Spring 2013 Rads

RMLulu - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! You are one great warrior and you are all done! Yeah!! In a couple more weeks you will be ready to move on to something else other than cancer treatments. I am now 9 days post last radiation, and I would have to say that the redness did get worse for about 1 week - fortunately, no blisters or broken skin - but definitely bright red like a very bad sunburn. Now it is almost better but I continue with the moisturizers and drink lots of water etc.

I had an awesome visit to San Fran - great weather, great food and it was wonderful to simply "forget" about cancer for a few days. I did a lot of walking and really did feel well enough to do the hills. 

To all of you still in treatment - hang in - it goes by fast, and as Cindy would say - drink lots of water, keep your sense of humour!! Who knows you may not even get any side effects - not everyone does.

Good morning all! Just checking in one week post rads - 30 treatments total. My tumor area, which received 7 boosts, is fiery red, peeling, raw in places, and itchy. It's all very manageable though and I've been able to continue with my exercising as I did throughout rads. 😀 That was always one of my main concerns. Overall, not a bad experience for me. The best part of the rads experience were my techs. Loved them! I think the itching was/is the worst part.



To everyone still playing laser tag, you can do it!!! Keep hydrated, rest when your body tells you to (if you can), and eat well.



Healing hugs to everyone! Happy weekend!



Amy

Hi all,

I finished rads yesterday, yesssss!!  61.6 shades of Gray done and gone!!  (28 1.8 Gy sessions with 28 boosts built in, 0.4 Gy each time.)  The docs said I came through with flying colors and that the itching would get better now that I can stop using powder.  Whaaa??  Actually, I haven't had all that much itching, maybe because I haven't used all that much powder, haha!  Now, instead of powder, they said I should use "quark", similar to sour cream.  "Uh, I have yogurt, would that be good?"  (Didn't actually say that, but it almost popped out   The RO was aghast to see that I've been using a "chill pack" and wrote it in my chart.  Sorry, but those homemade gel packs helped me more than anything---more than hydrocortisone, more than emu oil, more than benadryl cream, more than aloe vera or Aveeno moisturizer and waaaay more than freaking powder! 

I never had any choice as to which RO would see me and did not like "Frau Dr. Quark" at all.  Some of the others were better, but they are all too focused on their convenience and medical tradition at the cost of the patient's comfort or interests.  It was very strange to be sneaking my own treatments behind their backs, but my research showed that there are thousands (or at least hundreds) of opinions about radiation skin care and maybe it doesn't matter at all what we use.  We either burn or we don't...  I happen to believe that moisturizing helps to replace the water-lipid barrier which is partially destroyed during radiation and that hydrocortisone can reduce some inflammation and that aloe vera and emu oil are very soothing.

Uh oh, rant developing...

Anyway---this week I had fatigue off and on for the first time and--weirdweirdweird--aches-and-pains all over, especially in that largest muscle group "down under".  Then it's gone the next day, so tomorrow should be a good day. 

Nothin' but good days from now on!! 

Prayers and best wishes for continued healing to everyone!

You did it, RunFree!!!!!  Congrats...so happy for you!!

Cynthie...You made it!!!  Happy Healing!!

Wishing all you making your way through a restful and comfortable weekend...you're almost there...xo Lisa

Thanks everyone!  I am indeed ALL DONE!!!  I got a certificate and a kazoo/party blower musicale from the staff, and the RO said she didn't need to see me for 3 whole months.  My skin is getting redder, maybe heading toward what AmyinMI describes--Yikes!  Sorry Amy, wow!  I'm pretty itchy too, off and on.  But the end is in sight, and anyway I'll have a spare 2 1/2 hours every day to do nothing but pamper my skin.  Today after rads my mom and I shopped and went out to lunch and shopped and went to Starbuck's.  I found two very cute and completely impractical summer dresses on clearance, now mine.  When we got home, there was a huge bouquet of white roses from my mom, husband, brother, and two sisters, and another bouquet from a survivor friend who was a great cheerleader through rads.  It made me cry, and I think I will probably be emotional for a little while, but still it was just a lovely day.  I finally realized that although I'm concerned about side effects of Tamoxifen and maybe ovarian suppression, the fact is that I am no longer in treatment for cancer!  We are declaring victory against the enemy as of today! What comes next is all preventive.   Of course I don't know the future, no one does, but I'm going to enjoy this big moment and feel the feelings.  Congrats to you too, Cynthie, and way to go on the self-directed care.  LOL on the "61.6 shades of gray" line!  Sorry your RO was a jerk.  I loved mine, but I had a bad MO and will have to start from scratch going forward.  Oh well.

Thanks to everyone here for all the support!  This is a wonderful community.  Good luck to all those still in rads or cooling on the sideboard like me.  Onward!

runfree16

Congratulations on finishing your rads .

Would love it if you could keep us posted on how you do with the tamox and zoladex combo .

All the best.......

Runfree and Cynthie,



Congratulations on finishing rads! I'm a bit late in doing the happy dance with you, but I'm sure you're still dancing! :-) So very happy for you!



Hugs for healthy and fast healing!



Amy

The skin does indeed continue to get redder after treatments end. So be prepared for it. Continue to moisturize the skin and use cooling creams to keep the skin comfortable. 

Happy for all of you who have finished - isn't it a wonderful feeling? 

Yes, Cynthie, you can get it in stores anywhere in Europe, but in US - only online. You guys are lucky there! I don't know about sour cream, but plain yogurt does help to cool the burnt skin down and prevent too much peeling. I was covered in yogurt until I got SUDOCREM. And once I got it, my skin went from bordeaux to almost normal skin color in just a few days! This is all thanks to my cousin from Europe. She uses it for her baby's diaper rash! Who could've thought!

I actually tried the yogurt a few days ago and it WAS cooling, but felt too acidic for the stage of redness I'm at now.  Think we'll walk over to the Sunday Apotheke and buy me some Sudocrem!!  (Pharmacies shut on Sunday except for designated stores which take turns being open for emergencies.)

Hi Everybody! I am new to the Discussion Boards. First – I would like to thank all of you for sharing your journey. I have learned a lot from reading on here. I am at 13 of 33 rads. The 33 rads do include 8 boosts. I am doing good overall. No skin issues yet. I am nervous for treatment over the next few weeks. It will start including 2 boost a week. I have had 1 boost so far. And I had no energy left after that one. I hope the rest goes better than the 1^st.

Good information from everyone. I have completed 14 of 28 rads. Just got hit with fatigue today. Was feeling so good after completing 5 months of chemo. I do have a 2 hour round trip drive so that doesn't help. Oh well. Have been getting lymphodema physical therapy as a precaution. Very beneficial as radiation can trigger it. Not sure if anyone else has done this? Weekends almost over so back to laser tag routine tomorrow!

RunFree16, glad you're getting PT too. It's good to know how to manage lymphodema if it flares up. I will continue with weekly Herceptin until rads is done, then every 3 weeks through end of year. Not too bad and I have no side effects from this drug.