Spring 2016 Rads

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  • Paxton29
    Paxton29 Member Posts: 221
    edited May 2016

    Thanks for the video--most helpful now that I have about half my brows and lashes. Agreed that Primer Potion is a miracle product and the only one that I just could not find a good substitute for. I'm using Bobbi Brown automatic eye pencil and it works pretty well. I'm still using mascara.

    So--I'm officially 1/3 of the way through radiation. Which still means 24 treatments, sigh. No problems yet.


  • New-girl
    New-girl Member Posts: 358
    edited May 2016

    Today was 3/33 so I guess I am on my way.  Hoping to keep up with my exercise too.  First few time the schedule has been all over but starting tomorrow I will go at the same time everyday hopefully helping me get into a routine.  Drive is the killer but I am trying to make the best of it and stop into places either on the way or way back I normally do not get to visit. 

  • Grazy
    Grazy Member Posts: 373
    edited May 2016

    Good morning, I'm chiming in on the bra thing. I've been wearing a Jockey bra (structured, but with no wires) and it's been very comfortable since my lumpectomy - it doesn't - it can't - rub against my breast. The only thing that bothered me this last while is the pink underneath my breast, the band pressing into the area hurts if I wear it all day long - kind of like if you have sunburned shoulders and you wear small straps that dig in? That sort of 'hurt'. What would have been better is a bra of some sort that has a wide band that sits well below the under-breast area, more across the top of the rib cage. I wear the bra only when I'm out and it's absolutely necessary (otherwise, I wear scarves to cover my chest or a little jacket) and I wear just a soft cami at home with no "shelf bra" because it, too has an elastic band that digs in. Au naturel. I get that is an issue for large breasted women, so maybe putting something between the band and your skin to buffer the area would go - maybe a strip of soft polar fleece? I've heard women also put those band extensions on their bras so that the bra has a looser fit.

    As far as exercise goes, I've been doing a lot of physical work the last two weeks (the entire time I've been doing rads) - digging/edging gardens, carrying around large bags of soil, lunging back and forth planting flowers - in other words "exercising" pretty vigorously for hours a day because I have extensive gardens and I'm a bit of a gardening maniac this time of year. I just started getting tired out by this past Saturday night after doing my mom's property too with my siblings, and I think I would havecrashed anyway with the pace I was going. In other words, keep exercising, for sure! I also walk regularly and when I park at the hospital for my treatments, I park on the top level of the garage and run down the stairs to the cancer center, and then back - I squeeze in exercise wherever I can. Our center partners with the university which provides a free exercise program (3 months) run by their kinesiology dept to any person currently in cancer treatment because exercise helps so much to combat fatigue while doing rads, not to mention the long-term benefits of helping to prevent cancer. I am supposed to be calling them to set up an appointment, but I've been procrastinating on that because I loathe going to a gym!!! Whenever I mention participating in that program my husband says, "I can't believe it's taking cancer to get you into an actual gym!". ha!

    I conked out Saturday night, but I feel fine again now after taking yesterday off to lay around and rest. Back to my 'up at 5:30 a.m. and raring to go' today!

    Have a radiant day - I'm heading into week #3 of 4 today - #RadiateTHIS :))

  • abigail48
    abigail48 Member Posts: 1,699
    edited May 2016

    I'd not worn a bra for 52 years since I was 24 until I got this beast, now I wear a walmart bra twice a week or when I need to go out. it has a wide band below and is soft throughout, but I dont think hhou can get a large size??

  • kbutler
    kbutler Member Posts: 66
    edited May 2016

    absolutely beautiful picture Loves !! Thanks for the video also! Thankfully I didn't loose mine to chemo but just getting older they have gotten sparse and having light hair doesn't help

  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited May 2016

    Jill! What a great video!! Can you just remind me what brand the eyebrow pallette was? For *years* I've had people telling me I need to do something about my eyebrows.

    And I'm early too and figure bra-wise I'll go with what's comfortable until it isn't any more. I told y'all I bought one of these comfort sling things--I tried it out over the weekend just to sort of get used to it but haven't actually seen any skin irritation yet.

    Re: exercise--I cut back on some of the more intense stuff back when I had my first surgery. I'm down to doing only yoga three days a week. Don't think I'll add back in any of the other stuff til I'm finished with rads but might look for another yoga class. As you know, you can do as much or as little as you want in any class so I think it works well for anyone who might not be feeling 100%.

    And finally for Jill--I swear I thought from your profile pic that you were in your 20s. You look fabulous.

  • LovesToFly
    LovesToFly Member Posts: 1,133
    edited May 2016

    Aw thank you. I did not buy the sling but I looked at it, and ended up buying this little pillow that goes under my breast to keep skin to skin away. Hopefully that will help!

    The palette is BH cosmetics (on Amazon)

  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited May 2016

    Thanks Jill!! (Running off to Amazon as I type. . .)

  • JuniperCat
    JuniperCat Member Posts: 658
    edited May 2016

    Grazy, when I was undergoing rads and afterwards for a while, to prevent chafing from my bra (I also wore a cotton sports bra...still do), I turned the bra inside out andwore it like that..any stitching or raised fabric in that area didn't touch my skin.

  • iammags
    iammags Member Posts: 216
    edited May 2016

    Jill, my RO told me that anything that I felt like doing was ok, including weight lifting. I had a lot of fatigue, though, and so I've fallen off the exercise habit a bit. Good luck keeping up with it!



  • Sheri64
    Sheri64 Member Posts: 113
    edited May 2016

    I start boosters next week are they any easier.  I am just starting to get dark brown and peeling this week under my breast.  Will the boosters still hit this area?  I am so ready for this to be done. I am so tried by the end of my work day I can't stay awake past 9:00.

  • Grazy
    Grazy Member Posts: 373
    edited May 2016

    Hi Sheri - I'm also doing my boosts next week (5) - they won't be whole breast, they'll be directed just at the tumor bed.

  • Grazy
    Grazy Member Posts: 373
    edited May 2016

    JuniperCat - turning your bra inside out to avoid seams hitting the sensitive areas is very smart! Thanks for the tip :)

  • DisneyGirl16
    DisneyGirl16 Member Posts: 121
    edited May 2016

    Hi, all!

    I had my last radiation treatment today!!! (28 whole breast + 8 boosts). Although I am glad to be done with this chapter of treatment, I will really miss my rads team. Everyone is so nice and caring. My breast got quite red towards the end of my whole breast treatments, but has already started fading. I do have some peeling but no pain to speak of. I have worn regular cotton bras (no underwire) when I am not exercising and wore a sports bra when I was exercising. On a couple of days, when I felt my under boob area was more irritated, I wore a men's undershirt between my skin and my bra and it did seem to help and was comfortable. Of course, that was before the weather got really warm. Fatigue hasn't been too bad. Most days when I get home from work, I take a quick nap, then find myself ready to go to bed by 10pm or so, but I get up at 5:30am to get ready for work.

    Congrats to all that have finished! And to everyone else still going through rads, best of luck, you'll get through this and it will probably go by quicker than what you think. I thought it would seem to take forever but my 7 1/2 weeks went by pretty fast. Still can't believe I don't have to go there tomorrow.

  • Grazy
    Grazy Member Posts: 373
    edited May 2016

    Congratulations, DisneyGirl!!!

  • Katzpjays
    Katzpjays Member Posts: 237
    edited May 2016

    Congrats,DisneyGirl!

  • LovesToFly
    LovesToFly Member Posts: 1,133
    edited May 2016

    congrats Disneygirl.

    I had my first today. Pretty uneventful.

  • Sheri64
    Sheri64 Member Posts: 113
    edited May 2016

    Congratulations, DisneyGirl!!!   I have 11 more to go and am counting down the days. 3 whole breast and 8 boosts.

  • Grazy
    Grazy Member Posts: 373
    edited May 2016

    Jill, bit of a let down? I called it "underwhelming" - not sure what I expected!!

  • Wenrisa
    Wenrisa Member Posts: 94
    edited May 2016

    congrats disneygirl16!

    I had my last treatment today too! Thankfully I barely had a reaction at all. RO said it could still get a little worse before it gets better but I think I lucked out. I had 24 whole breast and 6 boosts.

    Good luck to those still going through treatments!

  • Grazy
    Grazy Member Posts: 373
    edited May 2016

    Bravo, Wenrisa! Such a nice feeling to be all finished, I bet :)

  • PlanB58
    PlanB58 Member Posts: 157
    edited May 2016

    Congratulations Disneygirl and Wenrisa!

    Today I did my weekly volunteer work in a 2nd grade class. One of my tasks today was to read a chapter in Charlottes's Webb and discuss teacher selected vocabulary. Today's vocabulary was...RADIANT!! Too funny!

    12 down!

    Have a great night everyone

  • Grazy
    Grazy Member Posts: 373
    edited May 2016

    PlanB58 -- I wish there was a "like" feature on here -- Radiant!

  • iammags
    iammags Member Posts: 216
    edited May 2016

    Wenrisa and disneygirl- congrats! Feels great, doesn't it?

    Jill- I thought my first rads appt was a bit underwhelming, too.

    PlanB- that's hysterical! hahaaaaa

    As for me, the blisters seemed to be going away but today I noticed a couple more. Plus, I'm getting "shooting" pains in my breast. Nice. I meet with my BS on the 1st and I'll see what she has to say. Anyone else with new symptoms days after ending rads?

  • Deaconlady
    Deaconlady Member Posts: 158
    edited May 2016

    Congrats Disneygirl! I finished 12 today. So far my breast just looks tanned. Next week is my 3 week Herceptin, so I need to try and fit in an early rads around that appt. Little more fatigue than usual but I try and fit in a power nap after work.

  • Lovinggrouches
    Lovinggrouches Member Posts: 530
    edited May 2016

    Congrats to all of those finished with rads!!!!!! Yay!!!!!

    Mags, I'm 12 days post rads and I was having some shooting pains also that I haven't had since after the two breast surgeries and what feels like a tendon swollen or sticking out in armpit on side of the surgeries that don't feel the same under the other arm. It sounds weird don't it? I'm thinking I'm just paranoid lol!

  • Katzpjays
    Katzpjays Member Posts: 237
    edited May 2016

    Congrats, Wenrisa!

  • CCLYYZ
    CCLYYZ Member Posts: 12
    edited May 2016

    Posting on behalf of my mum - she has finished her chemo, started her antiestrogen and started rads last week. 16 rads treatments and 5 boosts.

    Here's the trouble...in the beginning, it was "just a lumpectomy and hormone pills", then it became "chemo and a short course of rads and pills" and now it's "chemo, 16 rads and 5 boosts and pills". She feels like every time we go in, the treatment is more and more extensive and it's hard not to feel like they know something she doesn't know. We're at the best cancer centre there is, she's an RN, and we've done a ton of research, but wow we feel helpless. It's frustrating and disheartening.

    Apparently the boosts are because she had a breast reduction in 2007. Is anyone else in this position? We're trying to figure out if we should do the boosts or not. The radiation oncologist said it's optional but he felt worth it. It was sprung on us last minute with very little explanation of what it is and why it's happening. Now we know that it's for the whole breast rather than the lumpectomy site and it's targeting the extensive scar tissue.

    Trying to feel hopeful about a light at the end of the tunnel here.

  • CCLYYZ
    CCLYYZ Member Posts: 12
    edited May 2016

    As an additional aside, we're using Glaxal Base as the cream - we were told it works wonders. Is anyone else using this? It's heavenly!

  • Lovinggrouches
    Lovinggrouches Member Posts: 530
    edited May 2016

    CC, I always say to do everything you have to in order to KICK CANCERS ASS!!!! HUGS!

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