October 2011 Rads

Thanks Marthah for starting this thread, and congrats on finishing up soon!

Pam - you're done!  whoo hoo!

Robyn, if I don't get any delays then I think I will be finished Dec 15th, so we are practically rads twins. You are lucky you don't have any skin issues yet - I started getting sore and red right away. But I must say, my skin is holding up OK, including the skin under my breast. No blisters or peeling yet and I just completed #10 last night. Luckily, my incision was on the outside of my breast.

I was so, so happy to wash away all those markings off my chest this morning in the shower. When I got dressed, I was happier looking in the mirror. No more big Xs or crosses, just a few little extra  freckles.  I'm wearing a cardigan over a V-neck cuddle-dud and I left the buttons open because there isn't a big X with ugly tape in the middle of my chest anymore

rn4babies - I am olive-skinned, too, and it does NOT protect you. Normally, I rarely get sunburns, even though I spend a lot of my free time outside and on the water. But my left breast sure looks like I got a bad sunburn on it now! it gives me more empathy for light-skinned folks who burn like that every time they go on vacation...

Yeah!!!  Woo-hoo!  I am done.

Hang in there all--it does happen.

Got hugs from the radiation therapists.  I almost cried!

On to the recovery board,  See you all real soon!

lovetosail, my treated breast is significantly larger than the untreated breast after 10 tx, despite starting off about half a cup size smaller. I'm into my largest bras and I need to just put away all the smaller ones for now. I just ordered some bigger ones online because this swelling makes even my larger bras feel too tight. Also, it's getting really painful to sleep on my stomach and that's my favorite sleeping position, so it is affecting my sleep. But all moaning aside, I am really grateful that my skin is holding up OK, especially the "underboob" where the nurse keeps expecting me to have problems. 

5kidsmom -it hurts to wear a bra because of my nipple, especially - but it also hurts not to wear a bra because the affected breast is now D/DD and it hurts when I move and it's just swinging around loose....

lovestosail, I ordered some cami with built-in shelf bras that Joan suggested because I'm sure I'll get to a point where I can't stand the bras. Normally, those suckers don't provide enough support but I think I will start not caring soon.

I can't imagine taking care of kids and working full-time (and maybe taking care of a husband, too). Those of you in that situation are ROCK STARS. It's all I can do to stay on top of things minimally at work and help take care of 2 pets. I am sure kids would wear me out!!! 

Natters what a dilemma!  The post surgical cami's I have have the built in "bra" but are not tight at all.  I'm small though, so not sure it would be helpful for you.  I have to say I'm always encouraged when I see that note in your sig line "age 41 at dx" me too   I'm the only one I know around here, that has cancer in her 40's.  Encouraging to "know" someone else in the same boat!

Lovetosail, yep, 5 kids   they are 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16 next week.  They do keep me busy, but I think that helps.  I homeschool them so we are always going somewhere, or have stuff to do.  Pretty spent these days though, so I'm planning to take all next week off and do lots of "fun" stuff with the youngers between now and Christmas.  My oldest one was also dx with Crohn's disease this year, so she keeps me hopping with her treatments and other doc appointments.  There are days that if it weren't for my kids, I'd be staying in bed, depressed.  The fact that I have to get up and make things as normal as they can be, for my kids, that helps

So Pam graduated today, who is next?

Pam - yayyyyy! You are done!! Bet that beer tastes great tonight. 

5kidsmom - Weird about your MO. I hope they set you up with someone great. I agree, it's frustrating to have to start over. I think the idea of mammos and MRIs in the future is definitely stressful, particularly that first one after you finish treatment. I know that I'm getting stressed. The doc that did my biopsy scheduled me for a follow-up mammo the first week in December (6 months after the biopsy). I need to call and see if I absolutely need it then. I think my breast surgeon said I should start 6 months after surgery. Really not mentally ready to go back into that mammogram center so soon. Oh, and I'm 43, so I'm in that 40s group too. Lucky us. 

marthah - My boost experience sounds like it will be different than yours and others. I don't have to do another sim, they told me, and they also said the treatments will be quicker than my current ones because they don't have to set me up with the breath control/gating device.

Silia - I've been having pain near my scar too - shooting/stabbing pain that lasts a couple seconds then goes away. Sometimes I have just one, sometimes they're in clusters of 5 or 6. I did some Googling and it might be nerve pain. I'm going to ask my RO about it today when I have my weekly check-in

All - I have been going braless since about week 3. I'm an A cup, so while I don't have to worry about swinging in the breeze too much, in clothes I look like I have no breasts at all. Which led to a really awkward exchange with a friend of mine not too long ago, who wasn't up on the details of my lumpectomy and asked me when I was going to have my reconstruction. Urgh... 

Congrats to all who are finsihing. I finsihed Monday and already feel like my skin is healing! Isn't that weird?

MAybe psychological but it works for me.

I too got those zaps in my breast from time ot time. Never mentioned it to the  rad onc but thought it had something to do with the treatment.

Going to celebrate Friday night by going out to hear a friends band and  dance as much as my sore breast will let me.

Stay strong everyone!

Based on all the input, now I'm wondering if I'm feeling nerve pain vs. a muscle "rib roll"... RO suggested I not Pilates for a week which is really disappointing. I so need to strengthen and get in shape. Anyway I'm going to put a heating pad on my back now. Sweet dreams to all.

Hello to all - I did not have my laptop for a couple of weeks, so I am catching up on our thread - I missed you guys and all of the great people on the November thread for rads. Congrats, MostlySew- thanks for your encouragement. I really needed it this week. My routine was broken by three days without treatment due to a broken machine. It was nice not making the two-hour round trip each day, but I knew I would "pay" - I certainly am going to pay. I expected to make up the three missed days, but because there was a weekend in-between the missed days, I have to add two extra days on to treatment. I realize that in the big picture, this tiny set-back is no big deal - but we all know how good it feels to mark those treatments off the calendar!

Teresa, no burn on my shoulder, but I've only done 12 tx. We may also be getting different doses. Are you very thin? Someone on another thread mentioned that how much tissue they may or may not have to get through may also have an impact on our burns.

I think I'm peeling in my underarm and losing some hair there, so now I will moisturize more in that area. I wasn't sure how far they were going because they don't need to radiate my axilla and so far it hasn't hurt, so I haven't been using as much product up there. I feel like the RO and rads nurse barely look at me once a week - feels like a waste of time to even have those visits. Although they did give me some little tubes of Aquaphor, and I do like free stuff. It is so much stickier and thicker than the Miaderm, but it may help provide a buffer for my poor sore nipple.

Very weepy and emotional this week, very hard to work and get anything done.

Nat 

Congrats to ALL you brave courageous women who are just finishing up.

I hope I hope I do too. Each day is a decision and my body is not happy with me about this treatment one bit.

Yesterday (Wed. 3rd treatment in a row day), I went in feeling better for a change, but immediately after rad, got all jumpy in my chest area, jittery, like my molecules were jumping around nervously inside me and immediately felt so wiped-out tired that I almost fell asleep waiting for the doctor to come. It was very disconcerting to feel "together" and then, minutes later, to feel way NOT.

A nurse suspected my rapid heart was possibly caused by dehydration. I am also losing weight rapidly at this point. I'm dizzy, nautious, and very nervous after some of these treatments and food and hydration are hard to remember under those conditions.( I try to drink water when I get there each day before my treatment, 1-3 cups in case I haven't hydrated ahead of time.) It is very difficult to eat when I am nervous or in pain as well. I wish I could get a muscle relaxant before and after each treatment so my shoulders would go back down from the fourteen inches hiked up they seem to lerk at under this stress.