August 2011 rads

merilee YAY!!!! i am on #3 only 29 left!!

Hi Merilee,

I am so happy for you! Please let us know about the boosts.

Hi everyone.  Merilee...almost time to do the happy dance.  We will celebrate with you.  Almost there girl.  Hang on for just a few more days!

bedo....I hope it all goes well for you.  Today will be number 6 for me and I am fine so far.  I hope you will be too!  Keep us posted please.

Kate....I am having standard rads so not sure why your onc ordered something different.  I am thrilled to hear so far you have done so well.  Hang in there hon!  You are doing GREAT!

Just came back from taking my "boyz" for their morning walk.  My Golden Retrievers...Sampson and Murphy.  Now off to shower, then rads.  Daily routine! 

Have a GREAT day everyone!  Hugs to all you brave ladies!

Merilee great that your done this week so close to the finish line girl. Number 18 down for me. yesterday they told me to use a saline soak on the red area and it really helped alot. You boil 1 litre of water and add in 2 tsp of salt then soak a soft cloth in it and appy to area for about 20 min I definetly got relief from that and will be doing it from now on. Now if only someone could give me a recipe for fatigue!!! sheesh.

Last boost yesterday.  That made 33 radiation tx in all and 33 trips to St. Louis, 220 round trips in all.  I was one of the lucky people who had no problems with chemo.  I wil remember radiation as being brutal.  I had no side effects at all until about #12 then pink, then red, now so painful and itching that I am almost climbing the walls.  I have about 4 topical treatments,plus Oxycodone, which I can't take because it makes me sick, and those wonderful nu gel sheets.  Advil and tylenol help more than anything.  I was explaining the Nu gel sheets to my son who is getting a PhD this year in material science.  I said, "They are really neat John, cool without being refrigerated, they feel wet but there is no medicine on them.  Very soothing for a while; take them off for five minutes and they get cool again."  He said, "Mom, do you know what that is?  That's Material Science."  I finally get it.  I said, "If you're researching stuff like that -- go for it."

sorry I am just now posting. When I gotthe the RO office, my temp was 103, so needless to say, I did not have a tx. He sent me right to the ER and I was admitted for IV antibiotics. It is an infected seroma, like I had suspected. My surgeon was called and he drained a ton of fluid off. I will be here the rest of the week he said.....have to be fever free 24 hours with no meds and so far, I have not been. Even with Tylenol, my temp only comes down to 99-100. I feel much better this evening after several doses of antibiotics. I am on 2 pretty strong ones, until the blood cultures and the culture of the seroma fluid comes back. I am scheduled to go to radiology tomorrow morning to have an US guided aspiration and JP drain placed. Since the infection is inches from my port-a-cath, my surgeon is being very aggressive with treatment. We do NOT want that to get infected!! Thanks for all the concern! I now have my computer, so I can now stay connected with the outside world. LOL! I was in major DT's all day. I could access email/internet through my phone, but for some reason I could not post here via my phone. Also my battery died this morning, so I didn't evn have that! UGH! LOL!

The tech said that the boosts are not nearly as hard on  you as the regular treatments.

So hope that is true. I am leaving my last boost on Friday morning and driving over to the University to start my master's gardening class. Then the following week end on Sept I0 I am going to Gatlinburg to see my baby girl for a few days. That is how I am starting my new life. And I do feel like it is a new life. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want next.

Hi Merilee,

]I just noticed that GNC sells thunder ridge emu oil. Is that what you have? Did you pay about $25 for it?

Merilee, how great you are thinking and planning ahead!  That is awesome.  Enjoy that visit with your daughter.  That is really something to look forward to.

Kate hoping your skin changes stay minor.  I have noticed more pink skin this week but it is not painful just a tad uncomfortable.  Kate, you are officially ONE THIRD of the way finished!  Yippee.

Hi,

Merilee I am glad your boosts are easier on your skin. MY doctor told me that it would be a little rougher on the skin because all the radiation is concentrated in one area. Besides Miaderm my doctor recommends Udder cream. Miaderm is expensive $28. Udder cream is only $6 a jar, and I really like it. It is a very heavy cream, and it moisturizes the heck out of you. Originally it was for farm animals, especially cows. lol. Now it is a body cream for human adults. If you want to check it out CVS sells. it.  

Shayes 37, I am glad that you and hubby have worked things out. I am not having x-rays. My radiation ends on Sept 21, and on Sept. 25 I am going to Nashville, Tn to party for 4 days. Nashville is such a nice town with really nice people, and great music. I have been doing some form of cancer treatment non-stop since May, so it will be great to get away for a few days. After that all I will have left to do is plastic surgery, and I can't do that till my skin heals from radiation. Janis I am so glad that you will get to see your friend soon, and have some fun. SarahBob, I hope you are feeling a lot better now.

Hi ladies I do my test tomorrow and start the real thing on Sept 1.  I pray all goes well.

Just a little light this morning LOL