January 2011 Rads

I got my UV swim shirt online at skinz.com.  The places mentioned above are also good.  There are also shirts that are similar called "rash guards."  These shirts also protect from the chlorine and salt I believe.

Jo - you are definitely good to go my mid-April.  Cruise!!! 

oakley - The cruise is paid for and I am trying to decide what shore excursions we will do in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.  Cozumel is definitely snorkeling.  Got to pick up some rum cakes in the Caymans - love the ones there.

Oh Jo that's going to be soooo nice!  I don't think I've ever tried rum cakes.  Sounds delicious though.  What a nice trip - count down the days!  How's the tamox going?  I'm going to start that after I get back, so the beginning of March - I'll have about two weeks in between the end of rads and the start of tamox.  My MO is having me start with one 10 mg per day for 3 weeks and then add another 10 mg after that.  I just want an easy transition - I'm more nervous about the tamox than I was about the rads.

Jo - your trip sounds great.  I love the Caymans.  

So, I am now done with the whole breast rads.  My skin, which really had held up great through thursday, decided to react to the last one.  I am really red on my left side (under the armpit and to the side of the left breast).  This is not an area that I have been great about putting lotion, but it also has not looked like it needed it.  It feels like a bad sunburn - the skin stings when pulled.  And I am now peeling under my breast - again the kind of peeling you get with a bad sunburn.

Hopefully the boosts do not make things worse.   

Lrr...I am same as you, finished full breast rads and now have some soreness under arm...like a sunburn. I'm hoping the weekend will help heal it before boosts start on Monday.

is it me, but any of you ladies who have just finished chemo, feel extremely tired all of a sudden??

suepen:  Yes, enjoying the zap free weekend.  Didn't sleep though and had to take a benadryl after watching my soccer team on TV @ 7:30 am.  (Go MANU)  Slept for 4 hours, now I feel better.

Had a really good day yesterday, #10 zap.  Went with my DD and left her doing the puzzle in the wait room, came out, later than usual as there was now a line of us (before I seemed to be the only one around).  Came out of rads and went up to her and said "OK, I'm cooked".  The look on her face was priceless!  She saw the funny side of it though.  By the way she is not a child, wouldn't do that to a child, just wanted to lighten the situation as the BC seemed to have been quite a shock to her.

raincitygirl - Bet the tshirt made everyone laugh.  I know it got one out of me.

lestwin - I made it myself, had fun, then put it away in the back of my drawer for some historical review later....:)

gingerbrew - It is quite nice to NOT have to go. However, I do miss the cameraderie with the others in treatment as well as the techs.  They did pass on your message to me, by the way so thank you for that   It seems that I spent so much of the last few months dealing with rads and before that, chemo and before that surgery....well I just have a shxxload to catch up on.  Maybe Tuesday I will start on all that   Did you get the xclair prescription stuff?  It was great stuff - that along with alternating applications of aloe and aquafor kept me in darn good shape. Just about two weeks since completion of regular treatments and that area looks pretty much normal.  The boost area has some minor dry peeling, but also not bad.  I didn't know we could use oil....  Hang in there, it will be over before you know it.

Went back to work this week, so just catching up on all of the posts today.

I'm done with 25 regular, now on to 8 boosts. The only bummer is they were supposed to do my boost planning on Friday and they told me they were really busy and didn't get to it so it will be Monday. "If all goes well" they should be able to do treatment in the same day. Well, they'd better! I hate adding days to this. 

Omaz - Thanks for your questions, it made me realize what I need to ask. I hate how the RO doesn't explain anything. Seriously, nothing. I asked the techs to show me the screen that they see and they were very nice about it and explaining things. I'm going to ask tons of questions about the boosts! 

My arm pit is so red and hurting. My tumor site was far away from it, so the boosts better not including zapping me there. I don't understand why they treated my entire armpit when I had no positive nodes.  

I wish we could change the system. I can't believe how awful the doctors and nurses are across the board. No information given out at all. If it weren't for these boards I'd be lost. A woman I talk to at Radiation had no idea about Boosts. She asked because of me and they told her oh yeah, you'll have them next week. Nice huh? They didn't tell me either, but I knew to ask. Even with Chemo, not a lot of information given except to throw a bunch of pamphlets at me. Amazing to me that even when I ask detailed info about treatment the doctors seem to act like it's secret and private information. I'm like, hello, it's my body! 

Thank you ladies for all of the support and valuable information! 

Omaz - not sure on tamoxifen yet. I have an appointment with my Onc next week and will ask. I was so used to seeing him every 3 weeks that 6 weeks seems like forever since I've seen him. He's the only doctor through this that takes time to answer my questions. Problem is, you have to know what questions to ask!

Well said Ginger!  I am glad you are having as good an experience as I have.  Now, what are you doing up so early?