Fall 2012 Rads girls......come on in!

Ellendou... I was so short of breath on chemo...I could barely make it up our driveway and walking up 6 stairs used to feel as though I had run a marathon.   I finished my chemo on June 22 and still am not at 100%.  I know I've had surgery, but even so.   Now waiting for rads to tire me out... oh! what a journey.  Happy I have you guys to hang out with and go through it with.

Hi ladies, I recognize a lot of you here. I just had my second planning appointment today. They marked me all up and gave me five little black do tattoos. They hurt for just a second but that was nothing compared to everything else I have been through. The RO ws happy with how everything lined up. She said that she would be able to treat my infra mammary nodes without destroying too much of my lung. I guess I am supposed to be happy about that but I am not happy about any of this. I am ready though to just get this done and over with. I am at high risk of lymphedema too since I have 6 nodes out and am gettting my axilla radiated. I am already paranoid about it and keep imagining that I already have it. I have an appointment next week with a lymphedema specialist. Hopefully they will be able help with the cording that I am having trouble with too.



I was worried about the thyroid too when I saw how high on my neck they are marking. She said that they put a block over the thyroid. And that the radiation I am getting doesn't have any increased risk of thyroid cancer or hypothyroidism. But then she informed me that there is a correlation between breast ca and hypothyroidism. What else do we have to look forward to?



What a year. I have chopped of most of my breast. Gotten three more scars. Poisoned my blood and heart. Lost my hair. Killed off my ovaries and gone into chemopause. And now it's off to burn my skin and turn it into leather, and scar my lungs and thin my bones. All to kill cancer though right! Better freaking work.

I'm not starting rads until December (Merry Christmas!). But I'll be lurking here to see what I can learn in advance. Good luck, September ladies! 

Hey Ladies,

 Well once again I'm in this group. Will have my last chemotherapy on 9/14/12. I was not so bad, had some emotional days, meet some great people. Got to tell you thought having a needle poke in you on a weekly basis, succcccccccck! Side affect not so much, but chemo brain, Woooooooow. Will be starting be starting radiation probably the following week after chemo finishes, given I have schedule to start before chemo, mistake at doctor office. They tell me the first day is the longest. Having to go five days a week for six weeks, not looking forward given I am still working. My days will be very long.

 Cancer sucks, but the people I have met on this journey rock! Will keep coming back always inspired by the post as well.

Good Luck, everyone talk to you soon.

Well hello!  I was reading a lot on the Summer Rads thread, but I'm moving over here now as I'm scheduled to have my mapping/simulation on Sept 20th.  I got my rads treatment plan before I had surgery, I'll be in it for the long haul of six and a half weeks.  (I wasn't told the exact number, but I assume this means 33 treatments.)

I'm just over a week out from my surgery now, it will be three weeks exactly when I get my simulation.  I've already stocked up on aloe gel and my regular lotion (both from First Aid Beauty), but haven't started using it yet.  (I've still got the steri strips over my incision.)

pattie3796...I know how you feel. This is my second diagnosis and 2nd round of rads in less than a year. I was dx'd with a new primary in the opposite breast 2 months after finishing rads.  My skin broke down as well. It was mostly in the crease under the breast and in the armpit area. I'm a D cup. Did you mean Aloe? Is it the 100%? I was using udder cream and I liked it alot. I think the main reason I had the problem under my breast is because it's difficult to keep it dry, especially when sweating at work. I've had 3 of 28 tx's and so far so good.  Last time they stopped it for a week after #23. Keeping my fingers crossed this time!

Hi Ladies, I've got insomnia so I' crusing through the boards to see what's new.  I'm actually at the implant stage awaiting for revisions.  But I skimmed through your posts.  My chemo was completed late October 2010.  The first week of Dec. I was trying to get the Christmas decorations up from the basement, and I was heaving.  I would have to stop halfway up to sit on the stair and just breathe.  My surgery BMX was the second week of Dec 2010 so I had a check up real quick with my MO for a last look before surgery.  I talked about how much of a weinie I had been trying to decorate the house for Christmas.  I explained how the stairs were exhausting me, a walk in the mall required rest breaks...freakin' weinie I tell you. 

The MO & his nurse looked at each other and then proceed to tell me I was not a weinie.  The effects of chemo remain in the body up to a YEAR after the treatment is done.  So I was still fatigued from the chemo.  I asked why they didn't warn us in chemo class before it started because I had been PUSHING myself and punishing myself for being such a "weinie".  The nurse told me we are given SO much information at the beginning that our brains are exploding and some things have to be put off until later in the treatment.  At the beginning wasn't the time yet to hear about how we'll feel afterward.  But I have found a lot of women aren't told about the year delay in chemo getting out of our system.

In the same token our skin reacts to rads up to a year after tx.  I had 33 beams.  I'm not going to lie, it was hellacious.  Some of you will have irritations and some of you will be like me.  It was hard to get up day after day and let them burn me all over again.  But by the time I was in your shoes, I almost felt numb.  Chemo, and then the BMX with reconstruction was THE most painful surgery.  I had horrid muscle spasms and I felt like they were treating me like a drug seeker because I wasn't responding to the pain meds the way they expected.  So by the time I got to the rads...in Jan 2011 I was kind of buzzed and numb emotionally.  Just do what you gotta do to get through this. It was rather surreal at times.   I had 2 of the best RO and they were VERY liberal with the GOOD pain meds.  They told me when it became apparent that I was going to be one of the unfortunate ones who get crispy fried, that I did not have to be brave or suffer.  They would medicate me however much I needed to get through it.  God bless them!  Morphine was very good to me.    I wore my husbands old white cotton tshirts because a bra was impossible, and my skin was too much of a mess for my clothing.  At the end I was wearing telfa pad dressings with silvadene cream - that's GOOD stuff.  Nasty and stains fabric but it kept all my open flesh from infection.

For those who will have external rads, let me warn you.  Those sweet rad techs, are ruthless when it comes to positioning you.  They will tape your arms in place if they have to.  I found that they CAN get your right elbow to fit into your left ear.  Someone said to massage your skin before rads, work on your range of motion as well.  Because they WILL force your arm into position if you can't do it.  I often had to have them pick up my arm and move it for me because it had hurt so badly it was just quivering from exhaustion.

The good news is you will physically recover from rads a lot faster than you do from chemo or surgery.  My skin was non existant by the final rad and what a joy that my 2 sisters showed up at my clinic in full mardi gras costume, balloons, noise makers and beads.  They came to celebrate the end of radiation as they knew I needed to celebrate.  They brought home videos to spend the day watching video of my son as a toddler - it was the BEST medicine!  Plan on celebrating your last day.  It's different for everyone.  One person burns and the other doesn't.  One only has a little skin issue and others have a lot.  I know mammosite is a lot easier to get through, but you will still feel tired.  But within 3 weeks I was feeling 75% better...peeling like a snake, but could wear my bras again and my energy was coming back.  However just like chemo, rads affects the skin up to a year after it's over.  At 10 months after rads I started feeling tight and despite ROM exercises, felt like the muscle was cramping up around the TE.  I went to PT where she was a specialist in LE, and contracture.  She massaged the heck out of my muscles, myofascial release and exercises released the adhesions and I was able to continue with my expansions to implant.

 For women of faith, I will share my Radiation Scripture with you...Isaiah 43:2...When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  I hope I'm not scaring anyone.  I am one who tried to fully educate myself beforehand, so I'm not taken by surprise.  But cancer treatments continually take me by surprise.  When the burns got really bad, I was reading my moms journal.  She died right after my BMX of BC treatment complications.  In her journal she wrote that Scripture helped her through HER radiation.  She died before knowing I would have radiation too.  It would have made her cry because she had a hard time too and kept telling me she didn't want me to do rads.  sigh.  But her scripture was a comfort to me.  I also would read over Psalm 18: 1 - 19 and try to visualize that.

God bless you all.  I don't mind answering questions at all, so if you want to pick my brain feel free to PM me. - Rosey

Yikes. Just got a call from RO. My cat scan shows my heartt located close to chest wall. So instead of doing rads at suburb location 5mins from work i have to go downtown to use breathing apparatus to make sure heart is avoided. Anyone heard of this? Nothing can go easy. But heart is worth a drive to other end of earth if needed. Geeeezzzz!!

Hey everyone! Here I am...the last stretch! Just finished my final Tax round on the 6th...not having a great experience as usual, going for my mapping on Wednesday and will start my 25x rad on October 1st. So looking forward to Nov. 6 my last day!!!  Stocked up on the parabin free aloe, and Johnson Baby Powder with corn starch...supposed to  work wonders!  Good luck everyone! Look forward to your posts and posting

xo Blessings

Starting rads tomorrow. 9/11. Seems appropriate. I will hopefully finish 10/25. Then I think I will be adrift. I think I know what you mean, when this is all done. This BC stuff has ruled my life since January 24, the day of the BiRads 4 mammogram....

jeez, i almost cried at work when someone asked me about radiation.  Why am i so emotional about this?  I think I am having a harder time going into this than chemo.  Or maybe i am just not remembering.  Goodness I hate this.  3 hours until my first treatment. 

Rosey-  thanks for sharing all of that, it's good info.  I'm sorry about your mom.   

What great sisters you have to do that for you!  I plan on celebrating when this is over, just not sure what to do yet!  I guess I'll know when the time comes. 

Hi darnette.   I was advised by a member on these boards to start using Glaxal Base and pure aloe... I also have my appts. on 17th and 18th.   Everyone says if we have been through chemo and surgery, rads are a walk in the park compared to that - I hope they are right.   You can get Glaxal at Costco's for the cheapest price.  Good luck.

Hi--I'm pretty new to these forums--I want to thank Aruba for pointing me in this direction!  I had my first appt. with my RO yesterday and will have the simulation on Sept. 19th.   I spent a lot of time researching radiation and the RO's that are available at this cancer center.  After telling my RO that my biggest worry was the heart issues since radiation can cause premature hardening of the arteries and ALL the women on my mother's side of the family have died of heart disease, this was important to me.  He explained how he would 'block' my heart.  I asked him if they did prone positioned radiation.  He was very surprised I knew about it.  He said they did do it and if that would make me feel more confident, he would do it.  Now the question is why wasn't this offered when I emphasized how important the heart issue was?!?  At this point I don't know much more about the number of treatments.  All I know is that for the boosts I have to be the supine position.  I'm going to be interested in how much info they give me regarding creams, etc.  I got the aloe and I made a list of the creams that earlier rad boards liked.  I'm going to get some and start using them now.  Has anyone been told they have a seroma from the surgery and how that will affect the rads?