February 2018 Starting RADIATION

Blair2- I hope your results are negative for cancer and that you are feeling better soon!--Hugs your way!

Thankyou Rebekah, Merannda2060, Doofuscat, LillyDuff, and Dectoremember!

Tonight is my MRI (6:45 of all the crazy times), and I have again talked to my RO this morning. She told me that in most cases if the pet scan saw anything that suspected cancer, they (oncology dept.) will get a call within 24 hours from the radiology dept. and require a biopsy. That didn’t happen, so I’m more relaxed about this back issue. She said the same for MRIs, but MRIs aren’t used to detect cancer. So this sounds like they are wanting to get better images of my fracture and possible other damage to see how to treat it.

My results won’t be known until the 19th, but if it were a threat of cancer, again, they will call earlier. I see my regular oncologist on the19th, so this is why I learn on the 19th. Rebecca - at that time too, my oncologist will order a bone scan and start my hormone e therapy. I asked about the bone scan.

Well - as far as radiation I have 3 more treatments to go! Yeyyyyy! My breast is redder at the top due to having been exposed to sun. My doctor said that will clear up in time. The rash is called something complicated, but I forget what the nurse called it. I’m horrible with remembering medical terminology. So I think I’ll live through it. Radiation is nothing compared to the pain and hassles of chemo! It itches from time to time, but I try my best not to scratch it.

I hope everyone does well with their hormone pills. My mammogram is May 11th. I’ll be nervous getting results of that after this hellish journey.

Congratulations Dectoremember! Enjoy the huge relief and end to the hardest part of treatment!

My breast surgeon team scheduled my mammo way back in October. I had to push it up some because in October,they didn’t know whether or not that I would need chemo. The initial date was in my last two weeks of radiation, so I pushed it up to May. I wanted to heal a while before that was done.

Got home from the evening MRI. I had a contrasting type done which they injected more poison into my body. It took 45 mins. They redid the last 2 minutes because my muscle twitched. (I guess) It was so noisy that I didn't hear the music at all. I felt like I was in the middle of a sledge hammer, and aliens were playing an awful knocking, buzzing, clicking overture on a onetune synthesizer. If you are claustrophobic, the tight tunnel might make you panic, but I just shut my eyes. Now the long nerve wracking wait for results! They took images from my ears to the tail bone. Just three more radiation treatments- then a bone scan, hormone therapy and the mammo.

Hey All, I am just wondering how everyone is doing with Rads done? I am still fatigued, but not sure if it's still a part of the Rads or the Tamoxifen or a combination of both. Hope all are doing well.

Cheryl

I’m not tired from rads, but my chest is beet red. I’m putting the hydrocortisone cream on it which has helped with the itching. So far so good.

I did get my MRI results. No cancer, but my compression fracture is 70% crushed. Obviously from that fall I had due to the lorazepam I took last Dec. The other lit up areas were hemangiomas which are benign common tumors of the lower spine. It’s no wonder I have had so much pain. I see my oncologist tomorrow and will probably soon see a spine doctor. They wanted me to see a pain management doctor, but the one they are suggesting has horrible reviews, so I’m going elsewhere. I will soon be on hormone therapy pills, but they will have to order it through my mail order I have with my Medicare plan, so that will take a good week or longer to receive those pills. I’m not happy about it because these things make your bones weaker and I’m already falling apart! Will ask about taking bone pills with it I guess

In a catch 22 position - can’t exercise because of my back, can’t take pain pills because of my heart, and shouldn’t take anti estrogen pills because of my osteoporosis! Geese- it’s ridiculous trying to stay healthy!

sweetpea - good luck with letrozole - that’s also what I will be on - unless it causes more back pain (as I read it can be a side effect). That’s all I need.

Lillyduff - thanks - I don’t know what will happen with my back, but I hope whoever I see has a good way to treat it. It may just have to stay crushed as I don’t think they heal too easily.

Blair2: what happy news...no cancer. I hope you find a good pm doctor.

Blair2, I also was told that waiting a while before starting the hormone treatments was OK. I have been researching and thinking a lot about my feelings vis a vis the drugs). I will see my MO again in May, and that's when I am supposed to start taking them.

I was alarmed by how red my skin was after ending radiation, but it's now, after peeling, returning to close to normal (thankfully). I had my bone density test yesterday. I hate the thought of taking drugs that might thin my bones, but I guess even that is manageable. There was an article in the Cure magazine about SEs from AIs, and it scared me -- and yet the research on their efficacy in preventing recurrence is very persuasive.

There hasn't been a phase of diagnosis and treatment that hasn't scared me, and so far it's gone as well as can be expected. Maybe the drug protocol will be the same.

Blair2 - I've been thinking about you for days now. Just saw your post. So glad it's not cancer but sorry to hear you now have that to deal with. Hopefully, the pain management / spine dr. can help.

I'm two weeks post radiation tomorrow. I'm no longer blistered, the redness has turned to a tan. Still very tender and sore under my arm and side of breast. My RO said the lymph nodes are very inflamed. It'll be a few weeks before it settles down. I'm feeling MUCH better than I did. My energy has come back. Still get tired quickly but not complete exhaustion like I did.

Saw my MO last week and he's deciding on Tamoxifen (my mom had to take for 5 years) OR Anastrozole. I saw a 2nd opinion MO who said they needed to run hormone blood work to determine if I'm pre or post menopause. Apparently the drug you take makes a difference. My current MO doesn't seem to think it mattered until he saw my blood work. He is leaning towards Tamoxifen but is also waiting on other tests to determine if I have a blood clotting disorder which mean I could not take it. All these drugs are so confusing my head spins thinking about it. I also asked them WHO will schedule my mammograms in the future and he said my RO would.??? Really?? I don't see her anymore after May 15th for my follow up on my skin. And my RO said the MO is to schedule my mammograms. Unreal! I may go back to seeing my 2nd opinion MO instead. My family and I really liked her.

Hope everyone is doing well with their treatments, it's almost over! For those who are done I hope life is getting back to some normalcy.

Blair2 - Wow! I'm so sorry about your back procedure and brace. If it's not one thing it's another. Yikes. I assume when you say Tuesday is your back surgery you mean as in tomorrow 5/1. I hope all goes well and you aren't in too much pain afterwards. Best of luck and will be thinking about you.

As for my Tamoxifen, they still aren't sure if they want to put me on it. May run more extensive blood work to confirm if I have a blood clotting disorder or not. So we wait and see. I have my follow up with my RO on 5/16 (my 50th BD...lol) which I'm probably moving to another day. Family wants to have a big celebration that evening. I had no idea I'd be continually seeing my RO for some time even after treatment is done. I'll see her every 3 months (2x) then 6 months then a year. Here I thought after my 1 month follow up I was done going to that place. My second surgery will be some time in June. Can't wait to have it all behind me.

Hope everyone is doing well.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!

Just touching base and I hope everyone is doing well. Miranda2060, I am also pretty much healed up from radiation. I still have a seroma from surgery in January but the RO says this is normal. I am 1 month into Arimidex. So far not too bad. Some joint pain but manageable for now. I have stepped up exercise and am even doing finger exercises for my already arthritic hands. I did a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Was told to get my butt in gear and start the Arimidex. The doctor said I will likely only need 5 years possibly 7. I have a low Oncotype Dx also. I was really hoping for another option to the AI's but she didn't have any other recommendations. And believe me, I argued every which way about not taking them!

Hi everyone- I haven’t posted here in a long time.

I had my kyphoplasty May 1st on my back. I’m wearing a back brace for several weeks, so looking like a ninja turtle. I still experience pain if I stand too long or just do things. Nothing was really told to me about how long or how much pain I would have. I was prescribed pain pills for severe pain, but I have not needed to take them. I see the spine center next week for follow up. I just hope I don’t have a permanent pain in my back. The disc could not be cemented to its original size.

I had my mammo Friday and got scared when they needed to retake a few on my non cancerous side. However, all was clear. Whew!

My dexta is today and this Thursday I’ll find out which hormone therapy pills are best. She wanted to see my dexta results first, and with this bone fracture I had, to determine if I’ll need calcium supplements also. So that will be determined by end of week.

My radiated breast is still a little brown, but fading. No irritation. I put aloe Vera gel on it regularly. My breast is still very bruised, but it’s because I’m on blood thinners.

I may lean towards taking Arimedex with the supplement- will report later what isdecided.