October 2011 Rads

Thanks for starting the thread, Marthah!

Passing along the main Breastcancer.org info on Radiation Therapy, including what to expect, before, during and after.

Hope this helps you and the rest of the October ladies!

--The Mods

HI, newbie here.  Had a CT scan today to see if I qualify for a intensified radiation trail ( 2x's per day for 5 days)  I am hoping to qualify but still scared about going through with it.

I am scheduled for 23, although nurse said the ro may decide to add more. I guess she has seen him do that before. Hi 90norge! Haven't heard if that. Sounds good to cut the time in half though.

Not sure whether I belong in Sept or Oct rads forum, as I began in Sept and will finish in Oct  I just finished my first week of radiation and so far all is good.  I am lucky to have a found a place near my home with the newest TruBeam technology.  I am in and out of the place in about 5 minutes.....I apply Aquaphor ointment each evening and pure vitamin e oil each morning.  Wonder how long it will be before the skin is damaged??  Very concerned about the fatigue that might come as a SE....who needs to be MORE tired?!

Hi Ladies.



I'm with you.



I have my last chemo on Tues and rads are starting 18 October. My education/planning appointment is 3 October. I think I'm getting 25 rounds but will know for sure on the 3rd.

Hi Ladies!  Yes, I think I'm starting first.  I will fill you in on how things go.

Simulation is today!  I've cancelled twice already, so I KNOW in the office they are probably placing bets to see if I cancel today   Feeling confident, ready to get this over with. 

My one anxiety is the whole "marking" part.  I've heard they mark with tatoos and I'm totally not into that.  My Mom refused the tatoos and they used a sharpie.  Anyone else have experience with that? 

Hi All, May i join?:-) I finished chemo on 9/8, had my marking/planning session last friday on 9/23, very overwhelming, so much info, my Rad Onco was very thorough with the SEs short term & long term (i guess they have to tell you) that i found myself thinking "should i go ahead with this or not?? basically i have no choice" i was more concerned with the SEs because my tumor was on my left breast so there is the slight chance of heart/lung problems in the future, my RO reassured mt that the chances at .001% and also because i will be getting my rads laying on the prone position that will minise the rays getting to my heart/lungs... I hope so:-(

Regarding the mapping/planning, i was also quiet hesitant with the tatoo (dont ahve any:-) but was reassured that it was a tiny winnie dot that you cant notice and you can remove it later... so i had the tatoo, wasnt painful at all.

I will be starting rads on monday 10/3 for 6 weeks 5 days p/wk.. this will take me to 11/14. Cant wait for all of this to be over!!!!

Thanks ladies.

Snoopy73, we're starting our rads on the same day but you finish 3 days earlier...lucky girl.  Mine are at 8:30AM CST, what time are yours?  Regarding the tatoos, I had the 3 little dots, virtually painless and I'm earning some "cool mom" points with my daughter's 26 year old friends by telling them I got tattooed.  We've got to have a little fun when we can, right?  Blessings to you all.

5kidsmom, I really feel for you. I have two grown sons and a14yo daughter, and I am having worries about being where I need to be with rads. I had a simulation last Monday and am having another one this Monday and rads start on Tuesday. Am I the only one who had to get two simulations? Also, got 5 tattoos, and they may be doing a few more next Monday. Geez, I must have hit the jackpot.

nancygv55 - my rads will be at 4:30pm EST, i chose that time because i plan to work through radiation and i have 2 small kids (4.5 & 3 yrs) that go to preschool & pre-K, so my plan is to work 8:30am to 3pm and go to my rads finish hopefully before 5:30pm then go get my kids (the drive from the centere to my kids school is abt 20 mins). My friedn and sister in law will also help out at times, my DH will be dropping them in the morning. I hope i will manage, i am getting nervous:-) hope the fatigue wont catch up to me. To the ladies that are midway or completed radiation, how is the fatigue? is it manageable? what about other SEs?

5kidsmom - I hear you:-)

Good day ladies

marthah - I have stopped using regular deo's since i was diagnosed, i use Toms of Maine available at Target and other stores. I noticed that you have to apply it twice or more during the day but otherwise it works. I also use Dove wash for sensitive skin (i started using this since chemo 3 coz i had skin itches and iritation).

5kidsmom - this journey has been hard for all of us, i have been trying to maintain a "normal/regualr' life & schedule for my kids, but its hard. Thye are young so they dont really understand much, i told them that mama had a booboo on my breast that i had to remove. I did not loose my hair during chemo because i used the penguin cold caps so that alos helped in the sense that they saw me as the normal me. We try to do fun things with them on weekends, but they know somehting is up with me. I cannot wait for the rads to end, i wish i could close my eyes and open them and its over!! God help us!!

Interesting about the skin care/deodorant.  I wasn't told any of that, but who knows, maybe they are saving that news   I'm finding that some offices feel you can't handle everything at once.  I'd rather have all the info at once.  Then again, I was mad after my 1st appt, and threw away all the info they gave me. . . . maybe it was in there  

Maybe I'm the only one, but since my MX, I really don't sweat much.  Maybe it's the effects of the chemo.  I can't even tell you the last time I used deodorant, and there are no issues with not using it!  To add to that, the hair in my armpits and legs hasn't really come back.  Very strange to me, cause the hair on my arms is like normal, and my hair is also growing back.  I'm good with having no hair on the legs and pits though!  LOL

Snoopy that is awesome that you didn't lose your hair!  What kind of chemo did you get?  Mine all fell out, and my littlest was 3 at the time.  He is in LOVE with the movie "Tangled" and used to say. . . "mama, I want yo hair back.  Long, like in Tangled!".  LOL  My hair has always been long, so bald was a big change.  I also think my younger 2 have lost faith in doctors.  I keep going to the doc, yet I'm not "better".  Hard to explain. 

Marthah--so glad I'm not the only one that didn't want the tatoos!!  There was just something so invasive about that, to me.  I don't want ONE MORE permanent reminder of all this, thankyouverymuch! 

Welcome, dawmson!  I had a hard time with holding my arm up too (I think I was about an hour like that), completely fell asleep. When the tech told me I could take  my arms down, the left was fine, but I couldn't open my right hand off the bar.  Tech had to open it up for me.  I don't have the breathing session, but my cancer is on the right side, so they aren't concerned with my heart with rads.  I forget what cream my RO recommended, but I think he said he'd give me some.  I guess they have samples.  I will have to check on Monday at the simulation.  I got a written packet with info.  I went through it kind of fast.  I just now found that I had a packet with chemo that I didn't know about.  I shoved it in a drawer.  I finished chemo at the end of July.  My rads packet definitely says that I can use any kind of deodorant, does not have to be organic or no aluminum.  I am not sure why there are so many differences between all the recommendations.  I don't sweat much either though, especially now that the weather is getting cooler.  I haven't used deodorant since MX on Aug. 17 and will wait until after rads to go back to it I think.  I have also heard good things about EMU oil.  And one person swears by Desitin.  Not really looking forward to lathering anything on my new boob (had DIEP on 8/17 too), but will probably have to.  Have a great night everyone, talk to you soon.