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

Sonson, I am with you!  I feel like it's the movie Groundhog Day where I just keep having the same day over and over again.  I'm so glad today's Friday. 

I finished 15/30 yesterday so I'm halfway done.  Having some skin breakdown underneath so I was given a soak to do along with the silvadene and the cream with lidocaine for the super sore nipple. 

Oh, I do have a question for everyone: Have any of you tried acupunture during your treamtents?  I have thoracic outlet syndrome in my shoulders from being a medical transcriptionist for 15 years.  It hurts like hell to put my arm above my head on any given day and now that I have to do it daily for six weeks, I'm in tremendous pain.  I'm going to try acupuncture to see if that will relieve some of the soreness.  Anyone try this?  If so, what were your impressions? 

Yay Elimar! Do the happy dance!

sonson, I have cried at least a couple of times today out of relief. Just short little bouts. I cried when the tech came to get me yesterday for my last treatment. I straightened up enough for a bit, cried a bit on the table, straightened up. For all the things I'm sure those techs see, considering some of the patients I've seen in the witing room, I was not embarrassed. I'm just a human after all. tears of joy repeated ad nauseum for the rest of the day.

old school twisted cartoon happy: http://nicktoons.nick.com/videos/clip/happy-happy-joy-joy.html

I started radiation a week ago today and its a piece of cake compared to chemo! Well so far so good but can anyone tell me what to expect? As I'm reading through this treads I see that most of you finished your chemo without a lot of problems,did anyone have to quit chemo before? I did 5 out of 8 treatments, couldn't finish taxol cause of neuropathy did anyone have that problem?

YAY for Elimar! Glad you are done, hope not too " overdone" So many " graduates " this week and more coming up soon. My party wardrobe needs constant attention. Hope youvall get tiaras like allurbad.



Sonson, I know what you mean about getting emotional. I get choked up doing the " normal" things now, even down to being able to take .my son to get his wisdom teeth out, and to a college interview this week. I am a total sap:)



Emerald0320- I had to bail on taxotere after 2 infusions due to "dermatologic toxicity." Which basically meant all the skin burned off my hands/ wrists, and I had fever and heart racing. I was luckily able to tolerate the taxol in weekly doses after that and finished up with six of those. So far all heart issues are resolved.

sonson,  Yes.  My chemo pouch was removed immediately after my final rad treatment today.  I have done rads alone and now I have done rads w/chemo (not B/C this time) and the chemo element did add some extra awfulness to the whole ordeal, just the metallic taste, loss of appetite and stomach churning on top of everything else.  My skin held up about the same this time around.  I do see a light tan rectangle, and have one peely area, but it's not painful.

cowpower,  The three boosts I got did try to turn me "extra crispy" but since it was only three, I made it out just a little more fried than "original recipe."  Tip to al the Newbies...if your RO looks like this (below,) be afraid, be very afraid.

Elimar - the happy dance is great!!! Biggest smile of the day! My husband is going to try to go with me on Wednesday so we can end the same way we started!



I didn't even think that I might cry but reading these posts tonight, I'm teary eyed!



I have had some zaps and zingers too and the physical therapist said that it is the nerves just reconnecting and that it might take a year for them to heal. I have found the pt exercises have minimized these pains.



I start tamoxifen next week. Is anyone taking this yet or starting soon? I'm really hoping that it isn't a big deal. Trying to stay positive but inside I'm petrified.



I decided last night that I need some sunshine but my husband can't take off work. My daughters don't have school three days in February so we are going to have a girls weekend in Florida with my parents!!! It will be nice to hear the ocean and relax. Should I be concerned with being in the sun after radiation or taking tamoxifen? We are going 3 weeks after completion of rads.



Enjoy the weekend!

Loving I was on tamoxifen...off it now cause it didn't work for me..but I didn't have any serious side effects from it...few hot flashes but they were mild and went away pretty quickly...try not to be too scared it seems to be not nearly as bad for most women as they tell us it can be.

(((hugs)))

Congrats Elimar!



Loving, protect the radiated areas from the sun. Here's what my doc says: You will be sensitive to sunburn on the treated area. After treatments are complete and skin is healed you may expose skin to sun but wear spf 30 or greater for one year.

Have fun in the sun!



I am so excited to be almost finished. 3 more days! I noticed the hair follicals on my breast are browned up. Looks like freckles. My supraclav is hurting now. Still several shades darker/ more red than my breast, but no peeling. The boosts are so weird. I guess because it's taking so long with the long set up and films for the first boost, and then more films today for a small tweak. I get two zaps along the scar at my infra mammary fold. The first zap seems 'normal.' The second zap has this crazy filter that is like a projecting 3d cube vs the slide filter I had for one of my regular zaps. I have about 6 stickers for my boost and a whole lot of 'painting.' They don't want me to put any moisturizer on the stickers so that they don't go anywhere. I can still slather the rest.



I am not feeling weepy. At least today. Maybe because I finished chemo well over a year and it's almost 2 years since I was first diagnosed. I feel like I will just run out of there on Wed, laughing and tossing my lovely cape behind me. I'll run so fast the door will not hit me on the way out!!



I made a stupid mistake. I changed my 10:30am appt Mon so I could be done before 10. The only slot available was 8:15. I changed it because according to the school library volunteer schedule, I work Monday. And I knew my younger daughter was off school. I though I marked all the days off on my Big Calendar and thought it was weird my older daughter had school. So, this evening I figure out she is off, and the library schedule was a mistake! So both girls off school and I need to drag my butt out early for the appt! I know, I know. I don't have it as difficult as those working or having the long drive. It's more about my error and feeling like an airhead. Apparently I can't claim chemo brain anymore for being absentminded. My MO says it's tamoxifen. I'm usually so detailed. I hate missing the details and now I miss them all the time! The gift that keeps on giving.



I love all the love here!

Elimar-great video. Congrats on finishing.

Ridgegirl-How do you know that the tamoxifen didn't work?

Loving-I'd love to join you in Florida.  Tomorrow we're going to be in the single digits here at night.

Sonson-I get those sharp pains.  My RO said it's normal. (None of this is "normal" )

Monday I start my 7 boosts.  I hope.  After taking 6 days off, my skin looks better but the outside corner of my breast still hurts.  It stretches and feels like it's going to tear off. OUCH!!!

Thank you Ridergirl.  Wishing you a shrinking tumor. Yes,

enjoy the  weekend.

Loneskier-I think I'm getting 2 treatments instead of the 3 I've been getting.  I know what you mean.  I keep stretching my arm because I'm afraid the skin under my arm will become stiff.  I haven't had any fatigue.  Or, I have and really haven't noticed it since this is so much better than chemo.  With chemo, I would just lie on the couch and could hardly do anything for a week or 2 after my infusion. I'm glad that's in the past.  Pretty soon this will be in the past for us too.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Elimar, That's my RO too!  Sachar, I never see you at the office- we must be on a different schedule. 

Sonson, just to let you know, I did have an emotional moment today  when my two best friends, who have really carried me through this year, came and picked me up at 7:00 am for a surprise birthday trip to NYC garment district to look at all the fabrics.  We had been to about 10 stores when I realized I hadn't thought about anything cancer related in hours. I was really stricken with the realization that I can get my life back now, no matter if parts of me are changed forever. I know it might not be forever, but it feels wonderful to be alive again. Seven hours later I was cursing the exhaustion, but that is a different story:)

Hello Rads warriors



I wrote here about 5 days ago, and this thread now has 700+ posts.



I wonder a couple of things-

(These may have been addressed earlier, but I don't have the patience to go back through 600 posts).



I had 10 treatments so far. Not feeling tired, red, sore or burned.

When does that hit??



Should I keep using the Aquaphor on the weekends too, even when no rads?



I've been on Tamoxifen now two weeks. Just the last few days I broke down & started crying- my husband was "yelling"'at me (raised his voice in annoyance) and the other time when I was so frustrated about something. Is this normal hormonal changes? Am I gonna become a weepy mess?? And is it forever??



And the other thing - maybe TMI coming here- so if you're grossed out, I apologize.



I had a very heavy period this month. (Prior to BC I've been on the pill for years, so virtually no period). I feel very "moist" there, and I read this is a side effect from tamoxifen. Does that cause yeast infections?? Hormones + moisture?? I don't even want to think about that. Yuk.



So if anyone out there can be of help, I appreciate it. 10 down/23 to go!!



Susancats