Summer 2015 Rads

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited August 2015

    So I'm not gonna lie- my radiated side is sore already. Psychosomatic? The pains seem to move from area to area.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited August 2015

    Try aloe, then a cool bandana or washcloth.

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  • pboi
    pboi Member Posts: 663
    edited August 2015

    Congrats Ksusan!!! 🎉

    I was on the treadmill indoors just about daily during rads. I did get a lot of fatigue towards the end, but I really think that the exercise helped lessen the fatigue.

    PB

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited August 2015

    Thanks! I think exercise has helped a lot.

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited August 2015

    Littleblue, I was doing some research yesterday on the physiology of skin changes during rads(because I am a geek) and it said it is not uncommon to have minor pain and redness the first day of 2 due to initial reaction, but that it dissipates by days 3-4. On another note, I paid attention while running tonight to see if my arm rubbed. It did not. I must naturally run with my arms out a bit. When I got home and was on my phone here, it rubs,so I need to be careful in my everyday activities and try to keep my arm out a bit.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited August 2015

    Good info kbee, thanks! Glad you can keep running. I joined a gym and plan to alternate gym and running. I can totally avoid armpit rub on the stair master and still get a good workout.

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  • PatRN10
    PatRN10 Member Posts: 332
    edited August 2015

    My RO nurse gave me some ABD type dressings to put in my bra today. This has really cut down on the rubbing.

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  • Hopeful82014
    Hopeful82014 Member Posts: 3,480
    edited August 2015

    Karen - that's intriguing. Do you have any links to that? I'm geeky (about some things and this is one), too, so would love to be able to delve into it a bit more. Thanks a bunch for anything you can share.

    I did feel some tingling in the axilla the first or second day and once again later on; I figured it was any hair left there dying off...

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  • Keys-Plez
    Keys-Plez Member Posts: 304
    edited August 2015

    No sweating? Boy am I screwed. 😃 90 degrees, 90 % humidity. Heck, my glasses fog up when I walk out the door. It IS August in Florida.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2015

    Thanks everyone for your helpful information and encouragement. I am starting Monday. Exercise seems to be key in minimizing fatigue... I plan to be working through treatment (fortunately I work at the hospital where I am treated), but am I overly optimistic that I will be able to work every day? Is the fatigue much worse towards the end?

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited August 2015

    My fatigue has been better at the end.

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited August 2015

    Hopeful, I will have time to try and find it on my computer either later today or tomorrow morning. I will post it if I can find it

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  • Hopeful82014
    Hopeful82014 Member Posts: 3,480
    edited August 2015
    Thanks, Karen. No rush.

    Kerry, mine was very intermittent. Depending on your job and how flexible/accommodating, I don't see why you couldn't work all the way through. Just pace yourself and be aware of your body's needs for rest, refreshment and hydration as well as activity and exercise. Good luck!
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  • live_deliciously
    live_deliciously Member Posts: 346
    edited August 2015

    i sweated every day (I'm outside most of the day and active) and also had night sweats. It was impossible for me to not and I made it through. I did sometimes put a gel pack in a towel and put under my arm to cool that area down

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  • sailorbev
    sailorbev Member Posts: 75
    edited August 2015

    I am finished!!!!! Hooray!!!! When I started on July 8 I thought this day would never come. During my brief discharge instruction session I was told I STILL can't use deodorant on the radiated side for 2-3 weeks Since my armpit is not in the field I am going to ignore that instruction. The lack of deodorant has been a major issue during this hot, humid summer. Especially since I continued to exercise. My skin is dark and a little itchy, but otherwise ok. My husband and I celebrated by going out to a late lunch and I will celebrate again tonight by going out with friends. I am tired but so grateful to be free. Tomorrow we get on our boat and take off for a few days.

    Congrats to you, ksusan.

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  • Midgiemoon
    Midgiemoon Member Posts: 174
    edited August 2015

    Hi All!

    Hooray for all of you ho have finished! I finished on Friday, and my boost area is very red and howling, but, and it's a big one, my underarm is healed and I am now in my underwire bras again!! Whooop Whoop!

    I finished my WBR 2 weeks ago today. 2 weeks ago, I was cooked, according to my RO. I could harly move my arm, and I was in so much pain... 2 weeks later, my peeling is just about done, and I have just one tiny tender spot. So I am here to tell you to hang in there. Yesterday was my best day so far, and today I went to work and now I am going back to spin class!


    I feel like the timeline they told me was exactly what I experienced. So a week from Friday, my boost area will look a lot better, too.


    Wishing you all the best on your road to recovery. I was so miserable, and now, I'm not!

    xoxoxox

    Midgie

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  • CAMommy
    CAMommy Member Posts: 437
    edited August 2015

    10/20 today! Half way there!

    So oddly enough, I'm finding less is more for me. I've backed off the moisturizers and my itching and pain had gone way down. This makes no sense to me, except my mother always told me not to put goopy stuff on a burn because it keeps the heat in. Don't know if the relates here but I've been itch and pain free all day. I hope that doesn't mean my boob is about to fall off or something :o lol

    For now I'm sticking with aquaphor before bed. Maybe I have an allergy to all the other stuff. No idea....

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  • 6doggies
    6doggies Member Posts: 96
    edited August 2015

    Ladies, I'm going to start exercising again and ignore my RO's advice, thank you so much! I naturally walk a lot but now I'm going to be hitting the treadmill and back to doing step. :)

    Sailorbev, Congratulations on being done with radiation and enjoy being out on your boat for the next couple of days.

    CAMommy, that makes sense what your mom said, I keep putting lotion on but I think that I may cut back a bit.

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  • pboi
    pboi Member Posts: 663
    edited August 2015

    Congrats Sailorbev! 🎉

    PB

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited August 2015

    Sailorbev, congrats!

    I notice that some days the calendula products itch. Switching to Cetaphil helps.

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  • InStitches
    InStitches Member Posts: 80
    edited August 2015

    Congrats SailorBev for finishing tidy. I had my last treatment today as well. I brought four different types of gourmet popcorn to say thank you to all my caregivers. My underarm is red and itchy and surprisingly the area treated with the boosts is looking pretty good. I have had a great experience but am glad to have this step behind me. Now I am trying to get in to see the MO and get started on the next step in treatment....hormone therapy.

    Peace and healing,

    Nancy

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  • pboi
    pboi Member Posts: 663
    edited August 2015

    Yay for another finishing camp, congrats Nancy!

    PB

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited August 2015

    Hopeful, here's one of the links. I have more...somewhere. This one has nice descriptions, but does not break it down by dose.

    http://www.ycn.nhs.uk/html/downloads/ltht-managing...

    Congrats to Nancy and Bev!


    I had #1 today. Tons more to go, but glad to have one in teh books.

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  • CAMommy
    CAMommy Member Posts: 437
    edited August 2015

    how long does your actual treatment time with the machine on last? I feel like mine is short. I count to 15, then it goes again for a count of 5 then switches to the other side of me and does another 15 and 5. So my guess is each session I'm getting about 30-40 seconds or radiation.

    I'm doing the Canadian method so I know I'm getting shout 1.5x as much radiation per session. But it is definitely a very short time the machine is actually zapping me.

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited August 2015

    I am not sure. I was never sure when it was zapping me or just making noise, etc. I will pay more attention tomorrow. It was moving and making noise more than I expected though, but I don't think it is zapping the whole time. I will pay attention tomorrow to how many times in the different positions before and with the bolus.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited August 2015

    I had a 30-second + 2 15-seconds, more or less.

    Kbeee, ain't no word more delightful than "moist" unless it's "desquamation."

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  • ErenTo
    ErenTo Member Posts: 343
    edited August 2015

    I think mine is a total of 80 seconds, but I'm getting extensive rads to whole breast and axilla: 2 to the breast and 2 to the shoulder area one coming from front and the other from back. I do it in breath hold position and they split them into 4 beams.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited August 2015

    Oh--alo, there may be brief zap noises every 5 days or so when X-rays are taken.

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  • CAMommy
    CAMommy Member Posts: 437
    edited August 2015

    11/20 done. And the dr check. Everything looks good. He said with my treatment (the Canadian method) the worst is yet to come, most likely after I am finished treatment and to not be surprised by it.

    Great.

    We are moving the day after my last treatment so the nurse told me to just email her pictures if it starts to look bad and they can tell me how to treat it.

    Okay. I'm not really into taking pictures of my boobs but if you say so. Lol.

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  • ErenTo
    ErenTo Member Posts: 343
    edited August 2015

    I'm 17/30 down, skin is still holding strong, a little red but no itching or dryness. Although I've been warned that the worst is yet to come: last week and the week after radiation.

    I see everyone is using aloe vera, but my centre is completely against it, they say it dries the skin too much. I used some in the beginning, but stopped from last week.

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