Starting Radiation May 2018

Had my final simulation and adjustment done today. Took about 40 minutes as they will add a metal mesh material to the rads every other day.

They said it will make the skin more red but they need to radiate "closer to the skin"

I go live tomorrow with the first of thirty treatments. So glad to get started.

Star2017 - so sorry that you had to go through that!

I just got my marks yesterday and don’t start until June 4. I had no idea how hard it would be to remember I have these. I keep thinking something is scratching me and I need to get rid of it, lol!

Dear Ladies of May

Tomorrow is my last treatment of 16 total. I am a bit pink and have lots of little red spots on my breast, but they don't itch or hurt. Apparently they are irritated hair follicles and they will heal.

I used a water based cream (Aveeno) as per their recommendation and it worked for me so far. Around the house, I wear my husband's cotton t-shirt and no bra. I have a cortisone cream if I develop problems in the next couple of weeks.

Overall, I got through better than I expected. I can't say I felt fatigue, although I do like my short afternoon nap. I was able to exercise every day, either a brisk walk or 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I know this isn't possible for everyone especially if you are recovering from chemo. But I feel exercise clears out bad things and stimulates healing of the good cells. It is also a great emotional tonic.

The most scary part for me was the breath hold, afraid that I would sneeze or run out of air. But when I read that the Guiness record for holding your breath is 24 minutes (!!), I realized I can do this.

I made cookies for the techs and I hope I don't dissolve in tears tomorrow. They have been so kind (as well as precise) and their friendly welcome meant a lot to me.

I wish each of you good luck and the very best results! 👍♥️ 🌸

I had my treatment #22 today and just slight pinkness!!! I’m a redhead and was really nervous about burning....so far so good! Three more treatments and i’m DONE!!! Thank you Jesus

day 12!! Pink, hot and extra tan nipples!! 4 more then we end with 6 additional boosts .. fatigue has set in!! Ready for this to be over!!!

Hi Star,

I’m a day behind reading these posts.

I’ve been told the same thing about shaving that underarm. Fortunately I had read about not shaving in an earlier post, so I shaved just before my treatment started. So far it doesn’t appear that the underarm hair is growing that fast. Nothing red or irritated

Same admonition to me re deodorant. I do use Tom’s, but it doesn’t feel as “dry” me as I am used to with other deodorant (which were probably antiperspirants), but I also read to try a light pat of cornstarch afterward. Will save that for upcoming hot days.

Until it’s really time for sleeveless tops, just hope it doesn’t become an issue. (Although for Madonna and other celebrities, an unshaven armpit is “in” - ha)

Hang in there.

Star,

In case no one has shared with you yet, your location will just add the missed Memorial Day (and any others) to the end of your schedule. I assume it’s because one is calculated to get a certain amount of radiation, so they don’t cut it short even if things appear fine.

You’re doing well-it will fly by. I’m going to finish about a week earlier-have to look at my calendar to be sure of the exact date. I usually draw through the past week on my paper calendar every Friday (YEA

Hello All. I'm not exactly sure how I found this forum but from what I've been reading it's an informative one. Learning lots.

A bit about me... while being diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease in January my GP decided it was the perfect time to catch up on all the tests I had let lag for 3.5 years. The mammogram started it all. Having had a dual biopsy 10 years ago ( the painful one) and all was fine I wasn't worried about the one they now wanted to do (the much less painful one). Positive.... You know how it goes from there. Things moved fast...Surgery in March and Radiation began four days ago. (Had to wait 6 weeks to start the radiation so took a preplanned cruise in between. Great place to get over the shock.)

I met with the HO last week and the RO on the same day. Two days later we did the CT scan which determined the angles//azimuths they would shoot. Being deep, next to the chest wall, they are also radiating a bit of left lung and a few ribs. I was to begin the 20 sessions (15 full breast, 5 tumor directed boosts) this past Monday but the machine broke - we began this past Tuesday so today was my 4th session.

Day one surprised me with having to take X-rays preceeding the session. Day two included having to see the RO. Both events will happen weekly. Adds a little more time to the sessions. Day 3 was quite fast and easy. Today took them quite a bit longer to get me aligned with my tiny jailhouse tattoos. No idea why. End result.. this week is over.

All has been easy, quick and efficient. I have read the April postings and all those in this forum. The most surprising thing for me so far is the discussion regarding the lotions. No one in my wonderful team of doctors has mentioned a word about lotions. All is good so far, maybe a touch of swelling, so I really haven't given it much thought.... until now. Has everyone been forewarned for the need of lotions but me? Hummmm....

Thank you if you made it this far. That's probably the most I've talked to anyone about it. Interesting. I look forward to getting to know you.

Dear All:

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences, everytime I freak out about something I come here, and you tell me that its all good....I can´t tell you how much that means. I am doing this here in Berlin, Germany, and while I am doing this in a foreign language, so sometimes the questions I ask are misunderstood...all the doctors and nurses try as hard as possible, but it is still tough. I have some questions for all of you...my RO insisted before we started that I shouldn´t do ANY exercise, especially swimming. But I see that this is not the same recommendation you are all getting in the States. I also seem to be getting really fatigued, but not many of you seem to be having this. (Perhaps the fatigued ones aren´t logging on ?)

I am on day 20 of 33, and seem to have some redness under the arm area, but nothing excessive, using a linament cream the RO recommended. And I love Lanolin, I have used it for everything since I breastfed my son 16 years ago, but I saw that it isn¨t recommended for this, does anyone know why?

Any insights you all have would be appreciated.

Thank you, Oleysa, for the info, that clears some things up...

Welcome, nat_blue, and thanks for joining and posting! We look forward to hearing more from you soon! Good luck with surgery!

The Mods