radiation recovery & wedding attire

overwhelmedmom
overwhelmedmom Member Posts: 13
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

hey ladies,

I'm starting radiation this March until early-mid April, my brother's wedding is beginning of May...should I plan on wearing a long sleeve and higher neck dress or should I be fairly healed by then (3 weeks or so)?

Thanks for your advice, 

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Comments

  • gillyone
    gillyone Member Posts: 1,727
    edited February 2012

    Unfortunately you are going to get the old "everyone is different" response - because it's true. You don't know how your skin will hold up. I am very fair skinned, burn easily in the sun, red'headed, and worried about rads. But I did great - only had a very small area that was painful and really red. So, in your shoes, I COULD have worn any outfit for a wedding and it would have been fine.

    How nice to have something to look forward to!

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  • itsjustme10
    itsjustme10 Member Posts: 796
    edited February 2012

    If I can make a suggestion, maybe get whatever dress you love the best, and if you do have some residual redness, get some good makeup, and cover it up!!   As long as your side effects are only redness, that should work well - check with your RO, but that's what I would do. 

     Have fun at the wedding. 

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  • redsox
    redsox Member Posts: 523
    edited February 2012

    It depends on what areas you are having treated.  If you are having supraclavicular fields (above the collar bone) a high neck might be good because you might have redness or tan.  Long sleeves are not likely to be necessary as your arms should be out of the treatment field. 

    It would be best to ask the rad onc about the areas that will be included in the treatment fields.

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  • Claire_in_Seattle
    Claire_in_Seattle Member Posts: 4,570
    edited February 2012

    I would be doing arm exercises even more to rock sleeveless and a toned upper body.  (I do them anyway.)

    That said, I would have been just fine skin-wise.  Use the Aloe gel, and lots of it.  I supplemented with Bag Balm (for cow's udders, on my own personal udder) once I got back from radiation.  Washed off in the shower the following day prior to showing up.  I never had more than some tanning and a bit of skin flaking.

    Enjoy the wedding, and get something you look divine in.

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  • overwhelmedmom
    overwhelmedmom Member Posts: 13
    edited February 2012

    Thank you for all of your replies ladies...much appreciated!!!

    Hope everyone is having a good day :)

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  • overwhelmedmom
    overwhelmedmom Member Posts: 13
    edited February 2012

    Does anyone else have some advice??

    Thanks in advance :) 

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  • LuvRVing
    LuvRVing Member Posts: 4,516
    edited February 2012

    I had some pretty bad burns towards the end of radiation, but three weeks later everything was well healed.  Actually, I was in pretty good shape two weeks after finishing.  Wear the dress that makes you feel and look your best!

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  • CTMOM1234
    CTMOM1234 Member Posts: 633
    edited February 2012

    I got pretty burnt by the end of my treatments (and I'm medium complexion, so who knew) and it actually got a little worse for about a week after I was done. But then things quickly healed. I think you'll be fine 3 weeks out. At 3 weeks out, all I had was a square tan in the zapped region and was able to wear a spaghetti strapped dress. Wear something marvelous to celebrate not just the wedding but being done!

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  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited February 2012

    Im fair skinned and freckled...and I got fried, using aloe, emu oil and a few other things. The entire armpit area burned badly, but was completely healed within a week or two. It was crazy how quickly it healed! I would say that even if you do burn, it seems to always heal super fast. I am not sure if you will be in the sun, but that new skin is super sun sensitive. How exciting for you, congratulations!!!

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