May 2012 radiation

Congratulations, WisKris!  Mckenna's auto-correct must be at it again with the "contests."

#12 for me today.  I'm beginning to look a little pink and it feels tight, like a sunburn.  I held an icepack on the sorest spot last night and it helped.

I have about 21 different buzzes, but they're radiating everything from my shoulder to my socks, it seems like.   

As a good friend says..."temporary is tolerable."  

Have a great day, everyone! 

Congratulations WisKris!

Got to keep those nits out of your socks sbelizabeth  

Sorry to hear about both the wait and the SE's mckenna. 

I am officially into week three.  I feel pretty darn good at the beginning of the week, and progressively get more and more tired.  Unfortunately, this week is very busy -- once I get through this week, I will be able to sneak naps in the afternoon in my office.  My skin is red, and sore.  It is hurting when I run, primarily the skin.  So, yesterday I cut a large square from an old, very soft, t-shirt and put it between my skin and the sports bra -- it seems to cut down on the irritation a little.  

Have a good day ladies, I wish you catnaps and limited SE's!  And countdown to being done!! 

It may be better and more relief if you asked the dr for some  creme or lotion called aquaphor

msmatanzas - I am from Hamilton, ONTARIO - Canada .... but have been through Hamilton, Ohio.

Blinthdesert - thanks, you are so sweet!

So I finish tomorrow. I wish for you all to be coming to the end very fast and without any big complications! This surely wasn't an easy ride and I am happy to be here now typing "just 1 more!"

However, I saw my plastic surgeon today and she quickly burst my happy bubble. I was feeling so good not having any signs of capsular contracture around my silicone... she told me, that there usually aren't any signs during the radiation. That I should expect a rapid change within next 9 months. Shoot... I feel really down. What is there to celebrate really? This is never ending nightmare!

Jan - as to the "celebratory" drink... I have a champagne in the fridge ever since New Years. I guess tomorrow I will have a good reason to pop it (around 8pm cali time)! If nothing else, there is an end to watch my skin being slowly burned.  I will be happy to celebrate with you! :-)

After this I will continue with Arimidex and monthly Lupron shots. As to everybody who starts with Tamoxifen, I took it for 2 years and I had no side effects from it other than hot flashes. No weight change. It's always a good idea to try to loose weight and keep in shape though. We still should feel and look beautiful, cancer doesn't define us.

Thanks Joanne! Looks like a girls night in after all! :-)

 How is your skin doing, looking better every day?

WisKris - congrats to you! I am so happy for everybody who is done or getting close to the end. Yes!

Yes being NED! Everybody will raise a glass tomorrow ladies! That's an order ;-)

silvia -- my skin is doing great -- after all the peeling, etc. it looks great -- even the incision for the lymph nodes which was pretty "angry" looks good too !!!!

hang in there everyone ... you are nearing the finish line!!!!

Whoohoo, if I can stay away until 8PM I am in for raising a toast for Silvia and WisKris!  What a long ride you two ladies have had.  I am wishing/hoping only good things in the future (for you and your boobs) Silvia . 

So, today, I am giving a talk and not only do I suddenly feel like I need a nap -- like *right now* but I look at the mirror in the bathroom and I have the worst sunburn I have ever seen (not a sunburn, but that is what it looks like).  That was fast, no warning or anything - just BAM today!   

Silvia - I might have to do a drink beforehand, since I'm east coast and have been going to bed early  CONGRATS!  Today is the day - wooooo hoo!

Jan/Jittersmom - you're almost there!  How awesome!  You must be so excited

hmmm I have wondered that myself...at the first meeting with my MO he said "you are cancer free" and proceeded to order chemo etc. I found that strange! When I asked at a later appt. why he said that, he said "because I can"..those were the kind of answers I got from him. I guess that was his lame attempt at humour!!

I suppose we can't assume we are cancer free until at least the 5 year mark!

Aw, gee...Neeners and I are going to be the only ones still getting buzzed while the rest of you are out celebrating!  I feel like the party bus will be taking off without us!

Oh, well, I'm happy for all the finishers.  My #13 is today and things are looking a little pink and tight, but nothing dire.   

I'm thinking of buying two bathtubs and parking them in the backyard.  I'll fill one with aloe and the other with aquaphor.  This will make application a lot of fun.  

Have a great day, everyone. 

I am day #17 today and I have turned from pink to red ... much worse at night ... but I am ok too.  Just really tired by the end of the week, and end of the day.

I like the bathtub idea ... I swear my left breast is so beautiful and soft (since I treat both of them equally)!! 

mckenna, I'm sorry you're feeling so tired, but I can relate -- it makes me weepy, too. 

About the "cancer-free" comments, I think that is pretty common.  My BS said that to me, too.  It's because technically, once the tumor is removed, with clean margins, we are "cancer-free."  However, since everybody (including healthy people) make cancer cells all the time, the other treatments (radiation, chemo, hormone) are used to prevent new tumors from developing by killing any stray cancer cells that couldn't be removed through surgery.

So it's kind of confusing and a little controversial to use the term "cancer-free" ... but I like to think of myself that way. ;-)

schatzi14, if my MO had given me the same kind of smart-ass reply you got, I probably would've slapped him.