Winter RADS 2012 Club...Please come join the fun!

Yay, had 13 of 25 this morning. I'm halfway through!

dventi, I think it's a matter of personal preference. The Miaderm does have calendula in it, although it's pretty far down the ingredients list! I've been using it since day 1, and so far so good!

This no shaving thing has really gotten old. The hair irritates the skin where I had my SNB, when it rugs against it. Has anyone else experienced this?

Allur...I'm thinking that I will continue to take it.  I posted this on the Canadian thread as well and quite a few ladies responded that they took Tamoxifen or an AI then did rads.  I feel good and don't want to have to start over on it a month later.

cowpower: Oh no. I'm sorry to hear you have to deal with lymphedema now. Let us know what your specialist says ok? Yes, I just finished 11 of 31 treatments. So far my breast is pink and I have very little fatigue (hardly worth mentioning) and my esophogus is sore, like acid reflux during chemo.

Aruba: When I asked about the swelling during one of the doctor visits each week they put me in touch with a nurse who educates the patients about lymphedema. I don't think that she is a specialist, but I will let you know after I meet with her. She did give me some literature to read and it was informative...I guess we have to be our own doctor these days.

lifeonitsside: Thanks for the idea about the nail polish to keep the nails on. Its too late for mine, but I hope that others will see your advice and take it! I wish I had known. I would not have believed how painful it is as the nail breaks off on 2 sides only and hangs on to the last and then the nail underneath grows back while cutting into the fresh skin. ouch!

Andrea623: Another poster on the fall rads said that she tweezed any stray hairs under her arm and around the scar and they came out very easy. I have noticed a couple and thats what I did too. But for the most part the rads have taken care of the hair on that side and unbelievable but the unradiated side has no hair either. Maybe its still from the chemo... I don't know. I wish the same were true for my hairy legs though!

dventi: Ok, its your first treatment. Have you been loobing the boob for the last few days? Don't be surprised if you are a little emotional, ok? Remember to take your lotion/gel and apply it right after the treatment before you get dressed, and again during the day. But never apply it just before a treatment. It has to absorb into the skin. Let us know how you did.

Dianarose: That is a real kick in the butt to have to do this again. It can't be easy to face after 8 years. Again. I hope that there will be minimal SE's and that with a little "help" on that left side you will look lovely in a cute dress. You may be done before the end of the year? I hope so. You deserve a new beginning in 2013.

Sending love and peace to all of my rads sisters as we endure what we have to, to live.

teeballmom: ohhhhhh I soooooo wanna go to YOUR center.........heaven..................

Today's my planning meeting with the RO and get my tattoos and CT scans, etc. Will know the plan after today. Probably starting rads next week.

Hi Winter Rads Ladies!

I hopped over here from the Fall Rads thread (I finished my treatments about 3 weeks ago) to share a lotion I used that really kept my skin side effects from getting too bad. I'm fair-skin, light hair and blue-eyed, so my RO kept telling me that I should expect some more severe side effects. I was so nervous about how badly my skin would be affected, so I started searching for a lotion to use that would hopefully keep my skin from burning too badly. I stumbled across a two-time BC survivor who has had radiation, and she now makes and sells lotion that is for radiation and is paraben-free. Her company name is Jean's Cream (and if you have the mind of a 13 year-old like I do, I always chuckle when I say that), and I used it multiple times daily from the start of radiation. I had some mild pink "burns", but other than that, my skin held up really well. I'm 3 weeks out from treatment and my treatment side looks nearly the same as my non-treatment side. I would recommend this lotion to anyone! Below is the website for ordering or finding out more about this product if you're interested:

http://www.jeanscream.com/

I have no affiliation with this company, I'm just sharing something that worked for me! I hope all of you are coping well with treatments. (((hugs))) to you all!

I've been just cold all afternoon... not sure if it's because it is just COLD... but I'm wearing two sweaters... or is this a side effect?

I was in the August 2012 chemo group.  I'm done with chemo  and will begin rads on December 6.  So I thought I'd jump into this group and join the fun.  Today I got setup and my tattoos, which didn't hurt at all.  

Just had 14 of 25! Eleven more to go! You can definitely see the rads field. I have a pink rectangular shape on my side!

Andrea623 and Cowpower -congrats on being so far in!

I had my first appt and just lubed up with Calendula - and my side is already a little red! I can't tell if it's from the Calendula or the rads...has anyone else experienced redness after day one?

good morning ladies first of all hang in there the time will and does go by fast for rads. I hope you don,t mind my jumping in, i am 3 mnths post rads myself. Anyways I see that some of you are starting to have some nipple painect. so I thought I would offer my 2 cents worth here hahaha. Heidismom I had issues with my nipple ( and still do) that doesn,t mean you will have you girls all know everyone has different issues and effects, Should any of you ladies have  a lot of discomfort and pain (ei: clothes rubing on nipple and extremely sensitive nipple ect.) after rads I purchased from a mastectomy store " bra pads" they are very afordable come in a package of 2. They are very soft. The thing about these pads is that they have an indentation on the inside for the nipple. It fits like a glove and my nipple doesn,t fill the indentation so it gives a space between nipple and pad hence nothing touches the nipple cuts the pain and irritation to almost nothing. I did not use it till after rads as your boob  well mine anyways was dry and irritated during rads but it deffinately made a difference after. I continue to wear it as I am still uncomfortable. The pads come in many different sizes and is very light abd soft. So I hope this info helps and you ladies take care and remember every day is one day closer to the end and all those buggers are getting zapped!!!

    roberta

Hello rads sisters,  I am going thru' rads a second time, but this time from the opposite end since I just got a Dx of colorectal cancer.  I don't plan on going into detail about it, since it's not for breast.  I do have my sim today.  Will start Dec. 3rd and have 25x.  Unlike for breast, I will be getting rads at the same time as doing chemo.  Hope I don't get a worse skin reaction because of that.

I did fairly well back when I had 33x breast rads., just using the 100% aloe vera lotion.  Yes, I got the rads tan, but no blistering and just a little peel at the very end after the boosts. 

fhny2012, I would guess that your pinkness is contact dermatitis from the Calendula lotion.

Happy to see the change of listing rads groups by season, rather than by month.  (When I first did rads back in 2009, it spanned over three mos. anyway.)

cowpower, my skin is sensitive too, but it has been since I had my bmx. The lovely pink rectangle is quite the thing to see though! I've been using Miaderm, but last night put on a light layer of Aquaphor. Yuck, talk about thick, goopy and sticky, but it did help ease some of the discomfort. I hope I won't have to use it very often. Since my surgery, I don't have any nipples to irriate, but the skin below my right incision is still very sensitive. Hope it goes away soon.

And hooray for those of us halfway through! Let's hope the second half flies by with few side effects!

cowpower, an "amoeba"? LOL! That made me laugh! I had purchased some cheap Fruit of the Loom sports bras at Walmart right after my BMX. Or rather, I sent DH to buy them! He wasn't sure what size to get and brought home quite the assortment, which actually worked, depending on how sore I was on any given day. Right now, I just wear Jockey Luxe camisoles, because my skin is uber sensitive, and anything else feels like sandpaper on it. 

I am starting to feel fatigued. Today I felt like I could have slept for hours by 11 am. I hope the fatigue doesn't get any worse, because I don't want to miss any more work, and falling asleep there would be a very bad thing. Someone told me to be sure to drink plenty of water, so I'm going to try that and see if it helps.

Andrea- your dh must shop with mine:) I just brought a bunch of too small camis to our local church thrift shop. Just glad I have someone to send to the store...Trying to stay hydrated does help, I am finding the tamoxifen and/or rads dry me up like a raisin. I am lucky to be at home these days so I could nap if necessary. Nobody to see me slump at my desk.