Any February 2012 radiation gals out there?

Yep!  We learn how to dodge those tornados early!

congratulations sherrybaby!

I'm so excited for all that have finished up this week. Happy dance!!!!! 

Do you guys have daffodil days where you are? The American cancer society sells daffodils that are still in bud form to be delivered March 20th. Through my business I usually buy lots of bunches and distribute them to customers. This year my shop is not open so I have vases of daffodils all over my house filled with bright yellow flowers. Very festive. And outside the forsythia is starting to bloom, they are bright yellow, too. 

I am sitting here in my grease soaked tank top trying to type with my elbow up in the air so my arm does not rub. I was so ready to quit yesterday, ended up talking to the nurse and the social worker and now I am on pain meds and getting through the weekend and seeing how it goes on Monday. Day by day the count down is on. 

Ladies, I am done (4 weeks, 3 boosts).  I may have red and brown welts under my arm, but I am done.  I may be pink with a hundred red dots, but I am done.  I may have a nipple that looks like chopped liver five days past its sell-by date, but I am done.  I may itch like fire ants are devouring honey on my flesh, but I am done.  I may feel like my blood has been drained and replaced with lead, but I am done.  I may sleep for thirteen hours at night, and for another hour after a 15 minute walk but I am done.  Soon - one day - I will be able to use real anti-perspirant and not smell myself stink (who thought this was something to look forward to with such yearning?  Does Tom's of Maine work for anyone?)  Soon - one day - I will stand under a strong hot shower and not have to do the wussy lukewarm weak stream.  Soon - one day - I will be back swimming five miles a day.    I don't care if it gets worse before it gets better  - because my motor is running and I am ready to roll. I am DONE.

Thank you to all of you whose willingness to share has made this journey easier for me.  To those who are also done, congratulations and may every day bring a new improvement.  To the February women whose rad journey is not yet over, hang in there  - the end is in sight.

Blessings to you all.

  Caroline

Caroline said:

" I may have a nipple that looks like chopped liver five days past its sell-by date, but I am done. "

Hee! Tell me about it! This made me laugh out loud that I had to tell my hub what I read. So true!



Macatacmv: I didn't use maxi pads but I could see it helping. For a while, at least until my skin peeled in that area, I used no adhesive silky feeling bandages. They are squarish shaped. I would "cream up" then put on my bra and then fold them over the edges of my bra that irritated me. The cream helped the, stay in place. I think the soft, silkiness helped smooth out the bra edge.



I finished last Tuesday. I have been peely and itchy and sore...like I was punched with a metal fist.

Domeboro compresses help a lot with the peely and itchiness. Vicodin helps with the inside, punched boob/sore pain. I just make sure to drink at least two Metamucils a day and take a Dulcolax pill every time I take a Vicodin!

HUGE congrats Caroline!!!  And no, Tom's of Maine didn't work well at all for me...had to carry it in my purse and reapply multiple times throughout the day just to be able to stand myself.  LOL  

My breast is sore today - sort of throbbing, tender - but not all the time. Skin itchy and peeling but not broken down. Nipple tender now too.

Tomorrow is 26th - 4 to go!! 

Thanks, Chicago1958.  My stickers have always been itchy.  I was ready to tear them off right after the last boost, then the RO said to leave them on until falling off.  Otherwise skin might tear off with the stickers.  Ick!!!!  I'm rubbing olive oil around the edges to get them off sooner.  

 Caroline, loved your post! So very glad to be done with so much of this journey.  It's been a year now since I first noticed the tiny lump that grew and turned out to be cancer.  Just one of thousands of lumps in two lumpy breasts.  Now how many more thousands will I have to cull through before another appears of real concern?  Guess now I have a team of docs to help with that.  Both more releaved and more concerned.  

I think I missed offering congratulations to doxie and GrandmaV....so glad you have reached the finish line!!! Chicago, Druanne, gerrib, macatacmv...you are almost there!!!! 

myleftboob - I wish I could help, but I had 4 positive nodes. That is what caused them to go with rads after surgery and chemo. My MO did mention that if I had less or no positive nodes they probably would have skipped rads so maybe that will be the case for you. I hope you have few SEs as you finish your TCH and that the RO gives you good news once you meet with them.  

2 more boosts to go. I was tired and lazy this weekend, feel like I wasted a beautiful weekend. Oh well.

Leftboob-sorry I can't help you, it was pretty obvious for me that I needed rads. Makse it tough when you are in the grey area, but it sounds like you may not have to do rads!. I hope you are able to find good info to help with your decision!

Congrats Chicago!!!! I can't believe really how fast rads went.

gerrib, I am itchy too, and I do get pain, but no boob is left! I have a hard area where my last infected port was removed, and it is sore and feels hard, but not rock hard, just a little squishy, I am having the doc check it out because it was really bothering me this weekend, of course I start to think it is cancer. It could be left over infection and scar tissue, but it is annoying, I feel like I am wearing a wide rubber band across my whole chest all of the time, now on both sides because of the new port installed on the right side, tadiation on the left. No wonder I am sleepy.

Looks like we are all progressing.  I was pretty sore over the weekend after finishing number 30--My last 3 will be single boosts.  I feel very lucky as i have not had typical fatigue.  By the end of the last 2 weeks i have intense muscle heaviness--especially the hips.  So I limped around on thursday and friday--After a day off radiation i feel pretty good again.   Today they thought i should consider pain meds just on the basis of how it looks---but really I think i have had sunburns worse that this!!  Then they asked if i wanted an excuse to get time off work.  Again--not necessary.  Hopefully the next few weeks will be equally easy!!  Congrats to all who are finished or finishing soon--Dont forget to have a cyber margarita on Wednesday!  Mine will be REAL.

Tomorrow is my LAST DAY!!! Woohoo!!!!

Whoop, whoop Druanne and bak!!!!!!!  

HUGE congrats Chicago - what a nice surprise for you!!! 

Thanks, Dancetrancer! I didn't explain it very well--I knew it was going to be my last day, but I was wrong about it being the same day as Druanne and Bak. I too got the certificate that someone else said she was thinking about burning...

And GirlPowerDebbie! did we ever hear about how your trip went? I still can't believe you did it...