February 2011 Rads

mjbmiller-I did not realize how much I appreciated my lunch hour as well.  I just worked straight through then took off early to go to Rads.  It is nice to be  back to a normal schedule

elaineneg how did your appt go?  I want details since I go Tuesday. libraylil

I had #15 of 25 on Friday.  I have a pink/red area under my breast where the skin's started to peel and is somewhat itchy.  My nipple and the surrounding area, basically the highest part of the breast when I'm lying down, is pink but not itchy or tender.  The rest of my skin shows no discoloration at all, though my doctor keeps saying he expects a tanned rectangle to show up any day now. 

Brilandgirl - I'm still trying to figure out this whole paraben thing...what ingredient in the Boiron Cream is considered Parabens? I actually bought it because I thought it was Paraben-free. Whew, this can get complicated!

Thanks! I was a little scared that one of the ingredients I was looking at was Parabens and I didn't know it! I think the one I have is safe!! Hope it works well for you - so far so good with me. I'm also doing aloe and calendula 2x daily.

Elaineneg, thanks for letting me know how many tatts you had, cause I'm also having lymphs radiated too.  libray lil

heathermcd - no, but i am jealous

heather I did towards the end.  It may have had something to do with the fatigue as well as I did not have the energy to prepare food but even when I did my appetite was less.

Libraylil - I had my final simulation today and I now have 15 tattoos, 3 from last year when they did my spine and 12 new ones.  Like elaineg my arms fell asleep and it hurt so bad particularly in my shoulders that I kind of lost it for a little while. Kind of hard to keep a regular breathing pattern when you are in pain.  They said that the treatments will be better because I will not have to keep my hands above my head for so long.  Today is was for about 20 minutes, but is seemed like it was more like an hour.  They said the treatments should only take about 10 minutes max.  We will see tomorrow at 2:30 if that is true.

This may be a coupld of dumb questions but (1) What are parabens and why should we avoid them?  I have checked all my lotions and creams and none of them have any parabens. I was just wondering and thought if I was wondering maybe someone else was too. And (2) Can we use regular bath powder like Shower to Shower or are we limited to just cornstarch and why?  

I have gotten no instructions on any of this from my RO except to "do what you normally do" and I won't see him again until Wed.  The nurse that is supposed to be the breast specalist finally called a few minutes ago, but "did not have time to talk to me right then and I could see her tomorrow"  She was supposed to have contacted me last August!  I can already tell she will not be much help.  I am so thankful for all the ton of support and information from you loving ladies.

I did find out the results of my last PET scan and there are no new bone mets and everything looks like it did last time so they said the bone mets at least are stable.  Hope everyone has a nice Valentines evening with their loved ones and gets a good nights rest.  Enjoy tomorrow for the new day that it brings us.  Joy and blessings, Amy Jo 

Hello friends,

Checking in to say hello.  And to say thanks to everyone for all of your posts.  I haven't started rads yet (or even met my doctor yet), but I have already learned so much from all of you.

What a good feeling to all of you who have finished...what a wonderful accomplishment!

Amyjo49:  parabens (methylparaben,propylparaben, ethyparaben, butylparaben) are preservatives that mimic estrogen, which can stimulate breast cancer cells.  I read that parabens have been banned in Europe (must be why the Boiron calendula cream was reformulated). 

My skin care instruction sheet from my RO's office:

1. SHOWERING:  Use unscented soap (e.g, Basis bar soap or Dove unscented bar soap)  for showering--do not rub or scrub skin being treated--just pat area with soap and water and rinse clean. No excessively hot water.  Do not submerge treated area in bath and soak; doing this makes skin more susceptible to breakdown and peeling.
2. MOISTURIZING:  Aloe vera gel 3-4 times a day to minimize skin reactions.  Can be used anytime except within one hour of treatment--do not want fresh application of gel before treatmet.  (RO said thin layer is fine and to let it dry before putting on clothing)
3. CORNSTARCH:  Use plain Argo corn starch to any skin folds in treatment area to minimize skin reaction.   Apply light dusting 3-4 times to where moisture or perspiration might accumulate.
4. SHAVING:  No shaving to underarm of treated side.  Skin will become tender from radiation and shaving will increase the tenderness and increases risk of cuts and infections. 
5. DEODORANT:  Do not use regular deodorant. If needed, use cornstarch, Toms of Maine unscented deodorant or a crystal all-natural deodorant.  Most others contain aluminum which may worsen any skin reactions to the area,
6. CLOTHING:  Try to wear loose fitting clothes over area being treated. It is important to eliminate any irritation to treated skin.
7. HAIR:  Perfectly fine to color your hair during course of radiation.  However, if you have had chemotherapy recently, consult with your medical oncologist about coloring your hair.
8. SUN:  Do not expose skin in treatment area to sun.  Sun will increase risk of skin reactions and possible breakdown with peeling.  After radiation is finished and any skin reaction has disappeared, use SPF 15-30 whenever in the sun.
9. VITAMINS:  NO ANTI-OXIDANT SUPPLEMENTS & NO GREEN TEA should be taken during radiation therapy.  Stop all anti-oxidant supplements and green tea a few days before starting radiation. You may resume these 2 weeks after completing radiation.  (My RO said multi-vitamin is OK but no extra A, C or E--I read that it interferes with the effectiveness of radiation--something about free radicals)

Hope this helps.  I got my RO's approval to use the calendula cream (Boiron)  Other things I've heard/read is not to use oils which may not wash off completely and intensifies the radiation effects (however, I've read that some swear by emu oil so different strokes for different folks).   I would stay away from fragranced products on the breast being treated--I used one calendula cream with added fragrance and it stung.  I'm also avoiding bras most of the time--using camisoles or sometimes a soft front-closing one--trying to avoid putting pressure on skin.  Now time for my aloe gel and calendula cream!

Kim from NY

Thanks for all the info Kim from NY.  I really appreciate it. 

Amy Jo 

 thats good no blisters on the cantalope  Ha Ha i guess i got a peach, did you have pain? i started taking percoset last week and that helps but now im afraid im going to get addicted  !! im such a worrier... and i hate cancer

never took anything for pain either.just a little stinging under the arm.i really did good until i was finished.then the burn came out.NO ONE TOLD ME NOT TO DRINK GREEN TEA DURING THE RADS.I didnt drink it everyday but i did drink it.I had a list of dos and donts...that was not on any of my lists.I guess every dr.is different.

Elaineneg and all thanks for the info I went today for my rad planning with tats.  Got home this afternoon and the nurse from the BS office called and said she wanted to set up an appt for him to drain my seratoma. WTF?? Seems the RO called the BS and said the CT scan showed 250cc's of fluid.  That is hard for me to believe. That is a lot of fluid and you think I would notice something amiss.  I have no discomfort, no swelling, nothing out of the ordinary.  Nurse is going to relay to BS and call me back tomorrow.  In fact I told the RO that the "sloshing" noise had stopped the last few days.  He never mentioned anything to me at the appt about fluid (RO).  Nurse said it won't hold up my rads and I go next wed for simulation and the next day for the real deal.  libraylil