Fall 2013 Rads

Thank you for the encouragement, kruise. Glad to hear you are starting to feel better, too.

Hello Radiant Ones

I see this thread hasn't been active for a while.

Hopefully some of you still have it marked and will see my posting.

I finished rads December 8th and got better and better until for a week or so I felt good - then from the beginning of February I have had increasing pain in my breast and along the rads tan mark on the side of my body.

It got bad enough for me to go to the RO and he says he thinks its inflammation and has prescribed ibuphrofin twice a day for 2 weeks.

The pain is generally all over the breast, not in one spot.  It feels swollen and heavy.  My arm is also tightening up and I have to keep doing stretches every 2 hours to keep full range of motion.

I was wondering if anyone else is having rads problems or issues 3 months after finishing!

Any helpful suggestions?

When fibrosis of the breast occurs does it hurt?

I too finished rads in December, and I am still having a lot of swelling and tenderness.

Hey Bounce- long time no see

I finished on Nov 27th and have to agree- if I don't go to yoga or do exercises at least 2-3 x/week I am really getting tight in my shoulder and my pectoral muscles.  As soon as I exercise it feels 100x better so I have to do it.  I missed my f/u appt with RO and have to re-schedule it

As far as size- I would wait at least a few months- when I finished day before thanksgiving and all into the holidays I was really noticing size disparity but in the last 30-45 days things seem to be settling out a bit and its not so noticeable.  I was fitted at Nordstrom and got something fantastic called Bravo push up pads (triangle not full coverage)- they are meant to put in a bathing suit or other clothing to "push up" in my case they are perfect because the padding is right down where my tissue was removed- its amazing in a regular bra looks exactly the same and they were like $12

bounce sorry you are having problems. Keep up with the docs and keep us posted. I had finished treatment in december, got cleared for more reconstruction in Januay, and just had a tumor removed from my brain that they missed or grew fast. I'm ok. But never again will I take, "don't worry" when you have a complaint. 

I have lots of sore swollen tissue from radiation, but that hasn't changed much. excercise and lotions help.

Will try to post more later. So tired and sore. Thanks or the emu oil suggestion Ms. P

love to you all

Bounce, so glad to see you again.

I posted about this on the 2014 tamoxifen board, but it seems relevant to what you're going through. 

I have been having a lot of pain and tenderness and even a lump in the right side of the right breast for the past couple months. There are multiple painful areas in that breast, not just the area around the lump. They are not zingers, just constantly painful. When I saw my MO the other week, he just felt it and said it is "inflamed glandular tissue" caused by radiation and there was nothing to do for it.  He said I could try ice if I wanted, but best to leave it alone, don't massage it or anything. How inflamed glandular tissue could cause a small hard lump I don't know.

 I feel sort of miffed that no one said we could get inflamed tissue months after rads. Like you, I am wondering if this means I will have fibrocystic changes to my breasts.  

This past week the left side has been starting to feel pain in the same area, like a mirror image of the right breast. I finished rads on that side 4 weeks after the right, so it would make sense it is at about the same point in the healing process. At first I was in a very negative thought spiral about it, thinking, "what if it will never heal, or what if the pain will never go away, what if my breast tissue is breaking down?" But then I decided to STOP and turn that thought around and think "what if the pain does go away? What if the tissue does heal and regenerate?" Now I am feeling stronger and healthier and happier and thinking "Of course it will heal!" and  "I am strong and healthy," and "I am a fast healer", and "I am resilient." Even if it takes months, or even years, I believe it will get better. Anyway, glad to know I am not alone in this.

Bluebird, so sorry to hear about your brain tumor. Was it mets? Or was this unrelated to your BC?

Mrs p, wyo, and everyone else, so glad to hear from you all again!

Bounce, let me know what you find as an alternative.  I am such a pollitically incorrect individual.   All I can say is poo, poo, poo for my rad buddies who are having problems.  Bluebird, wtf!!!!

I have had my first mammo since active treatment ended and I am doing really well.  I am trying to figure out the best way to retire from my job. It's time to get off the gerbil wheel.  I want to radiate in a whole different way, 

MsP

good to see the old group back together but not so good to hear the issues )-:

Hope you feel better and can post soon Bluebird- you are in our thoughts

yes to the thinning eyebrows- they are just whispy little things- look terrible but trying to keep them shaped.  I am using something from Benefit called "Got Brow" to try and give them some substance

Hi girls, I am a little worried. I am almost 4 months out from rads. I had a lumpectomy & rads...no chemo. The nipple on my radiated breast is twice as big as my other nipple. It is red and there is a red rim around the base of it. No discharge or crustiness but there is some flaking. THe areole looks swollen, kind of looks like orange peel, not real bad though. It doesn't hurt but my nipple is hyper sensitive. Any thoughts?

L2girl - I am guessing from your previous post as well that you have been back to your RO.

What does he suggest you do about the inflamed glandular tissue?

(My RO said to take 2 weeks of anti inflammatory medication which I did and it helped somewhat but I still have discomfort bordering on pain and find it very difficult to wear a bra.)

MsP - I haven't tried any other creams yet - I will let you know if I do.  Retirement sounds like it would make everything feel better.

Denilynne - make a doctor's appointment ASAP.  Even though its probably a SE from rads you don't need the strain of constantly worrying. Somethings the doc just has to see and decide on.  This is one of them.  Let us know how you are.

Bluebird144 - I hope you are feeling better each day and will write to us again soon.

wyo - always a pleasure to hear from you.

L2girl - so funny - I agonized for a month trying to decide who to go to because I too didn't have any follow up booked with the RO.

I don't like my MO so will avoid her at all costs!

I like the BS but I decided she will tell me its not a surgery issue.

I went to my regular family doctor who was very sympathetic but I could tell he really didn't know what to suggest.

Eventually I decided the RO broke me - he should know how to fix me.

I made an appointment to see the RO and he was fine with that - he just isn't a very chatty sort.

So my advice is stop agonizing and book for the RO.

I don't know why it is so hard for some of us to "bother" the doctors.  After all without us they would be out of work!

Glad the ice is helping.  How long do you keep it on for?

Bounce

Hi Ladies

I just wanted to report back and thank you all for your input.

L2girl - how are you doing?

After using the ibuprophen for 2 weeks as recommended by RO I did feel an improvement in my breast though it is still a bit bothersome on the body and under the boob.

I have been very tired lately and cry very easily.

I haven't been able to decide if I am depressed in general or suffering from radiation and/or Tamoxifen side effects.

I had a regular appointment with my BS today and she was very happy with the state of my booby.

She says all the things I describe are natural after surgery and radiation and don't mean anything bad is happening.

She says Tamoxifen can mess with emotions and I should give it a few months to settle down and then speak to my MO.

I told the BS that my booby feels best in a tank top with a built in bra of sorts which basically just squashes me flat and prevents excessive wobbling - but no real support!

She said that its fine to wear it.

She did suggest that I use Calendula oil on my breast to keep the skin nourished.  I was happy to tell her that is exactly what I have been using and can highly recommend it to anyone - I thinks its really worth trying especially if you have itchiness.  I have been using Waleda Calendula Oil but I am sure any type with no chemicals will be good.

Just to amuse you all I will add that in an effort to feel better I did try cabbage leaves when my booby was very sore.

I packed a few big leaves around my booby one day when the boss was out the office all day.  I think it did help a bit but it just might have been the extra compression that helped.

It is most amusing wearing cabbage leaves in your bra.

I have found the postings on this website to be an absolute life line in the past 2 months -  Just as much if not more than when I was going through surgery and rads - and I thank you all.

The posts on lymphedema of the breast have been very helpful to me.

Getting some reassurance from the BS was great and I am going to try and get on with life in general again.

Love and hugs

Bounce -ing back.

Hello MsP!

Always a pleasure to hear from you.

Indeed I am not sleeping well.  Since starting Tamoxifen I wake up twice at night to go to the bathroom and also because I am overheating.

Add to that a cat who shows no affection to humans during the day but insists on sleeping on me at night!

I have noticed that I wake up tired.

Some afternoons I come home from work and sleep for an hour and then I feel much better and can get on with chores.  But it doesn't always work out that way.

I am going to learn to embrace fatigue and not fight it!

I think the "emotional fragility" - what a wonderful description - is a mixture of Tamoxifen messing with my hormones, lack of good sleep and I have been worried that the rads had caused some real damage!  Knowing that it is quite common and normal has made me feel better (that and a lot of ibuprophen).

I am using Calendula Oil  - goes on really easily - good luck with it.

I tried one of my old under wire bras  few weeks ago and I thought the damn thing was trying to kill me!

It will be interesting to hear what the RO is checking for.  My RO really does poke boobies.  I must remember to tell him to be gentle if I ever see him again.

I am glad to hear you sounding so well and cheerful.  You have helped a great many people.

I hope that retirement comes speedily and is fun.

Looking forward to hearing from you and all the other radiant ladies.

Much love.

Hello all...Just checking in to see if anyone is still posting here. I see some familiar names and it does my heart good. It all seems so long ago since I finished, but it is only going on 4 months. I am doing well, back into my regular bras, but there is a markable difference in apperance and size . I have my 3 months folllow up with my MO on April 28. Blood work this time and exam.  I have finished  3 months of anastrozole and have had no noticable side effects so far. I have some nagging fear of reoccurrence at times and it hits me "You had cancer!!" Very unsetting if I don't move away from that thought.

I wish everyone a continued full  recovery and the best life after everything that has come down on all of us. Out of nowhere, a lighting strike, that changed us and our famililies forever/