Summer Rads 2016

HI Sarah Rae

Im in NC, where do you get your cbd oil from? Was it prescribed?

Well they are right that it gets worse after before it gets better. Still in a lot of pain, now purplish under my arm area which makes it difficult to do anything...even sleep. Under my boob is sore too. I was supposed to go to a wedding tonight and there is just no way. Canthave anything near it. Can only hope it starts to get better soon. Had a 3 hour nap today since I don't sleep well at night and am so tired. I think a lot of the problem sleeping is that the cream dries up over that amount of time and makes it sore like a wicked carpet burn. I am so glad that I seldom hear of others going through this! Chemo was easy compared to this!

Karen I am so sorry you are going through this- I think I am following the same path - and I don't start boosts until Monday. 6 total. Confused as to the under boob area- fully opened, one rt tells me to let it air out, another says to keep it covered and keep the cream on it...so I keep wiping it off to dry and have been taking patches of skin with it...just me and a fan now....almost there...then worse, but then, better!

karen and jenniferjo, and others with open skin, i've joined you. And the cream makes it better but then it all gets hard and what is already peeling comes off.

Carlsoda, aquaphor only worked as long as i didn't have open skin or peeling, now it makes it worse and takes my skin off with it. My rt's told me from the beginning that aquaphor and eucerin and aloe would only work so long. Silly me, thought at least until last week that I had missed the peeling and sore bullit. But I didn't.

My RO, gave me the cream and it really helps, but as he said nothing really 'cures' it but air and time. All my RT's are on the same page with keep the cream on it as much as i can.

I've combed through threads from a few years back up to now, and most get pretty uncomfortable if doing 30 or more rads. But everyone says the same thing, soon it's forgotten.

Thanks everyone. The cream we use here is Glaxol based cream. They are pretty sticky about what they want us to use although I don't think anything else would make a difference. I try to keep my arm out on a pillow at the side of me or over my head to let it get air. It hurts too much to have it touch my side anyways! My under boob area is feeling better but peeled too. It's mostly my side area now where the boosts were. I am thankful my nipple didn't get it! It felt very odd for a while but wasn't In the path of the boosts thankfully!

I,did 21 total, 6 were boosts. I believe it is the same amount of radiation as people who do more, just done in a shorter time period

The area under my arm opened up big time on Friday. Ugh! Went shopping on Saturday and walked around with my hand on my hip like I was a model on a runway... Lol!

At night I've been sleeping with a pillow under my arm and that helps. Also wrapped an ice pack in husbands soft tshirts and use that occasionally. I wrap it quite a bit so it's not too cold, just cool. Ordered Miaderm, hopefully that will arrive on Monday. Trying aquafor. Feels good, but very sticky. On 23/36, but only 5 more on the nodes before moving on to 8 boosts. Fingers crossed that no more areas open up.

Good luck ladies! Enjoy the weekend

When I had BC 24 years ago, my 20 rads was based on size of tumor and stage. Then they didn't really stage you until after surgery, there was not a like of chemo before surgery. I went to university of chicago, that had an entire building and section devoted to clinical trials and bc treatment. Back then I was a stage 1A, with no node involvement.

This time, due to my stage it was the kitchen sink, though they reduced them due to my clear margins

Just my experience

Did you try the miaderm with lidocaine? In what way did it stop working

Hello all!

My mother had a modified radical mastectomy and an axillary node dissection. 4 nodes had macro-metastises and 2 had micro-metastises (stage3a)(er and pr postitive/her2 negative). Thankfully she is recovering well. She has an appointment with the radiation oncologist next. The surgical oncologist told us that we would find out what treatment she would need in her next appointment. I'm just really wondering what her tretament plan will be. Usually do women get radiation before chemo? Do some women not have chemo and just have radiation and hormonal therapy? Im confused. Thanks and God bless!

Just to weigh in on the miaderm, it was wonderful in the beginning but once my skin got raw, it did not work for me, i had both with and w/o lidocaine. Same with aquaphor, aloe etc. My RO had told me that they will get you to a certain point, and after that, for me, only the silverdine mixture is working. My daughter is a pharmacist and they mix it, it has a numbing agent and anti itch agent along with the silverdine.

The minute I put it on the burning stops.

Oh Elaine! I'm sorry you had to find out the hard way that you are allergic to sulfa. Make sure you tell all of your medical providers from now on.

Ejmann, so good you are getting a break. Hope the skin feels better by Thursday!

I am down to 2 left (yay!) and I picked up my tamoxifen today. I won't be starting until August 10th, but it is in the house now. Very odd, when I picked it up from Walgreens there was no charge. Most generic prescriptions cost around $20 with my health insurance, so I am not sure why this had no copay. My husband thought maybe something to do with women's health? Either way I was pleased....I have already spend a lot with everything else it's nice to have any deal!

Just wanted to weigh in... I have rad #10 (of 20, inc. 4 boosters) today... so far it's going well. I have a little swelling/redness but it's not super painful. Using samples of "My Girls" cream and Aloe Vera. Going braless helps. I'm somewhat fair-skinned so I'm thankful I haven't burned.

One poignant observation -- my heart is touched by some of the people in the waiting room. Some, like some of you here, have been through so much. The man who has the slot before me is 80; the one after me is 14. Gentle hugs to all.

Well my open armpit skin has crusted over a bit (lovely wording I know..., but accurate.) It is still sensitive, but I think the weekend helped. I have 3 more regular appts then on to 8 boosts (and away from my armpit! I've got Miaderm waiting at home for me today (thanks Amazon!)

So, I decided yesterday that I am going to do chemo after the radiation. I had a 2nd opinion and just talking through it again, she confirmed that the reasons I was leaning towards it are valid Cancer twice already, oncotype score 22, and that I am 45 are the biggest reasons. So, I will be continuing on to TC at the beginning of September. I feel good with my decision.

So hopefully I am just firing at a blank wall, right? Not that I want to do this for nothing, but the best scenario is that no cancer cells have escaped into my body. But if not, I feel like I am doing the right thing to try to get any that may have escaped before they have a chance to set up shop anywhere.

ej, I hope you are feeling better. When do you start back?

LMF, good luck as you progress. My skin did not break until day 23, so keeping fingers crossed for you!

Hello all, just weighing in. My skin has really broken down, blisters, everywhere and dead skin just falling off. The only thing that stops the burning feeling for me is the sivadine mixture cream that was prescribed. We are all so different. Aquaphor got me to a certain point but now all it does is pull off the dead skin ouch. I have 2 boost left. My neck and underarm are the worst. ugh.

I really didnt prepare for this, they said if it had happened earlier I would have had to take a skin break. So at least i'll be done

Hugs and waves to all.