Fall 2013 Rads

cynthia in tx - I have been prone to yeast infections in my armpits and under my breasts in sweaty weather. After my lumpectomy with the heavy duty antibiotics it was very persistent. I was prescribed nystatin powder and recommend it.

18 down 12 more to go and another long weekend ahead of me. Skins totally red now though no itching yet. Just quiet sore n swells up alot.

Today one of d ladies I met finished her 30 sessions shed actually become a good friend n she cried hugging me and told me its strange the ways of life how because of bc we came across each other and now we will be friends for life. Its true all your everyday stories the humour of Bounce

MSP'S encouragments. The pain of Bluebird and frustration. And some of you finishing or just starting has made this forum my second home. Alot of times my daughter or hisband will just find me smiling or laughing at what some of you right(offcourse Bounce takes the credit for that) and Ive realized that what happens with each and everyone of you on this forum affects me.

Wishing all of you a very radiant weeekend. Keep the fighting spirit strong!

Hello radiant ones and I hope you all have a wonderful, restful weekend. Has anyone else wondered why they can't kill cancer on the weekend and holidays?? Just askin'

Bluebird, you are doing so well after such a tough start. I guess putting your foot down helped a lot!

Today I was reading this thread and couldn't believe how many lotions and potions are mentioned here. I have a half used jar of Aquaphor and Aloe Vera and an unopened bottle of Aloe Vera. Not sure what to do with them, but maybe I will oil up all my luggage with it! LOL Bounce, you kill me! I bow down to your wit and charm. When I was a stay at home mom, I did all the repairs around the house. Living in the MacGuyver era, my tool box consisted of duct tape, elmer's glue, and an old butter knife. I think I had a fingernail file, some dental floss and super glue too. There wasn't much else I needed to keep the house in good repair.

Seriously though, I wonder what kind of experience I would have had if I just used my regular products and not fretted so much.

Dennilynne....I am a voracious internet browser, so I found Cancer Math 1 day after my diagnosis. I plugged in just about every combination there was and I still came up living an extra 6 months with chemo and hormones. Since this last year has been a misery, I often wonder where the extra 6 months is coming from. Sure hope it isn't an extra 6 months on a rascal!! . I showed the site to my surgeon's nurses and they went nuts!

I also found a site that provides three mathematical models to predict your oncotype score and the calculations were darned close. .If anyone is interested the link to the oncotype DX predictor (below)....but you have to go to the bottom and ask for the supplemental table which gives you three different models...then you fill in the variables, the spreadsheets have the formulas.

http://www.nature.com/modpathol/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/modpathol201336a.html

Ladies and Gentlemen of the radiant persuasion....shine brightly with love, joy and good health. Know that you are dearly loved.

MsP

Gracers, congratulations and enjoy your celebratory dinner tonight. You did it in radiant style! (Are you going to have a drink??)

MsP

Gracers - happy dance for you! Enjoy your dinner.

I am surprised I thought everyone got the oncotype test. My oncologist said he test everyone. I had cancer in one of eight lymph nodes and the onco test was so low that I did not have to go through chemo. Apparently all doctors to not think alike.

Hi, Summergal,

Nice to " see" you again, too! Good luck as you start rads next week. Will you be doing both breasts treated at once, or or going twice as many weeks, or overlapping somewhere in between, like me? Interesting about the gated breathing. What exactly is the purpose of it? I didn't have to do any special type of breathing with mine. As you have probably seen from my previous posts here, my skin has held up remarkably well. And I don't have much fatigue, either. So, as my fellow SBBC sister, I hope you will do well, too. If I can do it, you can too! I will definitely be in your pocket next week

Dennilynne, my RO sees me once a week. He asks me if he can take a look, and I open the gown, and just looks at the skin, makes some notes in his book, and and asks how i'm doing, and if I have any questions. I am surprised you did not get a MO. How did you know if you needed chemo? Maybe you could asks your BS? That is who sent me to my MO.

Congrats to all those who finished. Hang in there to those going through hard times.

Hugs to all!

Hi Jo,

Thanks for the note. Michigan is my " second state" as I lived there a few years. I really miss the beautiful falls, but not the grey winters. Guess you can't have it all! Gracers

itiswhatitis, hi a MO is a medical oncologist. A doctor who is a cancer specialist. My surgeon recommended mine. Didn't like him so found a female one that I feel very confident has my best interest in mind.

I believe that my BS didn't think that the ocotype was necessary considering my path report. I do have most of the information that I need to fill out the oncotype DX predictor form that MsP posted, except for the Ki-67 information. I didn't get that test. With that said, my surgeon is so sure that she removed all of the cancer. The path report said that there was none left. Maybe that's why I have never seen an MO.

 I don't know....once you've been told that you have cancer, your mind goes to work double time. Today, I am having a good day. Who knows, tomorrow, I may feel like I am doomed again! Up, down, up, down.........

I'm going outside to pick up leaves before the snow flies. God bless you all Radiants and try to have a happy weekend.

Hi everyone ! I've spent a good part of this day reading this entire thread. Congrats to those who finished rads !

I start Monday, I had simulation on Friday. I was told I would have the bolus pad thing on my entire field and that it would cause my skin to react worse, yay NOT.

So far Im armed with 99% aloe with vit E etc and emu oil (both were gifts from friends who had rads in the past). I was told by rad tech to use Aquaphor and start NOW so when Im out and about in a few I will get some to add to my arsenal.

Its quite painful to have my arm up any length of time, friday was not fun. Im hoping it goes a lot faster for a real treatment. I was quite emotional, which I thought I was losing my mind but Im so thankful for reading the posts here, I don't feel so alone!

Hope everyone has a good, restful rest of the weekend !

You are NOT alone honeybair.... toward the last week of rads, my mood started picking up..... ive explained to several that chemo was harder physically,  but rads kicked my butt mentally. 

3 days post last rad-zap and my skin looks really good.  Barely peeling and the pink is fading fast. Im getting some pretty gnarly zingers though. Hooe this go away soon.

Lorrie

honeybair and itiswhatitis - as I have said in previous posts, I haven't been through chemo and don't have any idea how that affected the warriors that have other than what I have read here. With radiation I felt very much alone on that cold table and cried often, but I went to a happy place that kept me from losing it. What I found to be difficult was the fact that I didn't do chemo and when I was done with rads I will always be wondering if……....

LisaSp- You and I have the same amount of rads left, 23. I get nervous when I have to go back on Mondays, I don't really know why. It is still weird to me when I have to lie on that hard table. The whole experience is strange. Nobody talks in the waiting room. There is not much time to talk since we don't wait very long. I finally struck up a conversation with a lady who looked like she was dying to say something. Unfortunately I won't see her anymore, she was done within 2 days after that. I need to stop looking at the time I have left and take it a day at a time.

Rainyday 13 - you just wrote exactly how I am feeling.

The technicians are so impersonal. The waiting room is a lovely room - sunny and comfortable but there is no-one to talk to. Some people are there for treatments other than breast cancer and no-one looks like they want to talk. Its like being in a crowd and being alone at the same time.

I am trying to make some contact with the techs but they don't seem particularly interested. I feel like I'm a chunk of meat in a sausage factory.

They aren't mean or horrible they are just cold and impersonal. I have decided I am flat out going to tell the techs that if they don't start treating me like a real person I am going to cry.

Hugs to all.