Radiation and Swimming

I just finished 30 rads treatments (25 whole breast and 5 boosts).  I am a swimmer - kept swimming all the way through chemo - and was beside myself at the initial advice of my RO that I should not swim at all in a public pool (chlorinated water) for the duration of rads (common advice).  Working with my RO, we agreed that I could keep swimming, following some preventative measures, until the point that RO advised me to stop.  Well, happy to say that I kept swimming all the way through rads.  And, per my doctor, my skin looked "fabulous" at the end.  Thought I'd post my experience here for anyone who wants to keep getting in pool time during rads.  Here's what I did:

1. Do not "waste" pool time.  I only went in the pool if I was going to be doing a swim workout.  No "dips" to cool off.  Make the pool time count (this meant for me, only swimming 2-3 times per week for about an hour each workout).

2. Use aquaphor generously & be prepared to toss your suit at the end.  From the beginning, I smeared myself with a thick layer of aquaphor in the large square where radiation hits immediately before swimming.  My suit is thoroughly soaked through with the stuff (it is a black, thickish material suit - aquasphere is the brand - so coloration-wise, not really noticeable).  

3. Shower immediately following the swim & gently wash the radiated area (I used Eucerin for dry skin wash).

4. General skin care - I followed my RO's instructions religiously all through rads.  For me, this meant using Weleda Calendula cream at night, and immediately following my rads treatment each morning, Calendula lotion (I used Boiron brand) followed by corn starch applied with a makeup brush in the fold under the breast.  (Warning - this is messy - what I would do is bring this stuff with me, and after treatment I would take off my hospital gown, lie it on the bench, and stand over it to apply the corn starch since it tends to fall everywhere).

I had redness, a tiny bit of irritation, one spot of folliculitis, and some soreness.  All normal stuff. Never needed any prescription creams of any kind.  

So, if you are a swimmer and feeling down in the dumps about being "beached" for the duration of rads - I encourage you to talk about this with your doctor and give it a try!