Summer 2013 Rads

Tmb... im sorry...... I hooe you are feeling the healing by niw....

I dont know ritagz... sorry!

hi Ladies.. just started rads to day and surprisingly i'm already sore! They gave me calendula creme to use. I've heard this thread was the best for learning how to get through this part. So can you tell me where to start?

I've heard of Biafine or using a regular (peeled) aloe plant leaf- I try not to eat meat but someone metiontioned red meat being important for radiaiton so any diet advice i'd appreciate too! This board was so awesome in helping me get through chemo and surgery. need my peeps advice again for the rads! i know most of you are past the radiation now so i'm sure you have some great advice. thank you in advance!

HI Leslie,

I had 23 doses of rads after mastectomy and the tissue did not do well. The thing that helped with healing the most once it became unbearable, was saline soaks, followed by silvadine cream (antibiotic) for the open sores and a super thick cream called pro shield for the rest of it. My mother was helping me with the treatments because my back was very severely burned in addition to my chest. I couldn't reach my back well enough to do the treatments myself. She said that the heat radiating out of my skin was melting the creams as soon as she put them on and they slid right down my back. BUT, the good news is that you can put all the creams in the fridge (even the hydrocortisone, which I also needed for severe itching) and that there is no limit to doing the saline soaks. They feel like those pauses between contractions when you're in labor - heaven! And it seemed the more frequently I did them, the faster I healed.

I think if I'd been able to stop somewhere around 15 treatments it would never have gotten so bad. That last week just put me over the edge.

The other good news is that once it started to heal, it healed FAST. I'm 6 weeks out and the tissue is barely pink and only needs lotion a couple of times a day. I love aloe, but it did not help my radiated skin and made me itch so remember everyone is different. Find what works for you and don't be afraid to talk to for doctor if what you have is not working!

Good luck to you!

Hello Itiswhtitis,

My energy level is returning VERY gradually. I can have an almost normal day one day and then be really draggy the next. The ability to have a complete, albeit infrequent, day probably started at about 5 weeks out. Before that I had normal energy levels for just an hour or two and then I was wiped out. I'm not able to go back to work yet because of that and the other side effects (GI trouble, brain fog, etc). BUT, I did not have to endure chemo, just radiation and tamoxifen.

There are women in my support group who are a year or more post treatment who still have trouble with energy levels. I know that's not the best news, but I also see others posting who have returned to normal and athletic activities right away. I hope you're in the latter group

Just completed radiation on October 15th, 28 plus 5 boosts that I call the bonus rounds. My surgeon didn't leave a marker but I directed the RO to the area and she confirmed with a CT scan. My skin darkened, especially under the arm, and the entire breast tanned, but the skin remained intact for the duration. The darker/burned skin is now starting to slough off.

My RO gave me a jar of Udderly Smooth body cream to apply twice daily for skincare. Next I was advised to use otc 1% hydrocortisone for itching. When I began the boost, I was prescribed clobetasol propionate, which was very thick and hard to spread across the skin. I eventually started using Keys MetaCare Natural Intensive Therapy Cream with the clobetasol propionate. After one week, my RO discontinued the clobetasol propionate and told me to continue with the Keys MetaCare. I am healing nicely following a moderate burn with no broken skin. I highly recommended the Keys MetaCare and wish I had used it from the start

I would bet your problem with brain fog is due to the tomoxifin and not the radiation . My brain fog got so bad along with some other pretty nasty side effects my oncologist switched me to exemestane instead of the tomoxifin. Eight months so far and feeling pretty good overall.
I hope this helps with your brain fog Sandi