August 2012 Radiation

Hi Rachel!  I have my planning appointment with my RO on July 20th, and expect to start rads in early August so I am with you.  I don't know how many rad treatments I will be getting yet, but I am going to ask about the Canadian protocol for 16...sounds so much better than 30+!!!  It looks like our diagnosis is pretty similar exept my tumor was a little larger pushing me to stage IIa.  Did you also do chemo before surgery?  I just had a lumpectomy re-excision yesterday for two margins that were only 1mm and surgeon wanted 2mm...I didn't want another surgery but definitely wanted it all out!

I have been reading all the other rads threads and my head is spinning with all the different lotions and strategies.  Thanks for starting the August group!

We can't be the only ones starting in August...maybe we're too early!

Bump

Hello girls can I join your August group also??? I just got my tats today (Yeah for me) hahaha. But as I am not healing very quickly after 2nd. lump i am put on hold. I guess I get the pleasure of doing whole breast zaps, and only 30 treatments, I opted out of the boosts. The team I met today were very nice and had a sense of humor thank goodness. So now I find myself a women of leisure as I won,t be going back to work for awhile.

Hello ihatemyboob, I,ve just done some generalized research on it and also learned some things from the women on this site who have gone through it. The thing i learned is everyone is different and some people "breeze" through it, some don,t. I guess we will find out ourselves hahaha. I did buy some aloe to start creaming the little puppy up, it can,t hurt. Have you had your tats and scan done yet???? I don,t have an official date yet as my healing has hit a couple of glitches ( oh what a surprise) hahaha.  I basically like you am just going with it as it has to be done. So if it helps we can hang in there together and compare notes or vent on each others shoulder.

Thanx Mods very informative and thorough info- appreciate it! Have a good one!

Hey girl, I like my fols also, so I consider myself lucky. I know treatment is important but I have been more nervous about meeting Dr,s Nurses ect. and hoping that they weren,t (how do I say politley) i guess jerks hahaha. And for what it is worth the whole tats, scans were pretty easy to get through.It,s to bad your Dr is leaving , is she leaving soon? I think I am going to turn the one that is on middle of chest into a tiny anchor when I get done hahaha.

Yeah, i think she'll be gone before I even begin.  I plan on COVERING myself in tattoos when Im done with all of this but fear my skin will be wrecked! But of course the major motivation in wanting more tattoos was because I was told I could not have any during chemo LOL! I really want one on my head and seeing how I will be bald for quite some time PFC I'll have plenty of time to plan!

Hi August rads team!  So happy to see a few more of us.  I met with my RO on Friday and had my planning session.  I really, really like my RO.  She is patient and thorough and just a sweetheart.  I met with the nurse, then my RO, then went into the planning sessions which was a CT scan.  I will be doing the breath holding technique because of my left sided tumor to avoid the heart, so I had to hold my breath for a few seconds for the scans.  I now have four little dot tattoos that look like blackheads, two along my sternum and one on each side of me at the bra line.  It all happened pretty quickly and painlessly - all the meetings and planning took about 90 minutes total.  I will be getting 22 whole breast rads with 8 boosts to the tumor site, although my RO did say she "might add a few more at the end".  Um...hopefully not??!!  The RO nurse was awesome and it sounds like they will be giving me all the creams I need right at my cancer center.  They also said to use only natural deodorant (I bought some Tom's of Maine) on the rads side.  I have some Weleda baby calendula lotion that I love and I will use that leading up to my first treatment on August 7th to get my skin as ready as possible.  My RO said that the first two weeks will probably be fine, the next two I may have some minor pain, swelling and skin changes, and the last two weeks will be the toughest but will pass quickly.  I really hope she's right!  Hmmmm...I am really, really hoping I am one of the lucky ones that doesn't get too much skin breakdown!

ro-berta, I don't think I have more patience because of all this cancer treatment, but I do think my "control freak" tendencies have really decreased!

Hello, I start my rads 1st August and go for markings and Tattoo's this Wednesday. I am having rads to my neck, lymph nodes, left under arm and left breast. Not looking forward to the tattoo's as I will have it near the neck and it will show. (Having three wks of rads but I think it's the bad shit I'm getting)

Had very bad SE with chemo and Lumpectomy so I know rads will be no different for me. Have started Tamoxifen today for five years then something else for another five years( great )



Hope we can all jolly each other along ( I will need it)



Alison

hi girls! first don,t admire me ,i am not taking boost because for me I have such adverse effects to meds such as heart, blood pressure ect. and am allergic to all antibiotics reactions ranging from cardiac arrest to hives ect. so i said no to boosts just to cut my time down and chances of needing additional meds hahaha. my incission is fine but my boob is not healing??? still swollen have s section that is like a red rash but the skin is bumpy and my pain throughout. Sorry for venting just in a quandry as to what it might be. I have had 5 lumps and never had this happen before, You guys got any ideas??? has this happened to any of you? Anyway since we are women and tough anyone else sweating their balls off in this heat hahaha? 

Hair- I had cold cap ( machine ) I live in UK but it didn't work very well. I was bald on top but kept the hair from top of ears down. I had long hair but had it cut just below my chin, after last chemo it started growing very fast. My bald patches are covered and I go out without a hat, not sure if I would have it again.



I had lots of fluid with my lumpectomy and had it drained, still got a few lumps and bumps.



I have got normal and solar urticaria so not looking forward to rads. I asked if I had to have rads to the arm pit and she said if I didn't it would be 50/50 they could cure me again. Even though I have had all lymph nodes removed cancer can come back in arm pit within the tissue. ( bloody great I said so if that happens and they can't treat me I would be stage 4) I thought If you took out all the nodes that was it.



My DH has had enough of this cancer and now thinks I should carry on as before.

I am starting rads July 30 so I am doing the July Rad group, Aug Rad Group, and the Summer Rad group.  I figure we can all get through this together!