Fall Rads 2014

I finished Rads 10/30 and I can say that rads took me by surprise how exhausted I was once I was finished. During rads I was fine and then about 3 weeks afterwards I was exhausted. I am slowly recovering still but I was shocked at how hard it hit me. Oh and I had just mild burning/irritation from the radiation.

Peggy I just saw this. Sorry. I had a double mastecomy and reconstruction 5 years ago. This time I had a lumpectomy first so my surgeries are hopefully behind me now. I have recovers a bit more but I would still like to be back to feeling normal again. :

The same thing happened to me! So so itchy starting after the boost. Finished one week from today, still itchy and red. That poor nipple on the treated side is also now completely white. I hope that goes away.

Here's what I'm doing to help my body through this initial period of healing and tissue restructuring (first six months post rads):

massaging my breast

I started doing this during rads and continued to try to keep from having the tissue turn fibrotic due to stagnation. It has evolved into a more specific practice of lymphatic massage to help drain the area as I now have trunkal lymphedema. I started seeing someone who is trained in lymphatic massage and she has been helping my body figure out where the lymph will flow now that my upper quadrant lymphatic system has been compromised (as it was for each of us). Rads damaged the minor lymphatic structures in the treated area and stagnant lymph is what leads to fibrosis over time. Keeping things moving and re-establishing drainage is going to help our bodies to heal better than just letting things go.

My body asked for vibration in the treated area at the beginning of January and I figured out that a Clarisonic, facial cleansing tool, is really great at helping with breast massage. It has a soft brush and a fine vibration.

I have also Earthsong pomegranate oil meant for breast massage that I use occasionally. It comes with a booklet describing how to do breast massage though I advise working with someone who does lymphatic massage so you can know how to modify for your body post treatment.

skincare

I came up with a little routine to help care for my damaged skin, evidently it is permanently altered by radiation (see: Changes in biophysical properties of the skin following radiotherapy for breast cancer)

• DermaQOL lotion (currently discontinued as it is being rebranded) as a daily moisturizer
• Castor Oil I used overnight
• Vitamin E oil, I use occasionally

I use a facial cleansing cream from Aubrey Organics (http://www.aubrey-organics.com/ProductInfo/910.asp...) and the Clarisonic every other day on my irradiated area to help exfoliate. It was amazing how much lighter my treated area was after the first cleansing.

movement

I have studied dance and once things settled down I started doing ballet workout on my own at home. I like the stretching and it is way more interesting than stretches they give you for physical therapy. I want to be able to return to dance class when I'm stronger but I'm going to need my range of motion back fully so I don't tear something.

I like the 10-minute Ballet Break and Advanced Beginning Barre DVDs from Finis Jhung. He has an anti-aging collection that shows the DVDs that are good choices for those of use in recovery mode. You can also subscribe to online access.

I'm also working with a physical therapist on understanding how to work with my lymphedema. My PT noted that some areas that were treated, the muscle had adhered to the fascia. Also, my serratus muscle group is pissed off post rads. I'm going to have to work on that area for a while.

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If you can manage the time and more appointments, definitely seek out professional treatment with any issues. My RO gave no post treatment instructions but I'll be damned if I'm not going to do the best I can to help my body heal as well as is possible.

HTH

Ann

Good to hear from you KKay and that you're doing well. I'm on another thread with Pontiac Peggy - she's going to yoga and enjoying it. I've been going to a cancer survivor program at the Y called LiveStrong. A small group of us meets twice a week for 1 1/2 hours. The leaders work with us on the cardio and weight machines and are developing individualized programs for each of us. We also get to use the Y free for the 3 months of classes so I've been trying out the various extra classes. Decided cycling was definitely not for me, too hard on my knees, but I've been enjoying the other classes and am amazed at how much stronger I've gotten. Was thrilled to learn the other day that my application for a reduced price membership has been accepted so when the Livestrong classes are over I'll be able to continue using the Y for $25/month instead of $50.

well it's been awhile and like everything in my life with Cancer not good news. As I wrote previously, mt doc mid jan told me to take myself off everything. Since then I have been working with her supervisor to find me a PCP who knows something about dealing with blind people, in the hopes they will understand my 45 medication bottles that I can't read. Many emails but nothing from the jerk.

Late dec I started to tell PCP and ONco that I felt lumps under my arm. They said it was nothing to worry about,just everything going back to normal. In jan I told them the lumps are getting bigger and I still felt ever since rads that a fork was stuck in my chest wall.

Nothing, told the supervisor of my PCP after she told me no more meds and discontinued them at pharmacy.

I called Onco and she was out. I worked very hard to get my mammogram done, they kept telling me I had to wait until after april, but last year this all started with a mammogram on March 3. I finally got the appointment, last Monday, a week and a half ago. The mammogram showed no lumps. I was thrilled because I thought that ment I was truly a survivor. Short lived story of my life.

I went to pulmonologist after mammo, and was told all the shortness of breath was from asthma and he doubted I ever had pnumonia, especially 5 times in two years. Gave me two inhalers and I have been doing better. Both mammo tech and pulmonologist stated I needed to get my breast checked out by a PCP because it was red and swollen. I told them I was working one tl.

The jerk never did find me a dr and it had been 4 weeks, my PCP could not even tell the difference between pnumonia and asthma. Anyway I called and just made an appointment. On Friday last week I went in.

She gave me antibiotics and a fungal med and asked if she could take a picture and send it to dermatologist because she was not sure what it was.

Symptoms: many I have been complaining about since radiation,

Swelling

Redness

Hot to touch

Pain

Itching

And pitting

Sound familiar???

Anyway on Monday she called and asked how I was doing, I told her still have some all symptoms but they are a little better, especially the itching.

She said we would like to do a biopsy.

For what, inflammatory breast cancer, you have every symptom, although it is rear, and everyone, we had over 20 doctors look at the picture and they all said they have never heard of inflammatory breast cancer start while having rads for invasive breast cancer.

What did my oncologist say, skip the biopsy you just have a breast infection that has nothing to do with rads.

So yesterday exactly one year after my mammogram that showed spots, I had two biopsies done. Now I have to wait a week for results.

I don't know weather to yell. Scream, cry, punch out a few doctors.

Since last Friday, the antibiotic has not done much, it still itches, not as much but it still does, it is swollen, red, painful but not as much, the lymphnodes under my arm and above my collarbone still hurt and are swollen and blocked, causing stiffness and pain.and now I have stitches in two places from her biopsy.

Like I have said before Cancer the gift that keeps on giving

Giles. Many HUGS!!!!

Brittany23 - I am having the same issues. Rads finished 12/31/14 and not too bad, skin looked good, a bit red, with dark skin under the arm and breast. Seemed to heal fine, skin went back to "normal" and ROM was good. Now my breast and underarm are very sore and ROM is decreased. There is pain without movement also. My skin also seems to be getting darker again - I can see the outline of radiation clearly (it was faded away)…

Is there infection that can be caused by radiation??

agness..thanks for the advice. I did go to the PT and it has been determined that I have "truncal lymphadema" I feel it's getting worse, I do my exercises and have the compression bras suggested.

What is myofacial work?

I am getting tired of the "gift that keeps giving"!!!!

Hi Everyone! I finished rads at the end of Oct. 2014. Since Jan. I have experienced a lot of tightness in the chest and pain to touch my ribs under the breast. I was surprised that there is this much discomfort and lack of range of motion. My surgeon offered a PT referral but I declined. I kept thinking that I could stretch it out myself. It is gradually getting better with my own massage and gentle stretching. I just had my first mammogram and the results were clear. What a weight off of my mind...actually felt physically lighter upon hearing that news. Keep moving everyone. We can move past this. My thoughts and hugs are with you.

Lew and I just got back from a week's cruise to the inside passage of Alaska, our first cruise. Who'd have thought we'd be going to Alaska for the warm weather. While it rained and snowed in Fargo the whole time we were gone, we had sunny skies and temps that reached 68 on the trip. Mornings would start out cooler, but dressed in layers and by 10 am the layers were coming off. We took Princess and were totally pleased with the cabin, the friendly crew, the FOOD, scenery was breathtaking. Even added 2 new birds to my list.

I'd read that some ladies had problems with lymphedema after a plane ride, so to be on the safe side I wrapped my arm with an ace wrap when we flew out to Seattle. I skipped the ace wrap on the flight home, didn't have any problems.

I had my baseline 3D mammogram last week after we got back, waiting for the results. Will see oncologist next month.

Puffin, so glad you were able to have such a wonderful trip! It never occurred to me to wrap my arm although I have had no lymphedema and I had 3 long flights in the past 2 weeks (visiting my very wonderful sons and DILs!). Only got a sore butt

I've been thinking of you.

HUGS!!!

No, haven't heard anything like this, but I'd be concerned too with it coming back - continue to push for a biopsy.

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Thanks for the responses Ladies. Will continue to push for biopsy.

WIOptimist - I had something like that happen. I had something that looked a little like a scab develop over my nipple on the bad side. I was very concerned and called my MO who sent me in immediately for a mammogram. Turns out I have a very large seroma where the tumor was removed. That lovely seroma has found a way to drain itself through my nipple and the "scab" was actually the discharge from the seroma. They drained the seroma once because I was having a lot of pain with it. However, it has filled up again and goes up and down in size causing me discomfort when it is full. I just keep cleaning off the nipple when the build up gets to be too much. It doesn't just wash off in the shower.

Good luck in diagnosing yours.

Jeanelle