starting rads feb 2017

Hang in there BeachBabyK! ❤️❤️

Welcome Ruby3813! Sorry you find yourself here but looks like you are cruising along with treatment! There are multiple types of radiation treatment...do you know if you will be doing traditional external beam or brachytherapy?

I did brachytherapy which is 5 days of radiation and is done 2 x per day.

Hi Ruby3813,

Welcome and I am 4 sessions in and do them in thecearly morning at 9 am . I like it early and then you have your day to do everything else . I only work Fri -Sat and Sun so Friday I go in a 8 am . Then go right back to work . It works for me this way so far . I hope I do not experience any fatigue ir burns on the skin . I am to have 20 treatments .Good luck with yours

hi Annoyingboob,

i know right .. 4 sessions down . So far no ill effects and they gave me a cream called vanicream . Free of dyes fragrance, lanolin , parabens and formaldehydes . That is what is says on the tube! But as for now , I have no side effects . I hope to remain side effect free. I have a couple of aloe vera plants , maybe I will try that as well . Just so glad to have this group of friends here . Just could not imagine this ride without you all . Many thanks plus hugs and kisses

hi girls!

have done 8 out of 20 sessions. No real issues. I get pictures(no tattoos ) usually every day before treatment starts. I've timed the actual zapping....30 seconds 2x. Takes longer to get in position than the actual treatment. Never thought radiation would be easy. I still can't believe when I walk inot the cancer center I'm the one with cancer.

Best to my February girls

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!

I'm with the rest of you. I'm still thinking...'Wait, I have breast cancer? That can't be right. I don't feel like I have cancer. Are you sure??'.

And how many of us got the news over the phone? "The test results didn't come back as good as we'd hope for.". According to all the movies, I'm supposed to be in his office with dramatic music playing in the background when he drops the bomb. But breast cancer is almost as prevalent as the common cold nowadays and treatment is so superior to what it used to be, that we have so much of a better chance.

Fightingirl...I don't know what my form of treatment will be yet. Tomorrow I have the lymph node surgery to remove and test, then I'll get my appt to see a RO. Hope you're doing well.

Patti, Elem, and AB....thanks for your responses. I guess I'll have to wait and see where my RO is located in conjunction with my office and decide from there. I hate getting up really early if I don't have to.

I hope you all have a great day!

i know, right?! It's like he was calling to tell me I had a sinus infection! Don't get me wrong. I really like my Dr. I guess BC is just so commonplace nowadays.

I feel like I am crashing the January surgery group, with my surgery being on 2/7 - but rads is my next step so I getting good information here listening to all of you have gone before me. My appointment with the radiologist is this week on Friday and reading all the different versions that are administered I can't imagine what options or non options I will have offered. I am doing mine through the University of Pennsylvania so I know a lot of clinical trials are available but not sure I would be up to that sort of thing. Learning a lot so I hope you don't mind me being a week later in surgery and joining in. I know one version they offer is a 10 treatment but don't know if I qualify as of yet. My first post op is on Thursday, the day before the radiologist appointment. My only issue is numbness and pain under my arm but not overly severe but worrisome since it is hard to distinguish normal from more complicated. I wish they saw you a week later so you had a little confidence you are healing correctly.

annoyingboob and other ladies starting this month,

Fyi.....you can ask the techs to rearrange the way arm rests are positioned. I almost felt like I was on survivor during a challenge because keeping my arms overhead was so uncomfortable. I told tech and she said she can move them around to find a better position. I tried that and it works better but still not great.

Guess I was breathing heavy or fast one day. Tech asked to try to breathe softer.....easy to say since she's not about to receive radiation.

Hugs ladies!

Good morning ladies! Today is lymph node surgery for me, so if i could please get some prayers and positive thoughts, i sure would appreciate it. I think the dr is only going after one...two max.

The stress of all of this has really hit my blood pressure. I'm normally a very calm and collected person, but my bp skyrockets around drs and nurses. Its fine at home, but goes crazy once I get that bp cuff on in the drs office. In fact I had my first biopsy cancelled because of that. My PCP gave me a script for xanax and I've taken one of those, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for today.

AB, that's the exact brand of calendula cream in my Amazon cart.

Wishing you all a blessed day!

Hi Ladies, hapy Monday!!

I'm new to the group. I start rads tomorrow. I had lumpectomy in October, had a moderate Oncotype DX score which led to 4 rounds of chemo that ended a month ago (I cold capped so have 70% of my hair), and now onto radiation, first one tomorrow. I still need to read the tips but I'm mostly interested in the creams to prevent burns. So tired of experiencing the side effects that go along with every treatment. I'd like to minimize any w/ this treatment since I'm still having lingering stuff from chemo. Sounds like there may be lotions to prevent burns? I'd rather be proactive than reactive so any recommendations are helpful!

Carolina Girl - Hope the test comes back quickly. I was told I was not a candidate for Oncotype Test since my tumor was small and Chemotherapy was not being considered.

Hope all went well Ruby. And good luck to Pamela and Annoyingboob. One thing that makes me feel a bit better - I'd rather be doing rads in February/March instead of July/August. It will be the first day of Spring when I'm done. Perfect timing.

Yes, you can do it!

hi Pamela23,

Welcome. Wow your tumor was so small and because of your score u had to do chemo? I was never told I had a score ? I am doing rads . Have had 4 tx's

so far ,and have had no skin effects , but they say it comes later . I was given a cream called vanicream . I have not yet applied any . I hope it is good and not just a generic hospital giveaway. I was given this by the my RO . Do they also recommend hormone therapy for you as well ? Cheers to keeping 70% of your hair and congrats on completing your chemo 👍💪🏻

Patti--that's interesting that your dr said it was too small. You qualify to test if 1. it's stage I, II or III 2. ER+ 3. Her2- I only had calcifications and the lumpectomy reveled 3mm of cancerous tissue, so very small. My MO said to do radiation/hormone therapy but gave me the option. A score below 18 is desirable to avoid chemo, above 31 then definitely advised for chemo. Mine was 28 so I had 4 rounds. Size doesn;t matter, it was aggressive and caught early. Not to scare you, it's just knowledge is power and it's disappointing a dr makes assumptions. My MO and I were both surprised at the higher score for mine being so small. We were thinking it'd just confirm our course of action of just rads.

Elem--I will be doing tamoxifen after rads but chemo put me in a menopause that may be permanent since 80% of women over 45 get permanent menopause, I'm 47. Time will tell but I'll give it a year before I'd want to change meds. Not happy about being on something for 10 years! The Vanicream is the same brand I wash my face with. A friend gave it to me. I still to switch my other face toiletries to paraben free ones.