular treatments and the five boost, on the home stretch.  RO said to use the silver sulfadiazine cream they perscibed on the bad areas.  Asked the tech if I could put it on before the treatment, she said yes but only if she cann't see it.  So at least two hours before should be fine.

Possibly more snow tonight or in the morning.  If the schools close, they will too.  Geish, can it stop now.

twozzs42-I finished my rads a couple of weeks ago, but I tell you I went to part time.  I had a 50 minute drive to the rads center and back.  They were limited in the time they gave me so I worked from 8-1 then took off.  Got home about 4pm and took a nap.  Usually an hour sometime longer.  Then I had the energy to exercise which is important to me and then cook super and do normal stuff that has to be done. the fatigue really hit me about week 4.  I am back working full time and I now fall asleep about 9pm, just can't seem to stay awake any longer.  Good luck with your tx's

Hello everyone. I had two rads in January. And this is what I know after 6 treatments. I have felt some twinging in my chest area. not neccessarily my breast area.  but the techs forewarned me about this twinging feeling I may experience.  Seems to happen a couple of hours after treatment.  Maybe it is my body trying to clean itself up after the radiation influx.  My RO told me that he does not expect me to get tired.  I am thinking he is trying to keep me optimistic.  I have been working out and do feel like It gives me great stamina for all this. Keeps me healthier. I am prone to get pink and I know from being  a redhead that the whitest virgin skin burn will hurt like none other. Also I think the smaller the boob the better .....finally a good reason to have small ta ta's So far my only sympton was the first day after I felt like I was kinda gettin a virus ...maybe I was ......maybe it was my body fighting.off the rads....but after that I have felt great. My aerola  (sp) is tender already but no big deal.  I can just tell it is more sensitive than it was before.