Winter RADS 2012 Club...Please come join the fun!
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Hey cowpower, toasties indeed! Nah, in all honesty only the exposed raw skin stung a bit and the silvadine eased that off quickly. The angry red doesnt hurt at all but is awesome for sympathy points! I am only concerned that they will want to continue in business as usual with raw skin. Ummm, I dont think so, lol. I stole my dh's wife beater to wear under my clothes so I dont oil them up. Hmm, stress lines, now that is a thought!
Ouch, a suture from october! You poor thing! It is a wonder it wasnt infected. Glad your son is doing well now with his wisdom gone! I have five kiddos and we dealt with ingrown toenail removal with one and foot nail removal with the other during all this. It does make life feel more normal, ironically enough, to focus on the kids even if it is for stuff like that. Any distraction is nice. So.....hot flashes tonight or just general insomnia? I will be tappin that bottle of tamo again soon, lol -
Hi all! I haven't posted in a bit. Life is crazy. I just had appt 11/30 yesterday. So far things are good. I pinked up almost immediately after starting rads. The rad onc looked at me last week and prescribed silvadene cream. I put it on about 5 - 6 times a day and then this past Thursday I also got a tube of something with lidocaine in it for the nipple area. It's starting to really hurt. My scar is on the underside of my breast. I keep the boob "loobed," or as my husband and I call it, I "baste the breast" a lot. I also put a rolled up washcloth underneath to keep the air flowing through. I did start to feel some itching yesterday in the skin crease for the first time. I think I feel a little blister or two. I'm seeing others have used hydrocortisone cream for that, so I'm going to give that a try as well.
I will say that a bout of depression hit me yesterday. I'm pretty weepy and feeling blue. The day I finish radiation (2/5) I will also lose my job of 15 years. I'm a medical transcriptionist being phased out by electronic medical records. So in addition to feeling tired and overwhelmed with all of this cancer crap, I will also have to look for a new job. I'm hoping to take some time off in between ending radiation and actually having to start a new job. It's a lot to take in.
For those of who you who have finished your radiation, CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to join your club! Welcome to the new rads club members. I'm still fairly new but I'm feeling like a bit more of a veteran now. The front desk receptionists in the clinic now know my name and just wave at me as I walk on back to RADS waiting. HA!
Take care!
Jenn
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Hi ladies I am new to this topic but not to the boards...just got my rads start date of 02/11, mapping CT is to be Jan 23. Hope I can hang out here with all of you as we share this 'wonderful journey' HA! I know that people on other boards have been so kind and supportive and I'm sure you all are the same...just wondering what to expect with this step if anyone has any thoughts for me on that
Will finish chemo Jan 25...can't wait for that part to be over
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Hi fellow rad warriors:
Reading through your posts and feel sad for those who are seeing their bodies for the first time after double surgery. My heart goes out to all of you as you adjust to the changes that go with all this treatment.
Elimar- thanks for posting that article on low dose. The brachytherapy treatment I am having, which I understand is also much more common in Canada, uses more low-med dose for internal treatment. I think the field of rad oncology is shifting now as my local rad onc shared, as they know more about the longer term effects of the various treatment types. Lots of history around the high dose external beam, but not without some major impacts. I do think each physician tries to treat our individual situations for the best outcomes, but good to keep up with what is going on on our own too.
I finished my first round of internal radiation treatment yesterday for the left breast and all in all, this was not too bad. Certainly easier to me than going through 2 surgeries last year (one related to bc, one not). The pros of this are reduced time for treatment, less impact to the chest wall and surrounding organs, no rad fatigue, and ideal for early diagnosis for small tumors with no node involvment. The challenge was getting good rest every night, as I had 25 tubes to deal with and trying to be comfortable at night. Sleeping on the back or eventually on the side where the catheters were not was not always easy. Some good nights of rest, but not always. I do feel I came home sleep deprived, but more so from the sleep deprivation than anything with the treatment. Procedure day is also another challenge but having some good meds to help you relax and manage your pain makes a huge difference. My body adapated very quickly to the catheters. And no pain afterward now with them out. They and you must watch closely for any signs of infection, which I have not had so far. The blisters I had subsided and now healing with the tubes in the boob out!
Now I am home to rest and recover and get back to my routines. Back in Feb for the right side and area of DCIS next. I feel that will be do-able knowing what to expect now.
Hope everyone is getting through their daily visits, and recovery from all the rest. -
Jennifer, are you putting the silvadine all over? The nurse told me to just out it on the peeling areas but those are getting to be bigger areas. This morning my entire armpit peeled top to bottom and other small areas are starting. My breast is all bright red, so would love to coat it all if it works well. The aquophor I started yesterday seems to be speeding up the peel process.
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Hi Ridergirl, Welcome! Hopefully, rads will be a breeze compared to chemo. Rest up and pack in some proteins before you start. My energy level actually improved through the first part of rads, I think because I was recovering from chemo and surgery. We will be here to support you.
Shachar, I think the aquaphor does spped up the peeling. Its sort of like it floats all dead skin away. If it werent so messy, I would really like it. I guess we all paint a cozy picture in our wife beater tshirts, all lubed up for the evening, with no hair, and me with no boob. Can you imagine unexpexted guests? Talk about speechless! -
Cowpower, hilarious about that book! I think that book belongs in the library next to the booklet of hideous wigs and hats I wouldn’t be caught dead in that the “breast care coordinator” handed me THE DAY AFTER I WAS DIAGNOSED. I said, “do they even KNOW whether I have to do chemo?!” (They didn’t know at that point.) She said, in a very cavalier fashion, “oh most people do.” (A lot of people do. A lot of people don’t….) Then she flipped through a book of women who were in various stages of mastectomy and reconstruction. Like I really needed to see that the day after I was diagnosed.
Cider8, I’m so sorry to hear about Ollie.
Mother4life, I did have to do chemo but I understand what you mean, because now I’m doing rads and I’m not getting nearly as much support. Everybody cut me a lot of slack on … whatever, checked in on me to see how I was doing, offered to help, etc. etc., which was all great, and now it’s like HELLOOO I am STILL in treatment for cancer! It’s not as scary with a low oncotype score and not having to do chemo, but it’s scary as hell regardless. One thing I am finding with rads – and it sounds like you might be experiencing the same thing – is that I’m really moody. I feel really sad a lot of the time. It’s easy for me to freak out about every last little symptom and this afternoon I’m just feeling sad for no reason I can put my fingers on. And I slept 9 ½ hours but I feel like I need a nap at 5:30 in the evening. I also had another dose of herceptin on Thursday, so that’s probably part of it. I’m most of the way through rads so I guess I just need to count the days until I’m done. 8 more tx, including my boosts. My skin has been doing really well but Friday afternoon I felt like I was on the brink of starting the skin irritation thing. I’m glad I have the weekend to lube up/dump aloe on it. I sooooooooooo can’t wait to be done!!!!
Schoolmom, I “know” you from the coldcaps thread – did anyone comment on the fact that you still had your hair? I thought it was odd that no one seemed to notice, even though they
could see from my chart that I had just finished chemo.SwgeeWi – I use trazadone the exact same way and have for like 4+ years….
Queenkong, every day means m-f. It’s a pain in the ass.
Shachar, I’m feeling weepy and tired and have been having some trouble sleeping ,and I haven’t started tamox yet. I think it’s rads. The very first day I walked out of there I felt, just, sad…. However the tiredness isn’t like chemo tiredness. This is like sleepiness. Chemo tiredness was like having lead in your veins, on its worst days anyway.
fgm, my last day is 1/23. I think that's your last day as well? A few of us finish mid week that week. I. Can't. Wait.
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Shachar, yes I'm using the silvadene all over. The doctor told me to just slather it on all over a few times a day. she said to make it a thick layer and I even got three refills on the big jar I was prescribed. So, that's what I've been doing It seems to help a lot, but I am still experiencing a lot of itching in the crease under the breast.
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Awesome, thanks Jennifer! I also have a ginormous bottle with 3 refills. The areas with silvadene feels better than the areas without. I opened my big mouth to say the red areas didnt hurt, so they decided to slap me today. And boy did they! I have been a total grouch all day and eyeballing my bottle of lortabs from surgery. I would rather deliver triplets at this point!
Cowpower, you crack me up! Our guests would be shocked indeed! I look like an unusual milk dispenser, strawberry and vanilla. A few days ago I was thrilled that all of my armpit hairs fell out so I would never have to shave. Now I am looking like I wont even have an armpit! Aquophor feels so nice and really eases the discomfort but man is it messy!
Rider, welcome aboard! Great group of women here. :-)
Jazzygirl, I am soooo jealous. Glad things are going well for you and glad you are sharing your experience. In the future there will be such a change in cancer treatments like reo virus injections instead of chemo, lasers instead of rads, and topical tamoxifen with no side effects. Wish I had a time machine and we would all go! PINK POWER! Lol -
No tape for me, just 3 tattoos...so much easier than chemo.
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7 more days seem like a lifetime away!!! I thought the boosts were really easy until today. My boost area which is right next to my nipple completely peeled today and my nipple hurts. I have one more boost and then 6 full breast treatments. Hopefully, I will heal more today. I tried baby powder today but not sure I used the right stuff... I'm laying in bed with no shirt trying to air dry. Not sure who said they lost their arm pit hair...you are so lucky! I didn't lose mine and can't wait to shave!
My daughters are at sleepovers tonight so it has been a nice quiet evening with my husband. Dinner and air drying..what more could a girl want??? My school moms have been awesome and constantly asking if they can help out!
I go to the general oncologist on Monday..not sure when I will start tamoxifen. I found that I have been moody through radiation and really dreading this pill. -
Shachar, Our treatments still border on the barbaric. Save me a seat in the time machine. I want the Star Trek "air syringe" treatment. But wait, why limit my imaginings...we'll have A CURE by then, won't we?
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Loving, I have been really moody through radiation too.
elimar, Shachar -- if I were going to wish for something as big as a time machine, I believe I'd wish to never have had to deal with this at all!
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I want a seat too! Hopefully, it will include blissful sleep. Ugh..awake again.
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cypher, you totally described the difference between chemo and rad fatigue. I could barely get out of bed yesterday but it's different than chemo tired. I just want to hibernate for the next week and a half thru boosts and a few days after to recover...
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Border in barbaric? Girl, we are so over the border! :-) Yes there will be a cure in the future, and there are plenty of seats on the time machine. We will all sleep in warm aloe baths with foot massages until we arrive. Our first stop is for perfect hair, nails, and breasts! Choo choo!
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Dear sister rad warriors- yes, the time machine would be nice but chances are there will just be some new disease to deal with in the future. We have gotten rid of lots of the things that took people out like smallpox, typhoid, etc. 100 years ago. Now we have cancer as our big disease. I still hear that heart disease is the biggest one they worry about, but I know far more people who have or have had cancer of some type.
But we do have better choices now and chances for survival, more so than before. I remember a friend telling me about her mothers treatment back in the 1970s which did not yield much hope. But all we go through today is still hard, right?
Thoughts going out to all of you have blue moments. I had some of that too yesterday, despite being glad to be home. Just the emotional ride I have come to be used to. I find I enjoy the simple things in life and am increasingly intolerant of pettiness.
Love to you all and have a good week!
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My mom had a unilateral masectomy and all lymph nodes removed in 1982 when she was 57. No chemo, no rads, no pills. Last July she turned 87. 30 year survivor. She never had reconstruction and she suffes from lymphedema. I guess everyone has their own journey.
Cypher: I did do the cold caps and my onc. talked alot to me about them on my last visit. I brought it up to the rad onc and the technician girls but no one initiated or asked. When I told them they were just non-chalant about it. I guess it is hard for them to understand the accomplishment we made it through.
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Schoolmom, I did the same thing. My RO said, oh I hear those are expensive. Like wtf!!! Yes, it WAS expensive. But if i can throw some money at this whole wretched experience to make it less miserable, then I'm going to do it! That's great about your mom. My mom had a BMX at 42 when she had BC, and she is 84 and it never came back. I'm her2+, no idea whether she was, it was before they knew about any of that. Well let's hope we get the same results with our lumps + rads+ chemo + tamox
Jazzygirl, heart disease usually affects people who are a lot older, and there is a lot you can do with diet, exercise, etc. I've been exercising regularly for 20+ years and maintained a healthy diet and weight, never smoked, etc. So unless the herceptin damages my heart, I'm not too worried about that. Besides, i'd much rather die of a heart attack than of cancer!!! (And I'd much rather it happen decades from now .... I'm 46.)
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Hi all. I'm so happy to read everyone's posts and in the midst of everything you're all going through your sense of humor is in tact and able to make the rest of us smile and laugh! Cypher, I can't believe that coordinator was so flip the day after you were diagnosed!! Some people are so insensitive!! (LIke those people who find out you're pregnant and start telling you their horror stories.) Then you think of the perfect comeback.....3 days later!
Congrats to those of you who've finished or are just finishing rads!!! I hope to join you in 6-7 weeks!!
Does anyone have any suggestions for hot flashes? I haven't even started my rads or tamoxifen yet! I sat in a room with the window opened the other night (here in Wisconsin-cold!) for probably 1 1/2 hours and was still sweating! Love those damp bras!
Sheila:)
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Cypher, that is just so wrong! What is wrong with some people? My first plastic surgery consult was with a heartless woman who was offended when she showed me her mastectomy recon photos and I said it looked like bride of frankenstein. She insinuated I was vain because I wanted to look as normal as possible. I did find a good ps who did a good job after my bmx. What is wrong with that?
swgee, i have heard a tsp of apple cider vinegar mixed in whatever juice is superb for hot flashes, along with black cohosh and some antidepressants. I cant vouch for any of them.
Ok, so today my whole armpit has peeled and I have two quarter size peeled and raw areas: one above my breast (all grey there, gonna peel) and one in the underboob...same scenario. For those who paused rads, will this qualify me or will they want multiple layers gone with ribs exposed? Would love to be topless but with 5 kids that could traumatize them for life. My skin is slightly less red today, but really swinging into peel mode. I feel like a lizard! No oozing but new red skin feels raw. Trying to get some air on it with this sheer, baggy cotton t. I cannot fathom placing a bolus pad on this skin tomorrow so wondering what kind of fight I am in for. I would quite prefer to take a scalpel and cut off the remaining two red dots that are my recurrence to make it 100% gone. Literally, two zit size dots. Isnt this like burning the entire yard to kill two ants?
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Shachar - I air myself after the kids go to bed and have started sleeping my rad side hanging out of the camisole. I probably should just go topless but it has been cold. My kids would be traumatized too.
I did feel like a lizard too and mentioned it to my RO. She stopped treatments right before Xmas and gave me a 5 day weekend and then when it got bad again she switched me to my boosts. I will finish with full rads. It really helped and glad I mentioned it to her!
My boost area has hurt all weekend... The entire area has peeled. I only have 7 to go so my plan is to suck it up and hope it goes quick!!! -
Thank you loving! They did give me off Friday when small areas oeeled, but the armpit all peeled Friday with more going today. That would be great if they switched to boosts or gave me a lil more time to heal. Raw areas very tender. I also go topless at night.
Wishing you the best with your last boosts and hoping your skun cooperates! -
Shachar, egad, I might be right behind you. My skin is still ok, but it feels very much on the brink of not being ok. How many do you have left? I have 8 to go. What is it we're supposed to do once the aloe and aquaphor aren't enough anymore?
Yeah that BC coordinator -- at first I thought she was "just" tactless, but after a few more episodes with her, I decided she was just a bitch. For ex - I didn't initially know i was her2+. It took them FOREVER to get me in for my LE -- like 7 weeks. At first I was anxious about it but kept being told these things don't grow very fast. But when I found out I was her2+, I started to lobby hard for an earlier surgery date (of course I was 5 weeks out at that point). Bitch (I'll use that in lieu of her real name) said, with sort of an exasperated tone, "oh well Jane will have to check all the surgeons' schedules individually." (Oh I'm sorry, don't let me inconvenience Jane over my little cancer.) I said, "oh could you please ask her to do that? Thanks" (yeah, DO inconvenience her). I said, "I just found out I'm her2+" Bitch says, "Oh it's not that big of a deal, it just means you need more chemo." Oh is THAT all.
When I'm done with all this maybe I'll put a complaint in. I can't be bothered at the moment.
I would seriously use her name except then it would blow my anonymity.
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I just ordered aloe force gel from ebay for my radiation treatments. Anyone have history with this? I friend of ours here on the discussion board said they were using it in a pilot study and it was working well for her. I start on 1/28
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Shachar- my armpit is grayish black as well, but at this point it's not peeling. I'm hoping it stays this way, but it's looking and feeling like it's not going to take much more. I've got 10 more to go. I don't think any one of us is really alone in all of this. That's why we come here to these discussion boards to get a little sympathy or just to commiserate with each other.
Wearing a bra is getting to be extremely uncomfortable. I work with a bunch of guys...anyone have any ideas on what to wear other than a bra? As soon as our wacky weather stops being warm I will layer up and just wear a camisole or something like it, but right now we are having highs in the 70's this week and laying isn't really an option with these hot flashes I have. It sort of puts a damper on my exercising as well since I feel uncomfortable in an exercise bra as well. Anything that comes under the boob and across the bottom of my armpit is uncomfortable.
Allurbaddays- so the fatigue didn't really hit until now? I haven't felt it yet. I'm hoping to be one of the lucky ones and not have a problem with it, but what number are you at? Just so I know maybe what to look for???
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Shachar, cypher and loving, hang in there! Try to remember it heals fast when you are done. When the aquaphor and aloe were no longer helpful in certain areas, my RO had me start saline soaks with gauze pads, followed by a cool hair dryer, which was fine, seeing as I wasnt using it for hair... It did help. Shachar, it does seem like overkill, but those two little ants are gonna be sorry they messed with you!
Cypher, sorry you had to deal with the bitchy one. Some people seem to choose the wrong line of work, don't they! -
Good morning rads warriors! I am off for an unknown length of time. Saw the doc this morning and he said he was glad he decided not to treat me Friday. He said my armpit and underboob have moist, raw skin where it peeled (looks dry to me) but over the breast where it is grey looks like it will dry flake. I go see him again Wednesday to keep an eye on the burn. He said I have only had 2600 (rads measure) so very sensitive and rapid response, in 15 treatments. He did not mention starting rads again, just following the burn. I am to use silvadine, aquaphor, cool compresses, hydrocortisone cream, fan time. No topical lidocaine because will sting. Offered pain pills but I still have a bottle from surgery. OH! And I won the most burnt award for this month. Yay! I won! Lol. So thankful for the break. Have to drinks lotsa fluids.
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Sachar, Glad you have been given an extended break to heal. Pretty sure they will try to complete the course once you do heal up. Oh, and I heard from a scorched and blistered friend that as nasty as the burn looks now, it will heal up so that you cannot even tell all that had taken place. Keep up with your protein for tissue healing.
The hair dryer and the fan are great ideas if you can only stay topless for a short length of time.
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schoolroom, aloe works great for most women. I can't use it myself so my recommendation is to test it on the inside of your arm for a couple of days before you start. Rarely a person is allergic or sensitive to it.
sonson, I only have 4 boosts left so I've had 26 treatments so far. Today will be #27. I'd say the fatigue hit me around #23? The nurse actually commented that I was moving a little more slowly and I noticed I couldn't walk at my usual clip.It got worse kind of fast over the next couple days. I slept a lot last night and really could have stayed in bed this morning. and my armpit has SUCH an itchy spot - not peeling but I won't be surprised if it does. I didn't realize just how high into my armpit they were irradiating so I didn't start moisturizing it right away.
(arg! my autocorrecting on my cpu keeps changing your name to "monsoon"! so if I don't catch it one of these days, you are monsoon, ok?)
cowpower, it does heal fast? I haven't combed thru the post-radiation thread(s) yet. Is there an average as to how quickly people bounce back from the fatigue that you've noticed?
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