Fall 2015 Rads

hi wildflower

What is the canadian protocol? I live in canada so wondering if i am automatically on it?

My rads start in February. Thanks for the info!

Kim

I heard Christmas music on the way to rads today. One of our local stations changes to all Christmas music earlier and earlier every year. Inside the treatment room it's always relaxation music. It's so quick I don't mind.

The Canadian protocol typically gives a total of 40 or 42 grays whereas the more "traditional" 6 week course gives a total of 50 grays (neither includes boosts in those figures... Those are extra in both). The higher daily dose seems to allow the same overall results with less total grays, and thus less toxicity. It is usually used in early stage cancers. It of course varies from doctor to doctor and case by case

Ok, I feel like an idiot but what is moist desquamation? I don't think I have it.

thanks ladies

I already know what my rads look like, will have 16 treatments, that's it. As a result, hopefully dont burn too badly??Thanks for the clarification, i didnt realize the US amd Canada were so different.

Kim

Nightmareshope - I'm not tired at all, and my skin is holding up just fine. Remember, often when we post things, they are the bad things that we need help with, like burning or itching or whatever. There are good stories, too. I walk 4 miles a day, and this hasn't limited my life at all. You don't have your tumor characteristics posted in your signature, but it sounds like you might be stage 1 or 2 since you alluded to the fact that the cancer has not yet metastasized. I understand that you don't want radiation, but the stats assume that you are doing radiation if you have had a lumpectomy. I believe even the OncotestDX genetic test score assumes lumpectomy+radiation+ meds as standard treatment. So, make sure you talk to your doc about your specific tumor characteristics and stats. Then, decide if you would have any regrets either way. That helped me make my decision. Good luck.

My fatigue could very well be from the anastrozole or the rads. No idea and overall rads has been fine for me. I would take this over chemo for sure.

Allison, If you look way back, I posted week by week pictures, having of course, no idea of what was to come. I just figured it would give people an idea of what to expect at various weeks. I had no idea I would end up with moist desquamation completely covering my axilla, and some other places too. You'll see pictures if you look back. Basically, the skin turned red, then purplish black then disintegrated and seeped/oozed serous stuff from the open areas. Other areas just turned maroon and peeled (dry desquamation), and they hurt no more than a sunburn. If you have moist desquamation, you'll know it because it is the most painful thing I have ever experienced. Thankfully it healed in a little over a week. Most people do not progress to that, and I am hoping you don't...and hoping no one else does either. I had 2 grays per day over a huge field, and had the bolus used every day, so that kind of set me up for it. I am very glad now that they were so aggressive, but eeek! I did really well both times through chemo, so eventually the other shoe had to drop. It dropped and clobbered me hard during rads!!!!! But......life is back to "normal" now.

I am Vegas bound ladies! I am meeting several gals from my Sept 2013 chemo crew from here. This will be our second get together; we gathered there last fall too. I'm running the Rock and Roll half marathon. There is life after chemo and rads!

Enjoy Vegas! Love to the 2013 women!

That's what I got. But my RO was clueless. I went to the dermatologist. The trouble is, I am only supposed to use it 2 times a day. I get up, workout and then shower before rads so I can only put in on in the am and right after rads. So I am still itchy at night. But since I took today off, I put it on after I worked out and I will put it on again before bed so hopefully I will sleep better tonight. The last two nights we have had 50 mile an hour wind gusts and it is hard to sleep because it is so noisy.

10 down, 6 to go. No fatigue yet (except sorta tired today because I had to get up early to accompany DH for his followup lung CT scan--we'll know Mon. whether it's just a granuloma or if it's grown). Pains, sensitivity in the breast (feels like it did when I was pregnant or before my periods) but not on the skin. Skin is pinker, but intact---no irritation yet. My breast seroma is large, but I still fit into my 38J and some 38I bras--underwires are fine. But that seroma was there before the rads anyway. The rad onc room at Evanston Hospital plays “adult rock" (John Mayer, Clapton, Boz Scaggs, etc) via what is probably SiriusXM. I'd prefer the Little Steven's Underground Garage station, but the older patients might not appreciate that.

I will be 18 down today with 12 WBR and 3 boosts to go! The princess, it could be your position on the table. Mention it to your techs.

Theprincess yes I had shoulder pain. It was one of the few things that the RO said was from the Rads. Apparent Radiation therpy can tighten the muscle under the arm and the pectoral muscle. Quite uncomfortable. I did range of motion exercises reaching over my head, out to the side, and to the back stretching those muscles. I quickly felt relief from the pain. I am 3 weeks out from radiation and I still need to keep exercising and stretching them or the tighten right up.

Hoping for some advice...I'm pretty red now and the skin is irritated. So tonight I put on the Radiacare gel they'd given me and put on my cotton shirt...which got really stuck to me! I ended up peeling it off gently, but there's a thin white film on the inside of the dark colored shirt that I'm afraid may actually be my skin.

How can I treat my skin with the thick gel without getting stuck? :-(

Any tips or tricks would be much appreciated!

A bit freaked out,

--Sherri, aka EnigmaticFox

Last night I put Aquaphor on and then calendula cream. The combination (in that sequence) produced a thick white film that came off on the inside of my sleep bra. But my skin’s intact. What looks clear in the tube or jar can turn opaque as it reacts with air. I wouldn’t worry that it’s actual skin unless and until you’re noticing moist problems such as blistering and oozing when there’s nothing on your skin.