March 2011 Rads

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  • libraylil
    libraylil Member Posts: 528
    edited April 2011

    Tomorrow is my final roasting. Very excited as the boob is now done to a golden turn. I m ready to get out of the oven. Coincidentally it is dr. Day so as an added attraction I will get to see dr. Cute. The armpit area has healed nicely and is no longer red. The nip and boob, not so pretty. Looking forward to removing those darn adhesive dots. Surely all of this eradicated any little Klingons that might have been dropped by the surgeon on his way out! Libraylil

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  • GrandmaBubba
    GrandmaBubba Member Posts: 111
    edited April 2011

    libraylil - Be careful taking those stickers off. I had one stubborn one (naturally the most obvious one). I had to coax it off with lotion.

    I actually just got up after a 4 hour nap and I slept for 8 hours last night, so fatigue is definetely an issue. My family seems to think that if you're tired you go to bed. Sometimes I just need to relax, but with working, having a family business and 2 grandkids to raise being a couch potato isn't an option. If they see you not sleeping you're fair game. But my DH did do dinner and dishes while I was sleeping today. Sometimes he's wonderful.

    I've been on Tamoxifen since January. Other than hot flashes it's not too bad. Luckily I work from home and stripping is an option.

    I've been strugglling with the idea of "is it over?" A friend finished rads and within 2 months found out she had mets to liver, lung and supraclavicular node. Now she is triple negative, but how did it spread while she was in treatment? Makes it hard to relax and think it's over.

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  • heavenschild
    heavenschild Member Posts: 212
    edited April 2011

    There is a good site for supplements that I saw on another thread, I think I am going to try to the iodine.  Have already cut sugar out of my diet.  Painful - boost site going nuts, shooting pains down my right arm, this too will pass!

    http://breastcancerchoices.org/iodine.html 

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  • gingerstx
    gingerstx Member Posts: 91
    edited April 2011

    Strike up the band, please:  radiation done!  Whee!  I've joined the ranks of the graduated! 

    Now onto the next phase:  staying well!

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  • cmbear
    cmbear Member Posts: 1,086
    edited April 2011

    Ginger--Woo-Hoo!! What a great day today!!!! Enjoy!

     liraylil-Congrats to you!! I had the same thought process as you--get these goofy dots off of me!! And the marker lines?? I went straight home and GENTLY wiped those marks off. Not seeing those marks on me helped put me in a whole different frame of mind--not part of some freak science project!! Plus I could wear shirts without having people say" uh, do you know you have black marker on your chest?" And being the smart aleck I am--"damn! how did that happen?" "I was going to get this really cool tatoo, but I changed my mind" or " we ran out of paper at my house, and I let my kids draw on me."  I have a teenage son at home, so stripping is not an option for me!!Embarassed

    Tonia-am so sorry to hear about your friend.Makes me wonder how good her first scans were. On the hand, my onc told me way at the beginning that some cancer is so aggressive that even with all the available treatment, they will progress quickly to advanced mets. But the positive about all the cancer treatments out there, as you will see on this site, that you can live with mets for quite a long time. I wish that for your friend.

    And don't get me started on Tamoxifen! Only on it for two weeks, it seems to punctuate problems I have always had--headaches, constipation. I have had night sweats for years--but the hot flashes are new. ooh, down here in Florida, I am fortunate to have AC everywhere. So I just go stand in front of a vent. Or go into the walk in cooler at work.  

    Off today, lunch with an old friend, grocery shopping and a required afternoon nap. Can't wait!! 

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  • shooshoo23
    shooshoo23 Member Posts: 96
    edited April 2011

    Seriously!!! My skin waits till I have 2 boosts left to open up?!? Really? I have a small open spot under my breast. I feel so lucky and fortunate because I know many of you ladies have had it much worse than me. I'm just shocked that I could get so close to the end and have it open up! It's not even in the boost field! Oh well, still almost done!

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  • GirlFriday
    GirlFriday Member Posts: 461
    edited April 2011

    shooshoo23:  My skin gave at my last two regulars...right under my boob too. My boost area is still really red...but all of my skin has gong through a process of peeling to raw, then healing, then peeling to raw...at least 4x in the last three weeks. 

    gingerstx:  Party on! Congratulations!

    Gbubb:  As a woman, you are always fair game when you're not sleeping.  As a grandmother, you're lucky they let you sleep!  I'm glad you have help to corale the unrulies!  I'm sorry about your friend.  I feel the same way...even with a Grade 1 dx, my lump tripled in three months prior to treatment. I don't think the "What if"  syndrome will ever go away...It might be quiet but it will always lurk in the back of my mind. 

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  • sandymess
    sandymess Member Posts: 299
    edited April 2011

    Countdown=5! Yesterday, the tech told me that my skin is holding up better than most. So I guess I'm pretty lucky! It's all brownish-red, and very dry but so far no breaks or peeling. Of course, I know that that could happen any time. Surprised

    GirlFriday: Great news on that cyst. I'm so happy for you!

    shooshoo: Only two more--WhooHoo!!!

    Gingerstx: Congrats on finishing. Way to go!

    GranBubb: I feel the same way--is it really over? My mother had BC 16 years ago and she said that we'll feel that way for a while. Every new thing that comes up will cause a bit of panic until some time goes by and we leave this nightmare further and further behind. She promises it will get easier and that makes sense to me.

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  • texasrose361
    texasrose361 Member Posts: 1,829
    edited April 2011

    YESTERDAY WAS MY LAST DAY!!!

    i wasnt allowed to use anything through treatment besides aloe for the burning on my skin- which didnt start occuring til the boosts anyhow, but they gave me aquphor (sp?) made by Eurcerin and i noticed the difference IMMEDIATLY, not sure why they dont want you using while doing rads but it is so helpful. It dang near cleared up a 3 inch burn overnight. Now its only pink and the skin is feeling moist and not dry...

    We're all nearing hte end and its so exciting!

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  • Teal3Pink1
    Teal3Pink1 Member Posts: 109
    edited April 2011

    Woohoo! Had the last boost this morning. So glad to get off the groundhog's day loop, but feeling a little bit "kicked to the curb."

    Congrats to everyone else recently completing rads or nearing the finish line. 

    One book that has helped me deal with end of treatment issues in the past is "After Cancer" by Wendy Harpham.

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  • marjie
    marjie Member Posts: 1,134
    edited April 2011

    YAY for everyone finishing up this week!!  YOU DID IT Laughing

    Saw my onc this morning and she assures me that all the aches and joint pain I am experiencing right now is an SE from the radiation (techs kept telling me it was left over from chemo).  She said it was brought on by the extreme fatigue and should start to improve over the next few weeks.  Makes sense to me since the more rest I have the less achy I feel.  I was thinking it was the Herceptin but she said no way - and if it turns out that the herceptin is causing this much discomfort, she will discontinue it which I don't really want.  That being said, my MUGA showed only a 2% reduction in my EF but and enlarged left ventricle so now I'm off to a cardiologist......WTF??!!Yell

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  • texasrose361
    texasrose361 Member Posts: 1,829
    edited April 2011

    marjie- hope everything turns out well with your heart... You're coming up on a year of herceptin right?

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  • msjag
    msjag Member Posts: 416
    edited April 2011

    Marjie,  sorry you have to worry about that now,  geez. 

    3 left, skin doing ok, but suddenly all my joints feel so achy, ones that I didn't even know I had!!  no problem with that during chemo, must be radiation. 

    Congrats to all that have finsihed!!!  New rad tech tried to tell me I had to go til nex Tues, I assured her I have been keeping track and that Friday was my last day, LIKE WE WOULDN"T KNOW WHEN OUR LAST DAY WAS!! 

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  • pumela115
    pumela115 Member Posts: 231
    edited April 2011

    Marjie, Sorry to hear about your heart, here's wishing you good thoughts hope it all turns out ok. Today i took my dogs for a walk and i couldn't believe how tired my legs feel, glad to hear that it sounds some what normal, i sure hope all these aches and pains go away soon.

    Congrats to everyone finishing up rads!!!!!! It has been a long year for all of us. Now to get on to the rest of our life's. May they be cancer free!!

    Msjag, Don't cha love it when they tell you that you have more to go, like your not counting. Lol, My onc tried to tell me i had 6 more chemo treatments, when i only had 2. He had to count them up in front of me. Whoops only 2!

    Texasrose, that's all i used during rads, in fact the techs gave me a sample. Hmmm makes you wonder. I guess it's different in different places.

    Hope everyone is having a good day! I'm off to work, Ugh!!!!!!

                                                          Pam

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  • shooshoo23
    shooshoo23 Member Posts: 96
    edited April 2011

    marje- I hate to hear that you have to worry about anything else!  I think after all that we've been through we should be exempt from anything else!! Prayers that it will all be fine. 

    Congrats to everyone finishing up!! I'll join the club tomorrow!

    COUNTDOWN= 1 Surprised 

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  • cmbear
    cmbear Member Posts: 1,086
    edited April 2011

    Marjie-add one more "ologist" to the mix! I hope this one just does more tests and clears you. I'ld like to think you just have a "big heart!"  

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  • marjie
    marjie Member Posts: 1,134
    edited April 2011

    Claire - yes! Perfect! It's my big heart!  I like thatWink

    Texasrose - Unfortunately, I am only at #5 of 18 herceptins...so I hope there's no problems cropping up!

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  • sandymess
    sandymess Member Posts: 299
    edited April 2011

    marjie: You did NOT need another thing to worry about! When are you going to see the cardiologist? Hope it's soon and he/she clears you right away. Enough already!!

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  • marjie
    marjie Member Posts: 1,134
    edited April 2011

    My attitude at this point...."Whatever..." Undecided 

    My daughter and I are going to meet with a tattoo artist this afternoon.  I have a few things in mind but no pink ribbons.

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  • GirlFriday
    GirlFriday Member Posts: 461
    edited April 2011

    marjie: That might be the best attitude to have...stressing about it will get you no where. 

    I asked for a black rose dripping blood when they gave me my rads tats...I just got blue dots instead.  I thought the black rose would look bad ass one day when I'm tough enough to ride a harley. ha!

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  • thegood5
    thegood5 Member Posts: 478
    edited April 2011

    I remember when my husband and I went and got our first tattoo..we had to lie to our girls about where we were going because they soooo didn't want us to get one.  Then when I went for my 2nd on my ankle, I came home to them with "marker" tattoo's on their ankles.  Now they keep giving me their opinions about a 3rd...think I like the "I fight like a girl" theme....

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  • GirlFriday
    GirlFriday Member Posts: 461
    edited April 2011

    thegood5: Your new prof pic is so precious! 

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  • shooshoo23
    shooshoo23 Member Posts: 96
    edited April 2011
    COUNTDOWN= 0! 33/33 done! It feels soooo strange!
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  • marjie
    marjie Member Posts: 1,134
    edited April 2011

    shooshoo----- CELEBRATE!!!!

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  • gingerstx
    gingerstx Member Posts: 91
    edited April 2011

    Congratulations to all of you who've crossed the finish line!   Since I'd been decorated with magic marker and tape, the first thing I did when I got home was to remove them.  I'm still getting accustomed to seeing myself in the mirror without them! 

    I think you gals who'd gotten tats have the right idea:  turn them into something fun!  Let's see some pix!

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  • msjag
    msjag Member Posts: 416
    edited April 2011

    2 more to go...yahoo!!!!!!   Congrats shooshoo!!!

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  • mommemau2
    mommemau2 Member Posts: 8
    edited April 2011

    My last 3 radiations, my skin peeled off.  Then I had 2 seromas while it was trying to heal.  After radiation I had ripply radiation scarring overy my mastectomy scar.  It scared my husband to look at it.  Did anyone else have this scarring?

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  • cmbear
    cmbear Member Posts: 1,086
    edited April 2011

    Congrats shooshoo! HAPPY DANCE!!!!!

    Mommemau--what does your RO say?? None of that sounds normal!! What lotions were you using--still using?? 

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  • thegood5
    thegood5 Member Posts: 478
    edited April 2011

    Thanks Girlfriday!  She's my little sweetie!

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  • cmbear
    cmbear Member Posts: 1,086
    edited April 2011

    Shooshooand Annie--Happy dance with you. Do something just for yourself today, indulge!

    Marjie-Can't wait to see a pic of that tat--that is if you up to sharing!! You are braver than me!!

    My skin has finally lost its last piece of dead skin--I am 3 weeks out. My chest has turned into this funny looking tannish brown--and that is slowly fading. Swelling has gone down to wear I may be mentally up for getting that prosthetic bra. Since its gotten hotter, I am finding it harder to find clothes that don't don't just scream "I had a BMX!!" Not too secure with that moment.

     On a great note, my oldest is coming home from college today for the summer!! 

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