Spring 2016 Rads

Hello all! I'm 4 days post rads and not feeling great. My RO told me that my skin would continue to react for a week or two post rads, so I'm not surprised, but I'm not happy. My breast is still very red. I'm peeling like mad! It's so bad I don't even want to put on lotion. All the dead skin ends up coming off in my hands. I know, gross! I'm scared putting on lotion may make it worse. My underarm is peeling as well. It is a combination of red and purple. Very sore as well. My last day was Monday and my techs said they didn't think I looked that bad. In fact, although red, they thought my skin held up fairly well. I saw my PS on Wednesday and he didn't seem concerned either. He said it looked as he would expect it to look. I guess I'll just wait it out? Did anyone continue to use lotions and creams while peeling?

LTF - I'm so happy to hear you are doing better! I'll be joining you with Tamoxifen soon!

cbowle - I love the picture! I'm so glad you were able to enjoy your break from rads. How many more?

tbalding - How is your skin holding up?

It's great to hear how everyone is finishing up and healing!

truffles -- I continued to put lotion on. I used a hand towel first to gently wipe of as much dead skin as possible. I had dead skin every where..the shower, bed, bathroom floor, etc. I was done with the major peeling in about a week.

I just started rads, I've completed 6/28 on my left breast and axilla. Has anyone here had radiation in the left breast and did not do the deep inspiration breath hold? From what I read this is pretty common, and yet when I asked my RO he said that my heart isn't affected. I saw the imaging and indeed my heart isn't close, but there has to be residual radiation occurring. I just find it unsettling that I'm not holding my breath. Posting on the summer rads board too...

fighter girl, I am also a lefty with no breath/hold. I googled it because I didn't trust my RO and only about 30% of lefties qualify for it. My tumor was not anywhere close to my chest wall and I saw the treatment plan and nothing near my heart so I need to trust the expert! As you do too

8 treatments left and I have never been so tired in my life....except when I had newborn babies eating every 2 hours

good luck everyone, as bad as my skin was, it's now perfect!

I was told to continue to use lotion everywhere except where the skin was open, on those spots I alternated Polysporin and the silver lotion that was prescribed to me (I kept the silver lotion at home, and Polysporin to use when I was out).

I also switched from Glaxol base to Aquaphor, and then Calendula. My skin really started to heal with the calendar, but I don't know if that was just a coincidence because it was time.

Re: breath hold, I did it but my tumor was huge.

Re: fatigue--I did notice that I was still pretty tired/sleeping more than usual for about a month post-tx. I'm really back to feeling pretty normal except for the big hard sore area in my left hooter.

And speaking of that, I had my follow-up with my RO on Friday. Everything looking good, although nipple is still swollen, and there is the big hard area. She told me to give it a few more weeks of healing and then massage the tumor bed once a day to try to break up the hard stuff. This is exactly what I was told after hand surgery--to rub the area pretty firmly to try to break up that tissue. She also said to do it lying down so I can use the ribs to push against. We talked about general health and prevention--diet and exercise and what-not. I think I'll make an appointment for a regular old check-up in the next few weeks.

Other than that, they had already scheduled me for a mammo in February. I'll see my BS after that, but won't go back to my RO for a year. Weird to be on the maintenance schedule going forward after the billion appointments through the spring.

Congrats Cathy! You are done! I have 6 left but I think I understand what you are feeling. I was explaining to my husband last night how these daily appts have felt like a safety net and I have felt emotionally secure going to a medical appt daily. Once its over then I move from daily care to watching for reoccurance. It is going to feel odd and scary. But I decide last night that it will all be ok. I love my MO and totally trust her and I can move from being a cancer patient to a cancer survivor! I have her watching my back

Congratulations on finishing, Cathy! I teared up briefly on the table during my final boost - but I clicked my heels together once I got outside! haha Carlsoda is right, there's a feeling of security when you're in active treatment - when you're in radiation you know something is being done. I remember saying to myself (to the machine, actually) during my final whole breast treatment as the machine swung overhead for the last time, "You'd better have done your job.". As Ingerp said, you'll move on pretty quickly from the routine of going to rads to your new normal and you'll be glad that part of your treatment over. Mine finished 7 weeks ago and it already seems like a distant memory. It's amazing how you just forget about it and get on with life.

Grazy, you almost made me tear up tomorrow is my last whole breast so last time it will swing around for me! Definitely time to move on

congrats Cathy. Finishing it certainly is very emotional.

I am almost three weeks post RADs. I grew to hate RADs as much as I hated cancer. I had a terrible time. It started after the third treatment, my breast was swollen, red, and tender. My RO thought that I had a an infection from surgery. I explained to her that these symptoms did not start until I started radiation. After a couple of weeks, my nipple peeled. My RO put a block on my nipple after that, thank goodness. If not, I swear it would have burned completely off. Then about four weeks into it, the area under my breast started to breakdown. I had to start Domeboro soaks 3x/day then use Silvadene cream. It was so painful. I started taking Tramadol while working just to get through the day. I even started taking something for sleep. It got to a point that I couldn't even raise my arm above my shoulder because the skin was so tight. Then, the area under my arm opened so I started the soaks and Silvadene there as well. Then it was time for the boost. A couple days after I finished the boost, that area opened. So, I started Domeboro soaks there and the Silvadene cream. On the fourteenth day post RADs, my skin was finally closed. I was so relieved! Now, I could finally soak in a tub! I am off the pain and sleeping meds now. The swelling has gone down and it is no longer that tender. My skin now looks darker than normal. The boost area still has some pinkness to it. It has been a journey that I hated. I just hope and pray that the Radiation did it's job. Now, I get to start the Tamoxifen. #cancersucks

Cathytoo- Congrats....I am three days away from finishing rads. Had that emotional feeling post chemo so hope that was it:))

Turffles, the staff gave me some soft gauze pads to put on my skin. I do the domeboro soak and then the silvedane (sp?). Then the pads to keep skin-on-skin contact from happening. I also sometimes use an old t-shirt I cut into strips. I find the t-shirt more comfortable.

The skin under my arm broke today so they were talking about taking a break. I really don't want to because I have two daughters I home-school and I need this to be over. So they are going to ask if we can do the boosters to get away from my underarm and then go back to the whole breast and finish that way. That might be good to have a week break from the armpit being radiated since that is the most painful for me.

Today was number 20 of 34. The last 8 are boosters because my chest is so large.

ejmann44 - Thank you for the suggestions! I hope they are able to rearrange your treatments to help you stay on schedule, yet give your poor underarm a quick break. I hope you find some relief soon!Hang in there!

ejmann, hope they can rearrange it so you get some relief but still finish on time.

dfwflygirl, yay, you're almost there!