Veterans of Radiation I need your help!

Radiation was very easy compared to chemo.  You will get burned skin but can purchase some salve to help with that.  You may also want to buy a silk something to put between your breast and your bra to prevent chaffing.  It may make you tired also.  But it usually only took me about 15-20 minutes each morning and I went in the morning before work.  Never needed to miss work due to rads.

Also the 15-20 minutes was mostly waiting.  Once on the table the rads actually only took around 30 seconds.

Anyway, I wish you luck and once rads is over you can go back to living your life!   Namaste'.

Jeni, I got my treatments before work every morning. I would put on Tom's of Maine deodorant and powder in the changing room right after my treatments. I would also slather on Udderly Smooth.cream (recommended by Rad Onc) and then head off to work. I had 36 treatments total which included bolus and boost treatments. They were very short sessions after the initial two simulations. I did have difficulty getting my arm into position, but worked with a PT to make things easier. You will do just fine. I didn't have fatigue until the last two weeks, but it was bearable and I didn't miss any work.

Jeni-I also work at an elementary school(I'm a para) and I was able to work through rads with only a couple of days off here and there. I took a couple days off about 5 weeks in because I had some skin issues that just weren't very comfortable, and I took a couple of days off after I finished treatment because I was tired. I could have worked if I absolutely had to,but I have a very compassionate administrator who gave me no grief about it whatsoever. 

One word of warning, if you work with the age group of kids that likes to give hugs(the little ones) you need to develop the skill of turning your non-radiated side into the hug!

Mary 

Jeni1962... with your node removal and uncomfortable arm, I would highly suggest you jump over to the lymphedema thread and post your experience. You might get some great guidance to make your arm more comfortable, and help you understand what to look for since you are at higher risk (like myself ; ), of lymphedema.

Hello: )...I didn't read each post but here's my two pennies...keep in mind I had aggressive chemo and Rad treatments:

I began to burn significantly at the end of week three.

Bought over 30 lotions...but there are only two that I fell in love with (BagBalm and coconut oil....go on like butter and you have to wrap yourself up).

I worked the entire time and took vacation at the end...bad Burns.

I finished rads in October and I am still healing.

The swelling sounds like LE....be sure to go to a specialist...massaging Really does work and you can train your system to redirect the fluid...kinda cool really.

Best wishes: )

Hi Jeni:

I had 35 treatments and the only issues I had towards the end, I had some fatigue and my underarm got a "sunburn" and peeled.  Mr RO gave me Radigel early on to use after treatments and at bedtime.  I also used Cetaphil after the "sunburn".

I had to quit wearing a bra after about 25 treatments but wore "wife beater" undershirts under my blouse and you couldn't tell I didn't have a bra on and I am a "fluffy" size woman.

A friend of a friend suggested I drink a glass of Carnation Breakfast Essentials (used to be called Instant Breakfast) or Ensure to help keep my energy up.  I did drink the Carnation stuff and seemed it worked as I was not as fatigued as some of my friends were.  I figured it wouldn't hurt and I still drink it from time to time today.

Before applying anything to your skin, check with your RO.  When you go for your "meet and greet" you can ask what you can use before you need it.  I saw the RO nurse practitioner every week of my treatment so that they could stay on top of any issues that I may have. 

I also had (and continue to have) instructions from my RO and MO to call if I had any concerns or questions.

God bless you,

LaDonna

i have only had my initial meet and greet and my simulation so far- was tld to use Tom's of Maine as deod...and given some cream to use 2X a day (minimum) afterwards..am hoping to have my rads after work also so i can throw on a tank top and go home to do whatever...also in case there is any kindof backup at the facility-i would rather sit there after work than have to work later because of issues in the morning!(my work is flexible so long as i have 40 hours in my week)

someone mentioned that they were in and out basically in a flash -my RO told me that since i am left side TX it would take longer so they can radiate around the heart--right sided's go more quickly on the table

i would def look into PT for that arm extension...my MO and surgeon both  stressed exercise and my RO stressed it even more...as well as friends who have btdt...

good luck! keep us posted!

Jeni1962, I was fortunate - I did not have fatigue with rads. My skin did get red after about 3 weeks. My RO gave me Aquafor, but then I read rave reviews on these message boards about Emu oil, so I ordered it on Amazon (after checking with my RO). It worked very well.   

I had 35 (I think, DH knows better, LOL!) tx and what I felt about a week in was:

Extreme fatigue. I would fall asleep on the table and go back to sleep when I got home from tx. I slept for at least 12 hours a day for about 3 weeks. 

Itchy skin at tx site, but also in other places.

Lack of appetite. But I forced myself to eat, and I ate calorie concentrated foods as instructed.

After about 2 weeks, swallowing was very difficult and sometimes hurt. I had a lot of esophageal inflammation, so some food would come back up almost in original form, other food would drag on its way down. But this was where I was being treated - chest. I was given a scrip for "Magic Mouthwash" but that stuff scared the shit out of me after using it once, so I never used it again. I just toughed out the bad feeling in my esophagus and it eventually went away. The MM has MOM, Benadryl and Lidocaine in it. You are supposed to put it at the back of your throat with a straw then swallow. It is supposed to numb your esophagus so you can swallow, at least according to my RO nurse. Well, that shit didn't just numb my esophagus, it DEADENED it! I could not tell if I was swallowing, I could not tell if my throat was narrowing, but it felt like it. I was afraid to eat while using it. RO nurse said some people are just more sensitive to it.

Now, 6 weeks after my LAST rads tx, I feel great! I feel so much better than I did before I started rads. Rads can keep killing cancer cells months after your last tx. I think this is what is happening in my case, as I continue to gain more strength. Even though I went through a bunch of crap for it, it was worth it to feel a lot better like I do now.

Jeni1962, 

As usual, the members are provided a lot of insights. To help decipher all the abbreviations, there is a Discussion Board Abbreviation Key.

We hope this helps!

The Mods 

I had 30 radiation treatments and never missed a day of work.  I did use an over-the-counter product that the doctor recommended right after the treatment and at night before bed.  I didn't particularly like the product, but I guess it did its job.  At some point, I changed to Vitamin E creme that I got from Sams, and I actually liked that one.

I don't know if I was the unusual patient or not, but I didn't have any extraordinary symptoms.  Compared to chemotherapy it was easy.  I did have some burn the last two weeks but less than the Dr. thought I would have.  I'm very fair skinned.  I will say that during the entire cancer treatment, I took liquid vitamins, minerals and liquid CoQ10.  I think I fared pretty well.  Now I'm on Femara . . . no significant side effects yet.  Everyone's experience is different.