Any October 2012 rads girls out there?

Hi Anastasia, 

I will be starting in October too.  Supposed to be Monday Oct 01, but i'm hoping to push it back a few weeks.  My RO isn't happy about it but in the end it's my decision.  

So, yes....we can go on this journey together!  And I'm in Cali too!   

I see my RO for the initial consultation on Wed, Oct 3.  This is my second radiation "journey" so I know what to expect.  It is the same RO I had before, he's very sweet and kind.  I cried at and after the first treatment  and also at the last.  He was very patient and empathetic.

I have 33 treatments as well. I think, anyway. My insurance company said they were covering 33 treatments so I would think that is what I have. Day #2 went very well. I showed up early and they got me in and out FAST, which I greatly appreciated! I was thinking today we'd be done by Thanksgiving; have you actually counted the days? I'd like to know when I will be done.

My RO is really nice too. He is very...academic, very smart. And a talker. Honestly I think he is bored. Sometimes he just hangs out in the waiting room or the chemo room and talks to people. It's nice but very odd to see a doctor do that!

Hi everyone,

I started Rads yesterday and will be doing 30 treatments. I was really scared the first day but today not so bad. My breast has a red area below the nipple that had me worried. Too red too soon but the Dr looked at it and compared my mapping pictures. It was leftover from the surgeries and now just a bit darker. I so want to be positive about this but have a real hypersensitive body and an autoimmune disease so a bit worried. We had to do a test run of the Aloe Vera for 4 hours on my arm before I could use it and the aquaphor. So far so good but my body can change at any time.

My center was really packed this morning. Felt like an assembly line.

Did anyone feel a bit sore and warm after treatments? Any fatigue or nausea? I did not expect that. 

Well my RO talked me into starting.  When i had my lumpectomy I complained of arm pain and i had limited ROM.  They kept me in the hospital for 4 days and put me on the pain pump.  They thought i might have a blood clot in the arm but that came back negative.  So they called in PT to work with me on my ROM.  

Well, after 2 1/2 months of pain and worsening ROM they finally ordered an MRI and found I have a torn rotator cuff.  The surgeon thinks that my arm fell after surgery causing the tear.  After she left the OR of course because she didn't see anything and nothing was reported to her.  

So my RO didn't want to start until i consulted with an Orthopedic Surgeon to determine if I needed surgery and if so; what would come first.  

They determined because the recovery time for my rotator cuff  would be about 4 months that I needed to have radiation first.

I tried to start radiation on Tuesday but because i'm unable to lift my arm, they had to rescan me with my arm by my side.  I was finally able to start yesterday..yayyyyy!!!!   It hurts like a mother!  I take 2 percocet, 1 800mg motrin and 1 xanax to try and help me with the pain from having my arm in that position.  The xanax isn't for pain but i've only been getting 3-4 hours sleep due to the pain so they prescribed xanax and Ambien.  

Christina, i read your post about your breast feeling warm and I hadn't noticed anything so I had to cop a feel.  lol   And you're right!  My breast is warm too.  I'm numb on that side so I don't feel a thing.  Now i'm going to have to go look in the mirror.  lol  

I'm scheduled for 33 treatment too and my last one is Nov 20th.  I'll have my shoulder surgery as soon as i can following rads. 

2 down, 31 to go!!!  

Thanks for the reply. Did they advise you to not get the rads because of the sensitivity? Just wondering. I am double negative but because of it being DCIS stage 0 they will not test for the third one. HER2. If I was triple negative I would have chosen a mastectomy. I am going to ask. My rheumy did not really want me to do the rads because of my autoimmune disease but would not put it on paper so I thought I would try it.

I have to say I am already sore, pink, nauseated and itchy all over my body. I see the Dr Monday and will discuss my chances if I can not finish rads. I think they said 50%. That is awful. I am and have always been a real fighter but this is really hard.

Hi girls i am from spring group. Just wanted to pop over and say hello.



I used miaderm exclusively. Used three tubes for 25 zaps and slathered on coconut oil every night when treatment done. Have TE and diep on monday. My ps said my skin looks great. Only going to have to cut out scar. I am fair skined and burn easily at beach.

Thanks Pamalahope,

When this first started they said the surgeries were worst than the inplants themselves. Every time there is a cutting on me I flare. Usually they just up my steroids but I have been trying to get off completely so I stay at my low dose. I see the Dr Monday after treatment. I will ask about the nausea. Someone else posted that so it must be normal.

My BRACa test was negative and they did it because I am adopted so I have no family history. Still I wish they would do the HER2 test. I think that would make me triple negative because I am estrogen/progestrin neg. Maybe I don't want to know.

is anyone having APBI?

Hi all I started mine on oct 4 and I think the hardest part was bringing my arm down after. I'll do 33 treatments as well.



My nurse told me wearing a nursing bra or loose sports bra would help so the underwire wouldn't irritate me. And she aside to apply lotion to after treatment. I'm using aveeno.



My center has us in and out. They run like a well oiled machine.



Good luck to us all!

No Karen you are not. I feel like a alien. Did they do your BRACAa test also? They did mine because of the adoption.  You know growing up I never thought about it much but after my Sarcoid diagnosis and now this I think about searching.

Welcome to our little group in this big wonderful group.

I don't know what APBI is either. I see RO this morning and I may ask him about miaderm. I'm using Aquaphor 2x day and it's only been a week, and my breast area is already a shade or two darker.

How neat that we have several adoptees in our October group, what are the odds!?! DH and I are interested in possibly adopting if I can ever get beyond this cancer stuff.

Pam, do not apologize for being frustrated or anything else! This stuff stinks and if we can't vent about it here, where else can we?

Tammy, OMG you poor thing, that must be awful, going through this with a torn rotator cuff! Like it's not hard enough!

(((Bunkie))) hang in there girl, maybe your docs can give you something to help manage the SEs better.

APBI is Accelerated Partial Breast Rads 5-10-days internal or 3 weeks external rads...I dont know anyone who is doing it, but would like to find her