January 2012 rads
Comments
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Banba,
I have heard about the healing qualities of honey but never about medical honey. I'll go to the local health food store later and see if they have it. Thanx for the heads up.
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Banba,
I was raised in Bergen.. West coast of Norway.. As for the honey.. I do not dare try it as I am allergic to bee pollen.. so raw honey is out for me.. Hope it works for the rest of you ladies..Have a great sunday even though I am sure most of you will have superbowl sunday in your house
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Crazy question -- anyone have any issues with possible UTI's from radiaton? Since rads started I've felt like I have to go every 15min and when I do go is nothing or it's very very dark with a strange odor. Not sure if it's a UTI, dehydration or what but it only started about 8 or 9 into the rads, I'm up to 13 done. I meet with the doctor on tuesday and am going to talk to her about it. Finding I'm nauseas with the rads too - not bad enough to stop me from living my life normal but have to say not digging this rads thing - everyone thinks it's sooo easy and "at least I don't need chemo" but it sucks!
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I have nauseas too, but I do not know if it is because of the rads, tamoxifen or metformin (trial). I am so stress that every muscle in my body hurts (again could be tamox). It's like I am waiting for the day that it will get worse (damm doctors and their predictions). This was suppost to be the easy part and it has been the longest month of my life. I am looking so much my "foob" these days that I found underneath my scar a tiny blue line that popped up. I have a fully expanded TE and I thought it was a "bump" like a pimple. but it looks more like a tiny little vein. Does anyone has something like this? I have a skin sparing mastectomy.
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Ralston -- is your TE doing well, no infection? I had blue lines appearing near my incision over my partially-expanded TE because of thinning skin -- it was blue sutures showing! I lost the TE after replacement and continued infection, which you may not have, but you could have thinning skin and problably need to mention it to your PS and/or RO.
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Ralston I had a partial nipple sparing mx and my scar seems to be deepening and getting quite dark, but did not have a TE, so there is no presure in my boob. Show your RO or nurse next time you see them.
Kayce, My urine is also dark. I don't think it is a UTI because i have no pain. But the flow has slowed. I don't drink enough H2O so its proberbly dehydration. This is starting to suck.
I went to the healthfood store and they have no medicinal honey. I found it on line so i'll order it asap
HANG IN THERE GIRLS.
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AnnAlive - Thank you! I have some stitches that you can actually see on my ALND scar. My MO said that my body will push them out (so much for the "dissolving" part.....) Definitely I will talk with my RO. Do you think that my skin is thinning due to the rads? I do not think I have an infection and my PS checked last Tuesday, but what kind of symtoms did you have?
Chef - My RO said that drinking tons of water during radiation it is a MUST, because you need to help your skin and your body with fluids.
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Ralston - I had an infection (with pink skin) that was contributing to the skin thinning, and PS said it would have opened the incision soon! That was even while on antibiotics. I don't know if rads could have the effect of thinning the skin, but in case it could compromise your incision and TE, it's worth mentioning to the docs. But maybe it is just what your MO said -- body just pushing the sutures out. Mine didn't push out -- were just visible through the thin skin.
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AnnAlive - My skin has never been pink... Not even with radition! It's just a little tan. It doesn't hurts and honestly it looks healthy, but definetely I will talk with my RO tomorrow. Thank you again.
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I was measured for the booster treatments Friday. They didn't do a ct scan but just the Xray machine and they showed me a plate that was made for me. Looked like a machine embroidery hoop with metal in the center. And there was a jagged hole in the center.....I guess where they shoot the radiation directly at my scar. They marked and marked and then the doctor came in and marked me more with a magic marker.
I have decided to just take tomorrow off and go back Tuesday instead of Wednesday and try to get this over with. I'm sure you all feel the same way just sick and tired of being sick and tired?
Ralston, I am so glad for you. I felt fairly well except for tiredness until this last week. The only thing different I did was start taking vitamin D again because my levels had dropped so badly. I asked the RO and he said that was fine. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not. My tech said it was just cumulative.
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Hi all,
Chef, you and I are at the same place, today will be #18. I am feeling a little sore also and my nipple is very dark as well. I have two moles close to the nipple that I did not have before. I will point them out to the RO tomorrow.
I caught a cold and am feeling really miserable. It is ironic, I managed not to get sick all through chemo and now I am sick. I don't know if the wiped out feeling is from rads or the cold. My MO said my WBC are low. I had Herceptin last Thursday and they drew blood. This could just be a combination of things.
My RO explained the measuring for boosters last week. She told me she doesn't like the term boosters because it makes it sound like they give you more. She said it is just really localized in the area of surgery rather than the whole breast, but it is not "more" radiation.
I did not go to work today, but will have to go tomorrow. Our school division is undergoing a special ed Federal Audit and they are coming to my school. Everyone is going crazy trying to make sure we are in compliance with everything. I hope this feeling goes away today!
Have a great week everyone.
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Kayce/Ralston -- My nausea went away after I gave into my craving for salty olives and pickled cucumber. I kid you not, I have acted like a crazy pregnant woman
Read up on it and it seems that radiation sometime alter the salt level in your body somehow.
Ossa - Bergen is suppose to be beautiful. And yes, stay away from honey.
Chef -- Real excited to hear if the honey is working. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could use that? I wonder why it is so expensive though.
Ana -- Thinking of you and hope you have a bearable day
#10 done. Only #20 more to go. I feel fine today and credit my yoga and LOTS of fresh veggies and water for that.
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Banba,
Your body has inate intelligance. Your craving served you well. I had a Polish girl friend who said she made Pickle Soup to cure a hangover. Dehydration and nausea.
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Ladies, does anyone have a sore throat from rads? On the side I get rads it feels like I have something stuck in my throat.. started today after #8
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Ossa, not so much a sore throat, but definitely heartburn. It's only been in this last week and the only other time I've had heartburn in my life was during my first round of chemo. Today was #23 and I can't wait for this to be done.
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Rockym
Yup got heartburn too, but did not connect it to rads, was trying to remember if I had been eating anything different last week.. That explains it, thanks
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Hi all,
I had treatment #8 today. Afterwards, the nurse wanted to see my skin. I was surprised because it was unexpected. My breast has been pink & purply. Today, however, it's definitely red. I asked if this was usual at this number treatment and she said it's early for this color. They usually don't see changes in the skin until treatment 10 or 12. I'm curious what the doctor will say tomorrow.
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Interesting about the cough. I had my 5th rad today. I don't have much, if any, redness yet, but I have had a slight cough. Didn't know why. Maybe now I do.
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Today was treatment #23 and the planning session for my boosts. While for some others the dosage won't change mine will really be boosts. I will be getting about 10% more radiation than I'm getting on whole breast and it will aim at just my scar and tumor bed. I have to have 8 boosts. Up until now I've been having 3D conformal radiation (a kind of photon radiation). For my boosts my doctor wanted to use electron radiation as it can stay shallower. But to do this they had to flatten my breast down so that there was very little space between my surgical scar and the actual tumor bed. To do this they made a plastic mold to push down my breast (not an easy thing as I'm big breasted). They took a plastic mesh material and got it wet and warm. They then stretched it tightly over my breasts and bolted it to the table. They let it cool and harden and it will be the mold they use on me each day for my boosts. They will attach it to the radiation table and it will allow them to get me in the same position each day and also smash me down. Because of the mold I'll be able to get rid of my Sharpie marks. Yay! I also got no new marks today. They then put me in the CT scanner to see if I was going to be able to be smashed flat enough. The CT tech says the doctor doesn't think so and I'll probably have to do my boosts with the same type of radiation I'm using now but they will still use the mold on me. The appointment took about a half hour and while the mold making wasn't the most fun it wasn't unbearable either. I'll find out my plan later this week.
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OK, I'm 5 weeks out from my chemo and did radiation #15 today and my eyelashes and eyebrows are now falling out! But wait, they also appear to be simultaneously growing in! Crazy! Anyone else have this happen? I can actually pluck my eyebrows with my fingers (but I don't 'cause I want to keep them as long as I can!). Oh, the fun!
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NW, yes, apparently it is common for the brows and lashes to fall out a couple of times post-chemo. Sorry! I am 8 weeks PFC and the brows were coming back nicely, but now they are gone again. It is getting kinda old.
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#8 today. No skin changes yet and no fatigue. Not holding my breathe as I know they are coming for me soon.
Bald all over and wishing the hair would just grow. Feeling impatient for it
Maggie
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Mags20487
Check out Hair Hair Hair- another question.... there is loads of help for our shining crowns.. many great ideas and of course support
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NWArtLady, I had the same thing happen. I was a bit freaked out and started a thread called Eyelash and Eyebrow regrowth. I was around 4 weeks PFC and was scared and sad. I also wasn't hearing all the best news from others, but I'll give you my happy news. The brows came back fast and it probably only took 2 weeks. Every morning I woke up and they were fuller.
The lashes completely dropped on the bottom, but after a week there were lots of little lashes growing in. My top lashes are started to fill back in too where there were big gaps. Needless to say it was a bummer, but also a joy. Every day I see more growth on the eyelashes and my eyebrows are now shaped a bit better then before chemo. They are also softer. Not sure if that will stay. Same goes for my hair. Each day I see a little more coverage and it gives me some peace to know that this nightmare is coming to an end. Today is #24. The next two weeks can't go by fast enough for me!
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Off for #9
Have any of you had mammograms yet? Had mine yesterday on my left as my right is a tissue expander.. They took regular mammo.. then came back saying they wanted a closer look at an area, but not to worry, they were only doing it since I have had breast cancer.. Not to worry, hah, easy for them to say.. Now a long week of waiting for results and again second guessing my decision to only take one breast. I did not think there was any reason to take a perfectly healthy breast, now I wonder.
.And by the way this was the first time anyone said " because you have HAD (not have) breast cancer -
Ossa - I was wondering this thing myself -- when can I say I HAD breast cancer? I had neo-adjuvant chemo, so had uncertainty whether cancer was gone until post-BMX report of pathologic complete response. I have had no scans since before treatment. And now in the middle of rads, wondering if there is a chance of metastasis elsewhere. I don't know if any scan is planned after rads, but I doubt it. So is it reasonable to say it's gone, or say I'm in remission, or what? I guess for now during rads and through June getting Herceptin, I'll say I'm "still in treament."
I understand your second-guessing the UMX, but none of us know what will happen down the line. I went BMX because I had already had 2 false alarm biopsies on the prophylactic side and didn't want the continued mammogram-biopsy cycle, and I also wanted symmetry for reconstruction. (As it turned out, one TE failed, so I am not symmetrical until I can get more surgery.)
Rockym - I discovered today that I am losing my eyebrows and eyelashes for the second time! I could find your Eyelash and Eyebrow regrowth thread.
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Annalive.
It sounds like we have had (have) the same treatment. I was diagnose two days after you.. had 4 AC then 4 DT Herceptin until June.. Tamoxifen 5years.. MO said she will check if I am thrugh menopause in two years, if I am I will be switch to aromatase inhibitor for the reminder of the five year period. Also on "baby"aspirin as a precaution as there is a history of heart problems/strokes in my family...Thought they would have waited for my mammo until after rads.. Almost a year since last mammo.. maybe this is why.. How does a tissue expander fail?
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Ladies, thanks for the info on the lashes and brows! Oh, the joys of chemo.
You guys are the best, I appreciate your letting me know that this is "normal" and that I can expect it possibly happen multiple time. As to the question regarding when we can say we HAD bc (I love that word, had), a wise friend told me that as soon as I had the surgery that removed the tumors, I was cancer-free. They cut it out. In my case, the chemo and radiation are preventative since I had (there's that lovely word again!) a grade 3, Her2 positive tumor (the other tumor was benign). So I consider myself cancer-free right now!!
I had a mammogram between chemo and radiation. They were able to give me the all-clear right there in the clinic. I asked the nurse if I could hug her and I began to cry with joy! She let me hug her and then asked where my support person was...
he was in the waiting room and I was overjoyed to share the good news. Now I just hope to be able to get that good news every 6 months!! -
Ossa - My tissue expander failed by getting infected. My PS replaced it and the new one also became infected, so was removed (all that delaying start of rads). I suspect I got contaminated in the OR at BMX when the TEs were placed. The other TE had no problems, so it's not that my body can't tolerate a TE, but something went wrong on the cancer side, and wound culture had diphtheroids, a skin contaminant. TE can also fail by rupturing or extruding through the skin. I did have 4 ddAC, then 12 weekly Taxol + Herceptin, and rest of entire year on Herceptin. No Tamoxifen because I'm ER-/PR-. Tamoxifen is a tough one for side effects, from what I've read on these boards, so I wish you well with it and/or AI. Yeah, I would think they'd wait on the mammo until after rads too! Hmm, maybe ask why. I tend to go to doc visits with a list of so many questions I can't get through them all. I don't see a stage in your signature--did they not give you a stage?
NWArtLady - My onc gave me a big hug and was very excited about my post-BMX pathology (clear). She didn't say further that the cancer was all gone, so I'm not sure she sees it that way while my treatment continues. I questioned my RO about the need for treatment if my pathology is clear, and he said the radiation is to further treat at the microscopic level (what, was chemo not microscopic?). I haven't heard it explained as preventative, but more of a clean-up of anything left behind. The more I find out, the more questions I have!
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#12 done
Ossa - My mammo on my right breast (my left is TE) will be in a couple of months after rads (one year). I also understand the second-guessing the UMX and I made the decision that during reconstruction they will remove my right breast.
Ann - I totally agree. I had the same questions and they explained that the latest studies showed the benefits of radiation to prevent local recurrence and bla, bla, bla... Anyway, I asked my MO how many scans or studies they will do after rads and she said: "If you want I can order a Tumor Marker, but you have to believe that you are cancer free. You have been doing everything that it is available to cure your cancer and be healthy... You can keep worrying everyday or move on with your life". Well, I have found that it is easy to say than do. My MO said that you HAD cancer after surgery, which is the "cure", and the chemo and rads are just "preventive". By the way, the "blue bump" that I have under my scar is a blood vessel (?????).
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