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

Hi schoolmom, I'm just a few days ahead of you. I just got home from treatment 4/34. My ro gave me the best stuff and told me to start using a couple of days before I started treatment. It's called Remedy Skin Repair by Medline. I looked it up and you can get it on Amazon. My hands havent looked this good in years. Oh wait I'm not supposed to be using it for that...forgot all about BC for a minute...got so carried away at the thought of young hands! So far not much color change. I do get weird twingy feelings right around the tumor site and the incision spot and my lymph nodes are achey. Like after the biopsy. But absolutely nothing that slows me down yet...I even felt myself nod off a little during treatment. I have calmed down considerably, yea! Good luck to you.

anyone else just have a poopy day?

Totally shocked today when they told me I only have 10 treatments left! I'm not sure how I lost count. 10 seems so much closer than thinking that it was Jan 25th (which also was wrong). Geez you would think I could count!!! Regardless, I left today very happy!



School mom - I got my aloe gel at Whole Foods.



Hope everyone is hanging in there!

I have the same issue with sleeping.  I am a little bit past the halfway point of 35 treatments.  My last day is 1/29.  I am so tired during the day so I went to bed early but I woke up at 4 am.  Managed to fall back asleep until 6 am. 

I am 8 days in and feeling good. I have some shoulder and back aches but I think it's from holding my arms over my head rather than from the rads. I head to radiation immediately after my class (I teach HS) and find the 1hour drive more of a an issue ...it's getting old! Tomorrow I meet with an Integrative Therapist. He is a MD who will talk about acupuncture, nutrition etc. I have total confidence in the small community hospital that I go to for my treatments. I am so much more comfortable there than I was at the large hospital where I had my surgery. My biggest surprise is the number of women who I have known for years who surprise me by telling me that they have taken this same journey. We are definitley not alone!

Hi schoolmom.  You can also buy an aloe plant.  You just break off a piece and open it up and slather on the aloe.  My mom always had an aloe plant growing up.  It's great for burns, sunburns, radiation treatments, etc.  And for those of you having trouble sleeping, ask your Dr. about trazadone.  Trazadone is a 30 year old antidepressant that has drowsiness as a major side effect.  Using it as a sleep aid is an off-label use, but it is non habit forming, doesn't have all of those side effects that Ambien, etc. have, and is not a controlled substance.  It's also generic.  I was given 50 mg. tabs, and the whole one made me drowsy in the morning so i cut it in half and it's working beautifully for me.  I had my mapping CT scan on Monday and will be scheduled for my first radiation treatment as soon as they have my plan figured out.  I'm trying to get together everything I'll need in advance so I'm prepared for any side effects.  Thanks to everyone for the great tips and advice!:)

Stargdate log: Groundhog day #14.  Today I intentionally did not wash off my night time pit and underboob corn starch and told the tech.  They didn't mind, as long as it wasn't applied within 4 hours.  My pit and underboob look most awesome.   My fried rash is beginning to peel just slightly, no pain anywhere.  I'm still tossing on some aloe every time it feels dry and I think about it (probably 6-7 times a day now).

My groundhog day was messed up today.  I passed Mr. rads rump in the parking lot on the way in, while I usually converse with him for a few minutes before he goes in.  I also barely made it to the coffee machine before the nurse, who comes from somewhere else in the building, came in for her coffee.  Usually I am sitting down with my coffee before she walks through.  Today instead of saying good morning to her, I simply said "Happy Groundhog day". 

For those of you not sleeping, Ativan has been my good friend.  I take only 1/2 mg in the evening around 7 ish and by 10ish I am out like a light and sleep like a baby.  I have been taking it since April when I was diagnosed.  Strongly recommended. 

Armpit and underboob look a light pink/tan while everywhere has moved from pink to a reddish pink. I also asked the tech if they used my bolus pad for anyone's rump and she laughed.  She said no, but it was also used on people's heads and necks for radiation.  I'm sure those individuals would love to know that it was also on my boob and armpit before it is placed on their head.  She said they do wash them, but nope, I don't have my own gelpad.

schoolmom,  Big bottle Fruit Of The Earth brand 100% pure aloe gel = WalMart <$5.00.

Thanks, sonson. I was a weepy puddle by the end of yesterday. I started today weepy and I just let myself ride the tide as it were. then I found out that tomorrow is my last full radiation treatment and then I start my 5 boosts and that cheered me up! I'm going to take my clonazepam (like ativan) tonight so I get more sleep. I woke up a lot last night, the breast pain is finally starting to kick in and the fatigue. it will soon be over! My skin is hanging in there. Nurses and Dr said it still looked good, it's just red.

Elimar I was going to recommend the same thing, even though I haven't started rads yet I've read some posts about the aloe and went to Walmart and bought it the same as you...Good Value

Big bottle Fruit Of The Earth brand 100% pure aloe gel = WalMart <$5.00.  (make sure you get the clear-) 

I was feeling great until this afternoon when my boob started burning and feeling tight. It got pretty red and I saw the fried rash had peeled the top layer of skin (very small areas caused by rash from tape and then radiated, SMH). Then pounding headache, chills, body aches. Not sure if that is related or I have a bug. Called nurse, see doc before rads in the morning. Cranky with the way I am feeling so hoping I dont tell them where I prefer they place that bolus pad! Boob is cooling down now but man, it felt like a hot potatoe on my chest earlier!

Welcome bexh and susancats. Looks like I am running on the night shift here with Ramols. I' ve had the insomnia thing since chemo/ tamoxifen and am getting used to it. I actually dont mind it much- I grab my nook or knitting and/or come here. Ramols, at least it isnt the croup this time!



Susancats, I remember when I was 3/33, and my RO laughed at me for saying I was 1/11 done. I pointed out that that meant in 8 treatments I would be 1/3 done. That little bit of mental math is what I had been doing while lying still on the table listening to Christmas carols:)



Shachar, I dont have a breast on my rads side, but it sounds very uncomfortable. Sorry you are starting to feel the effects. Sounds like you will be hitting the sea salt soaks. I am hoping you dont get too fried. Just remember, they are blasting the bad stuff. I am almost healed except right along my scar line where there is an open area- at least I can hardly feel it. I also have one area that looks like a zit and is very tender. Will have to call RO today. If I need to go in to have someone look at it, it will have to be today because I get to take my poor son in to have his wisdom teeth removed tomorrow.



Allurbaddays, On to the boosts! Wait til you see hjow quickly you finish now. On the home stretch. I will pull the ribbon across the finish line and get ready for you to run through.

allurbaddays...you're near the finish line now, so hang in there.  While the boost area was the only area that did a little peeling for me, what I think you will notice is that even while you are getting the boosts, your big rectangle of rads area will start to heal and get less red and sore.  Just keep the moisturizing going after the treatments finish.

Actually, the moisturizing on the rads side is for life because, like the radiated hair follicle, the radiated oil glands get shut down and just don't come back.  At least not all of them do.

I won't be driving, I'll be walking and taking the subway while my daughter is at school.

Haha, I don't know how I managed the day off but maybe it was when I told the doc I thought he was trying to kill me? Rofl! He is good natured, love him.

I cant take credit for the soaks because I found them on here, I just substituted sea salts for table salt. But it was boil 4 cups of water, add 2 tsp salt. Let cool to room temp, use soft cotton shirt, etc to dip in and wring out. Place on area 15 min. I think with my next seasalt I will do only 1 tsp! Seasalt helps draw out radiation from what I googled.

Allurbaddays, that weeping is definitely tamo. I was on it prior to rads and I was a sprinkler system. So were body aches, chills, hot and cold. It is supposed to get better with time.