Starting Radiation next Monday

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merdeka10
merdeka10 Member Posts: 6
edited May 2015 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
Starting Radiation next Monday
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  • merdeka10
    merdeka10 Member Posts: 6
    edited March 2015

    We are doing a dry run on Friday and I start 4 weeks of radiation on Monday. Any tips on skin care? I look forward to having this stage of treatment over. Thanks for any suggestions about what else I should be concerned about. I appreciate all of you who have gone before... Hugs to all of you.

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  • MombieZombie
    MombieZombie Member Posts: 509
    edited March 2015

    merdeka10--Hello. You are welcome to start a thread here, but I wanted to also invite you to the thread "Spring 2015 Radiation Sisters" thread. There are lots of gals in there in various parts of rads treatment. You might want to come jump in there. Lots to learn and share. I'm 22 of 33 in my sequence. Here's my thoughts on skin care. Take a shower every morning before treatment and use mild soap. No deodorants or creams before treatment. Skin needs to be totally clean. After treatment you can use what they give you or tell you to use. I have friends that love a Naturopathic cream called Epionce. I can't use it because I'm allergic to lanolin. I have made my own cream with coconut oil, almond oil, aloe vera, calendula oil, emu oil. You can use cortizone cream for itchiness, but it can dry you out. Some recommend corn starch, but my doctor says "no" because it's powdery nature will be too abrasive. When you shower, don't use super hot water. Only pat yourself dry. Don't scratch the itches. One gal suggested that you scratch your leg when you feel the urge to scratch places you shouldn't. Apparently that can trick your mind. I haven't tried it yet. If you don't like the idea of tattoos on your skin, photos of your naked body, and have modesty issues like me, talk to your doctor right from the start. I wasn't told what I was getting into in that regard and I have struggled emotionally. You should know that they can use invisible ink for the tattoos in some facilities.

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  • Janetanned
    Janetanned Member Posts: 532
    edited March 2015


    You will receive tons of advice about skin care, which will be invaluable.  I cruised through rads without any major skin issues thanks to the advice I received here three years ago.  I would like to add one suggestion. If you are going to a facility that reuses the hospital gowns (some use disposable), I would suggest purchasing a few of your own.  They can be bought at a medical supply store or online (ebay, amazon, etc).  I found that some of the gowns given at my facility were rather beat up and rough. Some had questionable marks and stains on them.   I wasn't comfortable wearing them.  I bought a package of 4 gowns online and felt so much more comfortable in my nice smelling, soft, gowns that covered me comfortably.  I had to sit, in a gown, in a waiting room before each treatment.  My gowns covered me fully so that I was warm and less exposed. 

    Good luck!

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited March 2015

    Hi merdeka!

    Besides reading-posting in the discussion boards and learn from all these wonderful and experienced community members, you might also want to read through these articles from the main BC.org site:

    Managing Skin Side Effects

    Managing Other Side Effects of Radiation

    Also, you can join others who are going through radiation at the same time on the Spring 2015 Radiation Sisters thread.

    Hope this helps! Hugs, and good luck

    The Mods

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  • BrooksideVT
    BrooksideVT Member Posts: 2,211
    edited March 2015

    Unlike MombieZombie, i slathered emu oil on my breast after my morning shower, but at least three hours before my rads appointment. I wore a soft, soft, super absorbent men's cotton Tshirt next to my skin, under everything, day and night. I felt it protected my skin from anything that might irritate it, and also protected my clothing from both the oils and creams, and even from the black sharpie marks the techs used to highlight my tats (the better to be certain the machine and I were properly lined up for zapping). The Tshirt was always inside out because the seams irritated my sentinel node incision. After rads, I used the cream the RO gave me; when I got home, it was more emu oil, then more again at night. My very pale, very tender skin did just fine.

    I asked everybody (nurse, RO, tech, head tech) everything! And I asked over and over and over.

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  • MombieZombie
    MombieZombie Member Posts: 509
    edited March 2015

    BrooksideVT--I like reading that you use the emu oil before radiation. I was told that if I did that it would make the radiation damage my skin--the same way baby oil on the skin can attract more sun when tanning. I'm a little bugged with my rads team. They keep telling me really extreme things, and then i find out something contrary here. Maybe I won't work so hard to get my homemade cream off in the morning. Thanks for the tip.

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  • BrooksideVT
    BrooksideVT Member Posts: 2,211
    edited March 2015

    I definitely applied the oil 3-4 hours before rads, no later. Luckily, I'm a really early riser! The cotton Tshirt probably absorbed most of the oil; my skin got the rest.

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  • MombieZombie
    MombieZombie Member Posts: 509
    edited March 2015

    Cool. I'm definitely going to try that then. I love my homemade cream. But my skin is still taking a beating. Even on my back. It's probably because I'm not reapplying enough. I am an insomniac, so I'll just put on a last batch around 4am.

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  • merdeka10
    merdeka10 Member Posts: 6
    edited April 2015

    Thank you for all the tips. I just finished week two and only have a little irritation so far. I had a rash by the end of the first week but some hydrocortosone type cream applied twice a day is keeping that at bay. Two weeks to go!

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  • Jmo06
    Jmo06 Member Posts: 159
    edited April 2015

    HI Janetanned you mentioned you did welll with your treatment from advice you got here. Please do tell =)

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  • merdeka10
    merdeka10 Member Posts: 6
    edited May 2015

    Okay, sorry to take so long to do an update. I came through the radiation just great! I was a little tired but now - 2 1/2 weeks after the last treatment, I'm well on my way back to normal! YES! I still have a little discoloration but no discomfort.

    My doctor gave me some Triamcinolone 0.1% cream for the rash I was developing. Used it right after the rad and also at night (before moisturizing). Stopped using that a week after rads.

    I used Cetaphil moisturizing cream very often, too. Maybe three or four times a day.

    Each night I put on thick Vitamin E oil (it is sticky but worth it). I only washed my breast twice a day. Morning before treatment and in the evening and I was very gentle. Not too hot on the showers seemed to help, too.

    I am still going to be taking Anastrozole every day for a few years. Checking with mammograms and keeping an eye on my bone density will be important, but it feels great to be getting on with my life.

    Thanks for your support here!

    (I'll do a cc to the Spring 2015 group)

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