Fall Rads 2014

PontiacPeggy - Have you started yoga? I remember where you said you were going to soon. I joined the gym and am going to try and start this next week. I have never done yoga, am not limber but want to try. I always feel like i just need to s t r e t c h…..

I finished up rads on 12/9 and now I'm brown but my skin recovered from some pretty awful wet reactions.

Here is what seemed to work as far as keeping things comfortable during treatment:

Regular moisturizing - Boiron Calendula cream and Aquaphor -- Aquaphor especially after treatment was finished.

I also have another lotion called Derma-Q-L or something from my naturopathic oncologist but it is being rebranded so isn't readily available; it contains lots of botanicals to help nourish the skin. I tried RadiaPlex gel and it was okay but the second my skin started breaking down this product would sting so I stopped using it.

Itching - hydrocortisone and extra moisturizing, including Lubriderm overnight. My RO prescribed 2.5% hydrocortisone which I used sparingly as advised and it seemed to help.

For raw, sore areas - Mepilex foam dressing really helps to keep friction to a minimum and settles down itching and soreness. It is absorbent so if you ooze a little it's okay but overall it stays in place without adhesive which is great.

Deeper wounds (moist reaction) - I found that using Silvadene, followed by a non-adhesive hydrogel pad covered with a thinner sheet of a translucent Mepilex dressing to hold it in place worked really well on healing my worst would quickly and without discomfort. When you keep the wound wet your body can heal it faster as you don't get all the scabby layers which hurt and can cause damage as they dry out.

Hydrogel pads used to be available at the drugstore, and I had some still in my first aid kit, but are now available from medical supply businesses or perhaps your center will have them on hand. The Mepilex type film I got from the nurse at my center, as part of an assortment to try.

Sore side - I had to sleep on my back for 2-3 weeks as my left side was really painful and my breast felt sore when gravity caused it to shift position. It got a lot better but Im still somewhat sore.

Pain - I would take hydrocodone at bedtime when I was most uncomfortable.

Exercise - I really didn't feel like moving during rads as between the cold hurting my breast to the painful wounds I just felt poorly. One physical therapist said to keep stretching during rads but I honestly think it is counterproductive to be exercising that which you are damaging. I did gain some weight during rads but I think with a return to regular activity with a slight increase in exercise I will drop back down quickly.

Histamine - after my boost I had itching all over my body, a little irritated and felt slightly nauseous, like bad seasonal allergies can cause. After reading up about it and consulting with my naturopathic oncologist we determined that my body was exhibiting histamine intolerance. Your body produces histamine to aid tisdue healing but rads caused so much trauma that it overwhelmed my ability to break down the excess. My naturopath gave me a supplement called HistDAO which contains the enzyme needed to break down the histamine, plus a quercetin supplement to help try to slightly quell the production of histamine. With a little Claritin (Children's liquid is really fast-acting) to control the symptoms I got back to normal within a week. I brought it up to my RO and she had no idea what I was talking about - frustrating.

GOING FORWARD

I'm alternating the Derma-Q-L lotion with Aquaphor now to keep my skin from being too dry and to aid longer term healing.

Rads can cause permanent damage to the oil production glands in the skin, as well as small blood and lymphatic structures so working externally to help improve breast and skin health is important. We are at a greater risk of infection in the treated area going forward, from bites, scratches and abrasions I have read.

I am massaging my breast tissue throughout the day (through my clothing) to promote circulation and lymphatic flow to aid healing and hopefully limit fibrosis. The initial healing period post rads, where the most tissue restructuring happens is that first 6 months -- we can influence how we heal.

The other night my body started asking for vibrations (it was really a strong sensation) and I looked it up and vibrations, mostly in the form of non-thermal ultrasound, is used to aid soft tissue healing. I haven't yet talked to the physical therapist about this but I wasn't finding references as it being used to promote healing post rads. On my own I've been patting over their area that was treated (while clothed) and it does seem to be helping promote circulation in a different way.

I'm getting lots of vitamin C and bumped up the amount of BioSil I was taking which helps aid collagen production and skin healing.

I'm getting regular Lomi-Lomi massage to help improve circulation and send positive signals to my body to not freak out about the damage.

I started back to exercising including walking, stretching, dance and qigong which seems to be going well. Between surgery and rads I can feel the tissue damage so I am being gentle as I stretch but I think I'll get back close to 100%.

HTH

Ann

MDNow, thank you for the very kind words. I didn't even know how bad things were until DH was in the hospital. Then the relief of not having to care for him hit me. You just do what you have to do without worrying about the toll it takes.

I can't imagine the pain you are in. I hope that the minute you finish your rads that you will start healing. You've certainly had a rough year. It WILL get better! Many HUGS!!

Fatigue lasted about 2 and 1/2 weeks after my last radiation treatment.  I can't help with the raw ness.  Mine got brown is all.   Most on here are using aquaphor. 

SKBrown, I've been on Arimidex since mid-October and I certainly haven't quit drinking wine. No SEs so far. After reading Dr Susan Love's Breast Book, I did add folic acid to my supplements since I do plan on continuing to drink my one glass of wine most nights. Keep on with your beer HUGS!

SKBrown, I HAVE been lucky. Virtually no SEs anywhere along the line - Lumpie, Rads and AIs. I am taking Fosamax since I have a tiny bit of osteopenia. You might want to find out if it is indicated for you. I have one friend taking Arimidex, been on it years, no problems at all. HUGS!

Puffin, that's what I intend to start as soon as I have DH's Medicaid straightened out and the water issue in the basement corrected. Should have time to breathe then. I am hoping to start easy but be challenged. Used to be quite flexible and I'd like to regain that. Wish my cancer center offered yoga. HUGS.

I love these forums. If you have a question, someone has walked that path and has an answer for you, a suggestion to make things better. It's wonderful. Thank you everyone!

Puffin and Peg…I plan to go to the yoga soon! I did go to a "body pump" class this week where you use weights to exercise. There isn't any jumping around (I don't like that) and it is a lot like stretching to me. I didn't use any weights this first time, just did the exercises without. I'm still having a bit of trouble with getting my arm straight up, but it's coming along. I was sore just doing this little bit!! Man am I out of shape. Yikes!

Radiation done! Feeling good now, not much tiredness anymore during the day (I still go to bed early). Started back to nursing school and guess I don't really have time to worry about being tired! Best thing I have done as it keeps me busy and no time to worry about that stupid cancer!! Waiting for MO appt. to talk about the tamox. I think it's on the 26th….

Peggy I hope your basement troubles get fixed! We don't have basements here at the coast, so I can't imagine all the work to fix a basement! Seems they are underground and it's wet there ..Yikes.

Everytime I say Yikes..I think of Yikes :-)

Have a happy day! Go Carolina Panthers!!

Peggy, I don't wear anything special to yoga, I make sure my socks don't have holes as we have to leave our shoes outside the door. Anything comfortable that you can move and stretch in.

I don't have my own mat, both places I take classes at provide mats and we spray them down at the end of the session, check with your place if they provide one as you do want to use one. What I have found useful is the styrofoam block for support and did buy one for about $8 - one class provides them but the other doesn't.

Peggy: I love Kohl's, that's where I got my block on sale.

All of this talk about yoga is making wonder if I should get my yoga mat out of the attic and maybe get to using it again.

I'm back, I'm pissed and want to hear from others what they would do, where would they turn to at this point?

Well I finished rads back in nov. I finished chemo, or should I say I never finished chemo because of the severe side effects, I had three of my four rounds, last one sept 3.

Ok for those who don't remember, in sept I was diagnosed with pnuemonia, neutropenia, and then blood clots in my lungs.

Ok all up to speed of when I was goiNg thru things. Last treatment mid nov for rads.

In dec, I was diagnosed with pneumonia in the Begining of the month, put on antibiotics.

Two weeks no better, diagnosed again with pneumonia a different kind and put on steroids the day before Christmas.

Not only that the 9 ct scans that I kept saying was causing Cancer, 2 for rads, three for the three surgeries, 3 for each of the pnuemonias, 1 for the pulmonary embolisms, and 2 to see if there was Cancer elsewhere, I was finally told would cause cancer by an outside doctor and said he can't believe that anyone would do that to me.iwas now billed for 33 others t scans, which they now claims they did one each day I had rads, I never consented to that.

Anyway, here I am four weeks out on steroids.

I still have shortness of breath. I still feel like a fork in stuck into my chest (lung). I still can not excersise more than a few minutes at a time. I still can not take a deep breath. I still take a deadly combinations of drugs that cause side effects, that are life threatening. I still can not seem to get one single doctor To cooperate with men and tell me What really wrong with me and why does no one else have theses problems after breast cancer.

Yesterday they asked if I wanted to go to a cardiologist, for what. Something has been wrong with my lungs since you poured poison and toxins down my veins, I have had three pnuemonias, and pulmonary embolisms, I have had three ekg that say my heart is fine. I have had 41 ct scans that say inconclusive, so what will a cardiologist tell me about my shortness of breathe.

Today I was told to take myself off all medications, cold turkey, walfrin, steroids, metformin since steroids caused blood sugars over 450, antibiotics, glymithride, tamoxifin. Not one of these meds should be cut off cold turkey but they said to do it. Yet not one doctor will admit to being the doctor who will monitors mewhen I do this, they just say if you have any problems go to er.

Like I say, what am I to do, why only do I have so many problems from this treatment for a Cancer I still can not prove I even had.

To Gilesmt,

the ekg does not say your heart is fine, it says your heart is beating okay. Big difference.

yes, you need to see a cardiologist for shortness of breath.

It may not be the lungs, it may be the heart.

I am not sure about the billing, but during radiation they do a lot of other studies in combination to be sure things are lined up.

from internet:

shortness of breath as a sign of possible heart condition or an actual cause of heart condition.

Shortness of breath causes or worsens heart troubles. Breathing gives oxygen. Hearts go into spasm (attack) due to lack of oxygen.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/shortness-of-breath/basics/causes/sym-20050890

Most cases of shortness of breath are due to heart or lung conditions. Your heart and lungs are involved in transporting oxygen to your tissues and removing carbon dioxide, and problems with either of these processes affect your breathing.