Summer 2012 RADS HANG OUT

Bookmarked.  

Crestwook - wow - that is scary - big (((((HUUUGGGGSSSS)))) and healing thoughts coming your way!

Stacie- I'm so here. Not sure about having rads just yet but here just because..... 

Melrosemelrose:  Glad you are here!

Onvacation:  Why are you dreading it more than chemo?  I can't imagine anything worse than chemo.  My sister is a radiation therapist and it almost sounds like the biggest side effect is fatigue.  Possible burns, but take care of your skin from the get-go.  People wait until their skin starts burning before they put anything on it.  You need to start using the creams (whichever works for you) from the beginning.  She recommended the Fruit of the Earth Aloe (found at WM), aquafor.  Some others have other recommendations.  

onvacation- Decided to hang out here with my gal pals until I find out for sure if I'm in rads camp or not.  My case has to go before the tumor board since my bc was incapsulated in that cyst.  Not embracing the rads but got to do what I can to make sure none of the nasty is still wandering around or hibernating.  I've known since day one that I might be having the deluxe treatment rads.  Hopefully I will know in July what is what.  I know you don't really want to be in rads camp either but we definitely can do this!!!

Don't know why my profile stuff is not coming up with my post. I put it all in as public.

Hi all! thanks again, Stacie, for creating this thread. 

I found out today that I should start rads around October 15.  Sounds like 5 days a week for 6 weeks, but I didn't get any more specifics just yet than that.  I am trying not to worry too much about it but honestly, I am more anxious about rads than I was either surgery or chemo.  I have sensitive skin and so will be very interested in tips to help it keep from taking too much of a beating.  I also plan to get some inexpensive black or dark colored T-shirts, in case I get sharpie marks and not tattoos.  All that info is yet to come!

The biggest downer for me though; it means a copay every treatment.  I am lucky that I'm able to work through this, and I have good insurance, and $40 isn't much here and there (i.e., for the chemo), but 5 days a week for 6 weeks will definitely be expensive, not to mention driving there every day.  *sigh*  I have just about exhausted my flex spending plan because I didn't count on the BC diagnosis and didn't make my allotments high enough prior to the first of the year, and am holding off on putting through any more reimbursements because my prosthetics will probably take the rest of the money still available.  I do have a savings account I kept open after paying off my car loan last year and fortunately, it is in a location not that convenient for me to get to, so I've been able to let it build up. ;-)  It will come in handy for those rads treatments.  

Sorry to whine about money - so far, in my case, the rads plan has been the biggest "sticker shock", but of course, I will do it!  I'm glad that if we have to do this, we'll all be in good company.  

Stacie:  Check your maximum out of pocket on your insurance or on your EOB's.