Severe radiation burns to the breast

You can get it online, but I wasnt impressed.

Are you all airing your breasts for a minimum of an hour a day? Also, I was given glaxal cream and instructed to apply it 2 - 3 x /day. Consequently, no burns. But almost had a problem AFTER rad finished. So don't let up on airing and creaming.

Are you healed now, Kateri?

Kimby, I hope you found some solutions and have very much improved.  I have been away from the forum for a couple of months.

KISS MY FACE SOAP is an olive based soap which the doctor recommended for me, particularly as I have a lot of allergies.

Last year I began experiencing LATE radiation burns: moist spongy dermititus.  SSD did not seem to be helping and I was told to stop using it - possibly out of fear of my allergies. I was then prescribed steroid ointment and eventually started healing.  (Steroids can't be taken too long.)  I know it will take months and probably years for me to heal from the LATE radiation effects.  However, currently, the LATE radiation is again active.

Thanks for alerting me to BIAFINE.  I looked it up on the Internet and will ask my surgical oncologist about using it.

Also, thanks to you, I looked up MEPILEX.  I'm wondering if you had a large enough size.  I know it is expensive and if my surgical oncologist agrees to my using it, I will need a large size.

I have been alerted to COLOPLAST and will also ask about using it.  I understand it comes in rolls/sheets and is used for several difficult skin upon skin areas - not only for the anal area.  Here is a helpful but graphic site I found

http://us.coloplast.com/ECompany/USMed/Homepage.nsf/0/2fc8033a336d50f6c12572d1005be50f/$FILE/InterDry%20Ag%20PUG.pdf

Good Grief! Not more stuff-I want to bury my head and boobs in the sand!! I am doing chemo and I am blistered inside and outside. My esophagus is blistered, my boobs have blisters and weeping sores, my crotch is blistered and I have not even reached radiation yet. I am due for 35 rad treatments and BIG THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. This is so important because it gives me informed questions to ask my RAD DOC and preparation for more stuff. Sending you gentle hugs and asking that you (we) all be healed quickly. LOL, SV

AIRING:  Just letting folks know that exposing my breast to air as much as possible appears to be very very helpful - as in most helpful. Not using any medicine.  Will continue to gently wash with KissMyFace soap (available via dermatologist) and take care to continue to second wash clothes without soap and place breathable rayon material layer as a buffer even with other breathable clothing. 

DIAPER RASH: As far as  "diaper rash" between breasts and torso (actually anyplace where folds of skin occurr and make comfy environment for "diaper rash"):  cornstarch helps but when that is insufficient, wash/dry and use over the counter antifungal cream of Clotrimazole 1% for powerful relief (thank you Dr. W).  Even a tiny amount of the cream is amazingly effective!  I found it in the athlete's foot section of the pharmacy.

LOL to everyone.

I see that no one has posted to this thread in a long time, so hopefully not too many people suffer from severe radiation burn.  Mine didn't present until the penultimate day of my WBR and so I had my final treatment.  But I now am going on Day 9 of post-rads severe burn/moist desquamation covering my entire axilla.  My entire armpit is red and raw.  I am so allergic to so many wound treatments that I can't tell yet whether this one is working (RO said it might take two weeks).  If anyone has any suggestions, I'd appreciate it.  My RO instructions were to cleanse the area with a vinegar/water solution and to apply Glucan Pro 3000.  Thanks.

Unfortunately, I'm allergic to sulfa drugs and so cannot use the cream everyone is usually prescribed.  I wonder if I'm also allergic to the Glucan?  I'm still having significant yucky discharge--not blisters but skin breakdown in liquid form.  Thanks--and I sincerely hope that others don't have to endure this.

ETA: Of course as luck would have it, my RO is out of town this week.

Thanks for sharing, ladies. I have a full list of remedies that my Mom will bring to her appointment tomorrow.

I had 33 treatments of which the last 5 were the "BOOST" I have severe burns where that was given. I have had to go back to the doctor a few times. She gave me silvidine (spelling ?) of which i had been using, but everything was sticking to my clothes and skin was coming off and then bleeding. So now I later on the cream and put on non-advise cloths, use a soak 3 times a day. Hopefully this will help. So far, it is still extremely raw, hurting. I am using all of this times a day, even while at work. Hope it helps soon.

The thread, "Adhesive TAPE - help need to find non-allergic", has had some posts that might help some folks at this thread.

P.S. Even though I am pretty allergic to a lot of things, at the time of my radiation treatments, I did not experience much burning. Truly unexpected by everyone. Also, I chose not to have hormone or chemo.

SIX = 6 years later = I broke out with what is called LATE Radiation EFFECTS. My effects ended up being pretty severe. Ask about late radiation effects just to be more fully informed. I share this Not to scare anyone but late radiation effects was not a topic much if included in the info at the time.

>>> Note well: NOT everyone experiences late radiation effects. Furthermore, not everyone who experiences late radiation effects to the same degree. In fact, I am told that late radiation effects are now receiving more attention simply because more of us are surviving longer.

>>> For FUN sharing: I was fortunate enough to have an insurance plan under my employer which covered hyperbaric oxygen treatments. This is the same treatment available for divers who come up too fast and surgical wounds that do not respond to treatment - our group had quite a few diabetic patients; etc. Did you know there are separate facilities for large and small animals needing the treatment! Although chambers are available for individuals, I felt fortunate to be able to undergo the treatments in a multi-patient hyperbaric oxygen chamber set up. Our chamber looked like a big liquid container as can be seen on trains or highways. It could seat 12, including the medical staff. It had a couple of portholes like an undersea vehicle. Ha! Ha! We looked liked astronauts with only their headgear on. Our group, including staff, experienced comraderie. I was also fortunate to be basically otherwise healthy so that I was able to do the bus/train trips as I do not have a car.

Best wishes to everyone, from a former "Bubblehead"!

I am soon to start radiation and I sure appreciate all that you have all shared.  I will hopefully be better prepared!!   I have kept a note of all the products that all of you have tried and will be ready to try all of them!!   Thanks again for sharing of your experiences!!!

Have just completed 30 ( 25/5 boosts) and had a bad time 2 weeks ago with the nip* swollen to double size and looked like a huge red button. Rather mortifying, but the hardest part was no sleep for 3 nights from the pain, ( this was on a weekend so only one zap in that time) and it started to peel and bleed. Nurse gave me the thin transparent Mepitel after applying I used the usual aloe ( right from the plant) which goes through the holes so you don't have to remove the dressing and it helped right away, so I had a much better 4th day, then next day got Mepilex, the padded version, hubby calls them pasties...and they are fabulous...Don't bother getting it for areas on which they won't stick... I found the undearm and chest area rejected them...maybe because I was getting harder flesh there, not sure... or maybe was losing too much real skin to hold them in place
Mind you I could have taped those on, but I got some new allergies to some suture tape and bandages since my surgery...

I have sensitive skin and allergies, so didnt use any cream but Lubraderm then Glaxa-base the whole therapy, but wonder if it wouldn't have been wise to have told me to start using it a long time before rads as well? They didn't tell me my back would also burn and it is the place that itches the most. Funny that you should mention vinegar was recommended as I remembered when I was young I was told to put it on a sunburn...the acetic acid has numbing properties, I guess? Anyway, I used it first soaked on a per towel to soothe, then aloe directly from the plant, then Glaxal-base cream....and now put nothing where there is exposed peel, I keep the mepilex on that area...I hope if the manufacturers see we recommend it they will lower their prices, as I too was told it is "expensive"...hello....Maybe it would be more widely used if it wasn't.
Cream-wise we seem to have different skin, many of us, so using what works best for our skin-type tolerance is best advice there...

Thanks for the info re: late effects, they told me it could get worse but I guess they shy away from scaring us as not all get reactions, some don't even burn at all...I really didn't burn as badly as some do, though, I was told, but I did get some early blisters and issues perhaps due to sensitive skin. I have a very high pain threshold though, so I know it was bad for ME.

Hope all are healing well....all the best J_J_

she should go to a dermatologist. When I was badly burned the drs (derms) Iwork for came up with creams that the RO didn't know about. They will need to see the spots before they can prescribe anything.

Good luck!!!!

Babs

Hi everyone, My name is Eva.

I'm going to be starting radiation therapy for my left breast in next couple weeks. The posts are scary. What should I do and not do as far

as before and after each treatment to try and minimize the burns? I'd appreciate any suggestions.