Spring 2014 Rads

maryfox- I'm astonished you had no pain with chemo.  I had serious pain and its lingering a bit even three months out.  By comparison, rads really were a cakewalk. I guess it shows how truly different we all are.  Hope you feel better soon!

does anybody have hot flashes during radiation ?

I thought I will get those only if I am pre menopausal . Not sure if it is happening due to rad or due to premenopausal. 

mom2- great news on the PET and I hope all goes well when your onc meets with you.

Mirka-thinking of you and your mom, I hope she heals quickly

Donna- how is your fur-baby doing? he is a beauty!!! I don't know what I would do if any of mine got sick right now. My dogs have always been a huge source of comfort to me. In fact, my dog- now gone 3 1/2 years was my BFF in so many ways, and when I first got my cancer dx, all I wanted to do was bury my face in her fur. I miss her so much.

Mary, i hear you on the black undertones. I look like I am all dented in and bruised at my scar. 

Joan -- rant away, you need to get that out. I go through major periods of that with my Lyme and I am sure that as I get "done" with BC treatments and it has more time to sink in, I'll have to deal with that too. I hope that you feel better today.

That makes me wonder-- how long after you  all finish rads are you planning on doing the lotions? I have a feeling, knowing how I can be, once I am done, I am going to get "lazy" about that and I don't want skin issues to pop up afterwards.

Mom2- that "new normal" is exactly what my SW has been talking to em about. She feels that I have been minimizing/in denial about what I have gone through -- dx, surgery, rads, then will be doing hormone therapy, and then having the dx stay with you for life. How do you all cope with that? Guess that should be a thread, and probably are many of them here that I should look into at some point.

No hot flashes for me, just the constant heated up boob.

xo

I hope you all are doing well this week-end! I am getting the IMRT rads and there is no breath holding or bolus involved. My tumor was close to my chest wall, but on the right side.

I am looking forward to getting rads over, but I think it will be challenging moving forward, also. Maybe we expect too much of ourselves sometimes...or are trying to meet others' expectations. One thing is for sure, it has changed us all. I hope I have the strength and courage to make the best of it. I'm sure it will be a long road, but one step at a time. Look what all we have accomplished so far!

I think I will continue to use the lotion for at least a month or so afterwards. And I have never been one to use lotion much, except on my legs and my hands. My guess is the skin will continue to have dryness issues for quite some time.  I feel like i've been baked from the inside out---like a microwaved muffin. 

I  am still irritated underneath the breast and using the lotimin, but it is so hard to keep the skin to skin contact from making it painful.  My little toilet paper roll "prop" i made has collapsed-either from use or  from the weight of my boob..HA.  I got to thank every woman on these boards who told me the t-shirt with the bra on top trick. That has been the best advice......... 

This week is NURSES WEEK, and I have some wonderful ones at the community cancer clinic.

My jack in the pulpits are up- and I mowed the lawn yesterday.  Spring is here, spring is here---even if I am wearing a turtleneck sweater. 

BigD, thanks for letting us know how it has been going for you immediately after rads ended.  That's the part I'm most interested in because I know the skin can keep changing for a few weeks afterward.

MaryFox, I'm sorry you skin is so dark already.  I think we are a day apart on rads.

Vintagegal, I got a lot a pings early on with rads too.  I think it's from my nerve endings not being very well healed yet from the surgery and then getting irriated by the rads.  I think of it as my "early warning system" for LE too because I get a lot of pings in my underarm area and my arm.  When it's hurting, I cut back on activity with my arm.  My RO (and I) are keeping a close watch on it for LE.

Today is day 25/33 for me and I'll get marked up for the 5 boosts at the end today.  The boosts will start this friday.  My skin is holding up surprisingly well.  I'm just slightly pink all over with a "hotspot" at my collarbone.  I'm thinking that spot will most likely open and weep at some point.  My stickers have stayed on without falling off!  Aren't they lovely?

Feeling much better today, antibiotic kicking in. Trying to catch up on housework.  Only three more full to go!  See the RO for the last time tomorrow. Yey skin holding up good but I felt the burn. Hoping it holds up. Good luck with your treatments this week.  Load up on the aquafore

1 week out & the skin is looking good - still not letting up on the lotion/airing tho - i want this skin tip top for my vacation - 2 more days! sooo sorry i let myself get freaked out by the "what if's" - but radiation definitely was a tough one - mentally & physically.Still worried about future consequences but for right now i am looking forward to nine days of no work - no treatments - and NO WORRIES!!

"only worry in the world, is the tide gonna reach my chair?"~~ Zac Brown Band

why so frequent treatment of saline soaks, Redheaded1? 

I am on my 5/30 treatment today. Over the week-end, the hotness  cooled down little bit. Redness is still there. The pain comes and goes. 

I got walmart 2 sizes up cotton bras, cotton, fruit loom, not sports. I was uncomfortable with sports cotton bras as they were feeling tight. 

The new ones are almost like wearing small top just covering chest. Hopefully, it won't ruin my work clothes. 

Lisa, sorry you are going through this again, but welcome to our group here.  Lots of good info in this thread on rads.  My RO, MO, and surgeon all said about rads:  "It's not that bad, you will be fine."  I really was for the most part.  Some fatigue here and there, but I worked full time through it all.  I did have some pain towards the end and that still comes and goes.  I am just over 3 weeks post-rads.  I had no skin issues at all, but it was itchy towards the end and afterwards.  But as you know, we all are so different.  Hang in there, we will keep you in our pockets and be here for you when you need us.

Thanks for the welcome BigD. It's good to know you are all there. I am a little apprehensive as I have sensitive skin and burn easily (even though I know it's not an actual burn) and because of the bmx they are using a bolus. When the therapist explained what is was and how it worked I said, "Great. Sounds like it will lessen the redness," to which he responded "Actually it tends to make  it worse."

Maybe best to stay in the "whatever" mode. Ha! :-)

Welcome Warrior  and intothewoods.   You will meet some great folks in these discussion boards.  We don't know everything but we share what we tips we have to make sure you know you aren't alone.  sometimes its easier to share with the strangers who are going thru this than it is the folks you've known all your life but haven't had the "C".     This is the first Monday evening I have been home to see a show on TV called MOMS---the older woman was diagnosed with breast cancer and getting her first chemo---her two friends who were trying to "help" were hysterical, but yet factual to real life......  

Hi Lisa and Warrior!  This group of amazing women will help you get through it all. 

I am 21 days done and 2 more boosts to go. Yesterday, right before I was set to go in, the machine broke. They told us that they had a call in to get it fixed, but they didn't know how long it was going to take. Gave us the option to go home and they would call when it was up and running, or we could wait. All I could think was that Wed was my last day and no way was I going to push that back.

My nipple is still peeling and it looks like I have broken blood vessels under my skin, but other than that my skin has held up well. I am more upset about my weight, Getting weighed weekly causes me anxiety (have a long history of anorexia) and I gained 2 pounds, yuck. I hope that doesn't trigger me once I am done and have more time to focus on *that.*

Not-- woot on getting close to vacation time!

Red- sending healing thoughts to you and your poor skin

Truly great to have you all out there!

Momto3boys, I'll keep good thoughts for both of us bolus gals. Hearing others' stories- a taxi? does help us keep things in perspective. (Cue faerywings' signature.)

Faerywings: a broken machine so close to the end is the kind of thing that would previously set me into a tizzy but I'm getting better at the perspective thing. I absolutely love "No Day But Today" Never saw Rent but I did see Idina sing that song in concert and she was so cool- she invited people to come up and sing it with her. One more day for you! Whoo! Please use us for support with "that" other issue if you need to. 

Redheaded1 it is easier to share with strangers because already you don't seem like strangers. That TV show sounds great- haven't heard of it.

Notbuyingit, I just love your name!!!

Thanks all,

Lisa

Welcome Lisa and Warrior

I am exactly halfway thru, but they are going to try to increase my treatment just a bit each day, because my last 2 treatments are scheduled for the week after Memorial Day and my grandkids have special things going on in school in FL that I don't want to miss and I am being treated in Ga. I met with RO yesterday and she said they are going to back the bolus to once every three days instead of every other day, because I am very red. She asked if I was itching and I wasn't. Guess what- I am now. Power of suggestion or did she know by looking at it? When I mentioned to the ladies who do the ladies who give the treatments that I was at the halfway mark yesterday, she responded, " yup, it's all downhill from here" What?!? Then she realized what she said, and rephrased it to " I meant you are on a countdown now, not going downhill." We all had a good laugh. 

Anne