Spring 2013 Rads

Hey i finally got my cyberknife appt the 17th then i'll start rads on Monday what questions should i ask my ro? i think i'm more anxious about starting this then any of the chemo or cybeknifes i've had also its the lefty what was that about special breathing to protect the heart and lungs? i do Kundalini 3x a week will this help? any other suggestions would be appreciated. thank you all so much i feel the love and support here!

love and blessings to u all

chris

braids, your doctor will tell you to hold your breath because it pushes the heart out of the field when they are radiating your lefty. In my case, they will only radiate the lumpectomy field but since it is near the heart, I may have to do the breath holding too.

Some RO's do rads in the "prone" position, lying on the belly with your boob hanging through a hole so that they don't nick the heart and lungs as well. You can also ask about that. Your boob has to be large enough to hang down far enough. The way I am being treated, I can't do that type since mine are all boosts in essence. So, I will likely be breath holding to push my heart out of the way. I will talk to her when I see her on the 19th for my final check before I start on the 22nd. My heart may not even be in the field for all I know since it is partial breast rads.

So, ask about this when you see them since it is your left. Hugs and know it will go fine!

Cindy, you are in the homestretch! Seems like yesterday you were starting!! Of course, it probably does not seem like that to you though..lol

Hugs to all the brave warriors. Soon I will join you, albeit briefly for my tx's. One week from this Monday! Twice a day! I am going to work in our New Haven office that week since it is like 5 mins away. I will go there in between the tx's and then go home after the second one. That way, I will only use about 3 sick hours a day instead of the whole day! I need to save those just in case. Short term disability is only 2/3 of your pay and I can't afford to do that.

I have taken enough time off for doctor appts etc. I have never used this much sick time in my working life. I have used like 76 hours since January! That is more than I used in three or four normal years.

Hugs to all!

Jennie93, we started rads the same day!  At first I was told 33 days, but now they're saying 30, not sure why it changed.  April485, your explanation puts to rest my little envy about the prone position.  My breasts are anything but large, so I would not have been a candidate.  I do "deep inspiration breath hold" like several others here.  I count in my head.  The first beam is about 28 seconds and the second is 25.  In truth think I'm counting a little fast, because I asked them to tell me when it hits 15 seconds and my count is usually at 16-19, so maybe in real life the zaps are a bit shorter.  Braids3, yours may vary.  What is a cyberknife?

I started last week. I have done 3/33 (possibly 28 depending on how skin looks at day 28). I am just 4 weeks out of my bi-lateral mastecotomy. My skin feels irritated and I have been using the aloe from the leaf. I drink tons of water and I am drinking a Nutri-Bullet in the morning with coconut water, berries, banana and kale.

I thank you for the info about the Aquaphor. I have used it on my daughter who is 4, but I will ask my RO if it is ok for me to use as well. My skin is EXTREMELY sensitive so I had a feeling this would happen. So far energy level is great. I am helping coach my daughter's T-Ball team and threw a baseball for the first time since my surgery today. It felt GREAT!

Good luck ladies on your journey! We can do it!!! :-)</p>

Thanks April. I have a friend who recently had brain surgery to remove a tumor, thank God it was not attached to anything, it had metastized from her lungs. She didnt know she had lung cancer never had a symptom. She had a numb lip and got concerned she was having a stroke, CT showed the C in both brain and lungs. She just finished her rads on the brain and is beginning her chemo in 2 weeks. She is a Warrior like so many here and has no plans on letting this beast win. I hadnt heard of this cyberknife before and went and looked it up, interesting. Imagine 10 years ago we wouldnt be getting the tx we are today. I only hope in another 10 years these boards wont be needed.

God bless all of you here. xo

I'm new here but have been reading the posts from all of you nice ladies. I finished chemo on APril 1st. (Yippee!!!) And although I have lingering side effects from that (and will for a long time, I suspect), I am feeling hopeful and optimistic for the first time in a LONG time. My sweet hubby and I are even taking a long weekend and spending it at the beach this week to celebrate the end of chemo. (Hooray and Yippee!!!)

I'll be seeing my RO next Monday to do my mapping and simulation. I do my first Herceptin only infusion early that morning at my MO's office and then go straight to the RO from there.

Does anyone happen to know if having a seroma from a lumpectomy makes radiation treatment any worse? Does it get in the way of effective treatment or anything? It's not that large, and my breast surgeon said they could drain it if it really bothers me. And it really hadn't until I recently had my first mammogram on that side. Ever since then, it has been more tender and felt more hard and knotty. I'll ask my RO about it when I go for simulation next week. But I was just curious if any of you had any insight. My breast surgeon didn't seem too worried about it, and generally I am a "let nature take its course" kind of girl myself. But after reading about all the side effects of radiation, I am second guessing my decision to let it be. Any advice?

Just got back from rad#14 - only six treatments left - two of the whole breast and then four boosts - not sure what to expect from the boosts!!  I was gardening over the weekend which meant using my arms a lot - and I noticed the friction of skin on skin in the armpit was getting quite irritated so I made a "roll" to put under my armpit. I filled an ankle sock with cornstarch, tied it tight at the top (I actually used an elastic wrapped several times around until tight), then I put the sock inside the leg of pantyhose, I put the roll under my arm, and tied the pantyhose around my shoulder - it worked wonders at creating a space between the upper arm and the armpit. Today I wakened up and it isn't even red - yeah!! 

You do get the clever award, Adagio!!  My arm pit, as well, is one of the few spots that is peeling and feels cracked, irritated...

My full breast Rad (19/33) has gotten an interruption with some boosts, finished 21/33 today.  Feels good to give the full breast a break, pain/swelling was getting pretty bad.  Didn't think of this kind of flexibility (RO changed my tx plan) so if others are struggling with symptoms you may want to ask to have some boosts throw in before the final countdown.

The boosts are the same dose but for some reason the positioning takes a bit longer and they break the treatment up into 5 parts at 5 different angles.  I imagine everyone is different depending on the size and placement of the surgery.

Almost there Amy!!!

Cindy, you're on the home stretch, too!!

Welcome DuckieDee!!

Comfort and Healing to Everyone!!! xo Lisa

Hi Paula! Welcome! June will be here before you know it. 😊 I've only been using aloe and occasionally Aveeno. I used Aquaphor for awhile but found it to be too sticky. Great for a baby's butt, not my boob! I will be starting my boosts (7 of them) on Thursday and from what I am told they are directed only to the tumor site. I will be having the same gray for my boosts that I'm having for the full breast, which is 2 per day for a grand total of 60. I hope this helps a bit. Hugs!

Duckiedee, I don't know if a seroma makes any difference in terms of radiation sensitivity. I think the incision site itself may possibly be a more sensitive spot, at least mine was. I did have a seroma at the lymph node incision site. Mine actually burst and drained spontaneously. When I called my BS office, they said to just let it keep draining and close naturally. I did this, but I had an open wound for about 3-4 weeks. If I had a do-over, I think I would have gone in to have them drain it so that it wouldn't have burst. Again, I don't know that the seroma itself made any difference in radiation sensitivity because it was healed completely by the time I had rads. But, the cosmetic appearance is likely worse than it might have been if the wound hadn't reopened and taken so long to heal. My BS office did say that it was better to have the fluid come out (either drained or spontaneously, as mine did) as compared to waiting for the body to reabsorb it because it lowered the chance of infection.

Hi All

I am so pleased so see some done or almost there and doing fine. I was back in RO Office yesterday, 1 week since final zap. I thought I might be going crazy as I could feel the heat and burn moving, he said I am not crazy it is now in the tail of the breast tissue under my arm and its exiting out my back. Has anyone heard this before? I cannot raise my arm as the burn now extends to my back and is raw. He said I am having a severe reaction and hopes within the next few days I feel some relief. They did wound treatment and it felt good. One thing is certain I will be scarred from this. My SNB scar and surrounding area is black and charred and it looks like I have other incision scars where the skin is ripping. I did have a seromona that was drained before I began rads. I am very swollen in that area, almost like rolls of baby fat. I am not going to get graphic about the actual breast but I dont recognize it as mine right now.Mentally I feel better today, I think I am getting used to hurting.

I just wanted to say that days 1-14 I was pretty good. It wasnt until after #14 I almost overnight got bad, #15 was horrible and #16 put me right over the edge. I didnt want to do 15 or 16 but I felt forced to finish. Keep a close eye on things because for me during the TX was not bad, its after that I am suffering. I am sick of seeing myself post whining here, this is it for me on  this thread. I only post today in hopes I can help someone else. I am a regular poster on Team ILC Warriors, stop by its a great group with wonderful women and information.

Thanks all of you and good luck to you with the rads. xo