Winter 2015-16 RADS

Thank you Molly, I'm going to order the Earths Best Baby Calendula. I'm so glad you're doing so well. Are you putting the Aloe on before radiation?

hi. I am scheduled for my simulation on Monday and meeting with the nurse and then will get my schedule from there. I plan to work through. Any advice on doing the rads before or after work each day. I thought it would make sense to get it done in the morning but saw a couple folks on the fall board saying at the end of the day is better so you can go straight home. Thoughts

may I join? I am due to start early-mid February.

I am also planning to work through rads and also wondering what is better, before or after work.

My protocol will be 16 treatments.

Thanks!

Kim

I was wondering about the timing of appointments as well. I've worked full time through this whole thing and plan to continue that. I don't know the earliest and latest appointments they have but I think the latest of the day would work best for my schedule.

justmaximom: I was asked what time frame worked best for me and they tried to work around it. If you don't get a time you like there are always people finishing and you can request their time.

mfsanders, there's a mom & pop drug store by my radiation office that sells it but I also found it on walgreens.com. It says that it's not available in stores so I just ordered it online. I was too lazy to drive to the drugstore to get it It was about $14 for 4oz at walgreens. It's also on Amazon for about $9 for 4oz

Sign me up, Mary! I should finish chemo at the end of December. Tentative plan is sixweeks of rads starting the beginning of February.

I've avoided any sheep products since I learned many years ago that the land where sheep has been raised is now forever contaminated with alzheimer producing prions. no lamb, very little wool, definitely no lanolin

My doctorssaid they'll want to start radiation 2-6 weeks after chemo. For my particular diagnosis, the radiation improves my 5 year survival rate by 10% and reduces recurrence chances by 30-40%. These figures made me feel much better about the hour long drive to get there.

Sloan - congrats on almost being DONE with rads! And thanks for the good tips!

I had no idea what the boosts really were. Lol! They sound scarier than they are I guess!

Another fall-rads sister checking in here--I finished two days ago. (felt really weird to be able to shower and “lube" my breast any time I wanted and not have to make the daily drive up to north Evanston). Here are my observations"

1. Don't expect you will get all the side effects, nor that you will get any of them intensely. I am very fair-skinned and turned barely pink-tan. No actual irritation either. Got nausea only once--the day after--and only because I was busy and I'd forgotten to eat! And though I don't feel like walking a mile or two, I didn't get the dreaded fatigue either. (I had only 16 partial-breast treatments, but they were twice as strong). But I did make sure to get 8 hrs. of sleep a night, and to power-nap on those few days I couldn't.

2. Per queenmomcat, don't stock up on all the things people have mentioned helped them. I spent an arm & a leg on support camisoles, button-front shirts & PJs, various creams, cooling towel, non-metallic deodorant, lidocaine gel and cornstarch--which I didn't use. In fact, half the non-wired bras I bought went back into storage, either because they were scratchy or gave no support. And ask whether your armpit will be within the radiation field--turns out mine wasn't, so I used my regular antiperspirant throughout. I was able to wear my regular underwire bras throughout--but the wires didn't touch either incision. I was prepared to give them up at the first sign of irritation. And if you do get irritation, watch out for stitching, lace, and stiff coarse fabrics lining the inside of your bra cups if you need to wear a bra. I didn't have to worry about skin-on-skin contact, as my underbust was not irradiated. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere without even a Walmart or Target, you will have plenty of chances to buy stuff you need when and as you'll need it. Save money and storage space!

3. Pick a time (if you can) that best fits how you normally structure your day. I'm retired from the 9-5 grind and am an unabashed night owl. So I picked 3:15 pm--not so late I'd get stuck in rush hour, but late enough that I could get up when I wanted, shower and dress with time to kick back and have coffee & a snack first.

4. You might not have to get tattooed: I got Sharpie marks covered with long-lasting clear tape, that stayed on for three weeks of daily showers and came off painlessly & completely once I was done.

5. Don't assume your radiated breast will shrivel up. Mine swelled because of the tumor-cavity seroma. But if you have a SNB seroma, be prepared for it, too, to swell. Mine did at first but began shrinking again the last few days of treatment. If you feel like you're wearing a shoulder holster, a small pillow between arm & breast can help. And because your breast (and perhaps nipple) will feel somewhat sensitive, place a cushion or pad between you and your car's shoulder belt....and redirect your pets away from that breast.

6. Nonetheless, it's a good idea to prophylactically moisturize & lube your breast starting right after your first session. (I used Aquaphor after each session because they gave me a few tubes that fit in my purse, and at night and on weekends I found that pure aloe gel or calendula cream--I alternated--worked well. An aloe cream I had bought turned out to have a fragrance that was too perfumey and I stopped using it after the first day). Also, no matter what you shower with on the rest of your body (e.g., I use L'Occitaine citrus verbena shower gel on a nylon scrubby puff), use only a mild soap without fragrance or deodorants. I used Basis white unscented bar soap and a soft micro-velour wash mitt on my irradiated breast. I patted dry with one of those soft microfiber hair towels that houseware & linens stores sell, rather than the regular coarser terry towel I used on the rest of my body.

7. When in doubt, ask your RO, nurses and therapists what they prefer you do and do not do--even if you get printed handouts as I did. Not everything in there may apply to you. Be especially clear about whether your breast must be completely clean and free of any creams, ointments or gels when you walk into the treatment room. Despite others here saying they applied “protection" before each treatment, I was told to leave at least 4 hours between such application and treatment--and it was suggested I shower before each treatment. So I did.

8. If you haven't already started a notebook documenting your journey (with sections for each aspect of diagnosis and treatment), start a radiation diary--list each treatment, any symptoms, and what you did about it.

ChiSandy....Thank you SO much for your observations! Very, very helpful!!!

Mary, ID or frat? Are you and your twin close? Love being at twin mommy, but it is work!!! I almost laughed when I was diagnosed. I have 3 under 3, a husband who works 60+ hours per week and a job where I work on call...and you want me to find time for a year of cancer treatment?!? I can't find the time to read a magazine, lol.