November 2018 Starting Radiation

Ghostie, I'm probably going to want/need plastic surgery as my incision opened up at the bottom and drained old hematoma blood. Yes, it was gross. Now my breast is already dimpled at that spot and I haven't even started rads.

I - O

Middletown is down I - 75 from Dayton, on the way to Cincinnati. My mom and two siblings are still there. I'm out in California now near children and grandchildren.

Dwisely - I've raised Domino (the little Pomeranian) since she was a puppy and she's 12 now! So she's been with me always and became officially ESA certified this year. Went from me taking care of her to her taking care of me right now. I went through certapet.com where they connect you with a psychologist whom you can communicate with online. I think any of us going through this deserves to have the ESA support animal if it helps us. The radiology therapists actually all agree that Domino might very well be the reason I'm not feeling fatigued with all these treatments!

Urdrago / appyfan / sillyoldrab / lavenderlee - I'm glad you enjoyed the pic of little Domino! Attached is another - she's being so good as I change for the radiation session. 🐶

Lavenderlee - I'm glad you are applying Miaderm right after treatment and I SOooo hope you will start to see some improvement with it! It's what I'm doing although I see no side effects yet, I'm wondering if it's helping prevent side effects.

Linda2119 - I'm so sorry you are having issues but glad at least you are more than halfway through. Do you HAVE to do the wet towel? They say to think of potential side effects like treating a sunburn and if that's the case, it seems like a wet towel would exascerbate things. Do you have Miaderm and can you apply it right after treatment? It's heloed a lot of others.

Journeyforw - it is great that you continue to exercise through this and that's inspiration for me to try and do that too!

ghostie13 - so glad you are finally scheduled to start, what a relief! I also have.a dent/dimple in my breast where the lumpectomy scar is. Not sure about reconstruction too. Let's keep one another posted on what we decide. Some ladies have said radiation makes their breasts perkier after so I'm hoping for that, others have said they feel their breast is smaller after so I'm wary of that. For me it looks the same in clothes but I of course notice the difference without clothes, although only my husband and I would see that and he keeps reassuring me he's fine with me like this. Still, I notice it... I know what you mean...

Mlghtn - congrats on being almost done! Glad you had a positive experience and it sounds like you found a way to manage every side effect so that's encouraging.

Alicebastab - congrats on the almost halfway mark too!

Egregarious - I'm also in CA. You are so fortunate to have children and grandchildren!

wlo002 - I'm glad you feel less anxious now and hopefully all the skin care we are using helps you with ideas. Miaderm and Aloe Vera work for me.

All - I hit my halfway point today! Yay! And still no side effects. I expect it to come but the longer I can hold off any side effects the better. To celebrate the halfway point, here is Domino! In the dressing room and in the waiting room with me, smiling for ALL of us to wish us well through the rest of our treatments!

PebblesV - your pooch is absolutely a cutie!...LOVE the pic!!

Hi everyone,

My radiation appointments are at 8:15 am M-F so I slept in this Saturday morning and it felt great! I have 13/21 radiations completed and next week 3 rads and 4 days off with Thanksgiving holiday. So far, all is well with my skin. Yes, it appears slightly pinkish hours after radiation but that seems to fade somewhat the next morning. I have been applying Calendula Cream 2 to 3 times per day. I have been very thankful I have no soreness/pain on my right breast, so far. I did notice a "zinger" (nerve pain) in my lower upper R arm late yesterday afternoon - it goes away within seconds.

Overall, I feel thankful for having radiations for this BrCa considering the fact that so many in this world do not have access to radiation treatments. I'm trying to keep everything in perspective and look at the positives. I do believe it will help me in my recovery.

Plus, my sweet daughter from out-of-city college is spending the weekend with me and I feel really loved right now

I'm sending my Love and support to all going through this right now.

Just wanted to share an update, even though my boosts from RADs finished on Halloween, I'm still healing. It's slow going but I am HAPPY it's happening!

I think I posted a week or so ago that I was finally able to stop wearing my compression sports bras 24/7 to deal with the pain and that my skin was finally just pinkish tan, rather than angry red with disappearing blotches of skin. Welp, I'm making more progress slowly. I still can't wear a normal bra, and still can't lay on my stomach, and my nipple is still tender and sore so it requires extra padding/gauze when clothing is pressing on it. That being said though, the extra pink/red color in my skin is nearly gone. I'm super freckly though! It's so weird. Still lathering on the creams and lotions twice a day a least per ROs orders. The skin has mostly grown back under my breast, although it's still pink where it's brand new. Fingers crossed it won't scar. On the plus side RADs seems to have shrunk my Lumpectomy scar and as it is now it's barely noticeable on my skin. Prior to RADs it was very obvious, very red, and I had some dimpling on the L side of my L breast. That all seems to be gone. The scar is tan, healed, smaller, and smooth now. Super!

Anyway, just wanted to post some encouragement for anyone that is dreading the healing process or thinking that maybe they are the odd one out having SEs or pain or tenderness that lasts this far out past the end of txt. You're not alone. It happens. Just hang in there. Time will help, just try to find patience for it. Not an easy task I know.

Pebbles - Domino is the sweetest! Her expressions and furriness are amazingly uplifting! So glad she gets to go everywhere with you.

Furbabies are just the best! I don't know what I'd do without them in my life. I have Gyspy, (pict sleeping with her fav toy), she's been my certified ESA for the past 3 years. Yeah life was just that "fun" prior to cancer, and welp, now, I'm just extra thankful that both her and my kitty are in my life. They get me through the worst moments when I am just a ball of tears and sadness.

Give Domino my best! Gypsy says hello too!

Hi Everyone,

trying to get myself mentally prepared for treatment this am. So, the last week of treatment seems to have culminated in some more unpleasant and lasting effects. I guess i am at that point now where I'm no longer going to recover completely in between tx and maybe continue to worsen after these last 2 whole breast are over --basically what I was told to expect. So, Friday evening the breast was super sensitive painful, burning, itching, although you couldn't see too much (slight pink square on chest). Also I felt generally very crappy, extremely fatigued, cold, achy, rt arm sore, flulike--just took medication went to bed early. Yesterday I was better again since no rads, but slight pink square is there this am--which makes me think its going to gradually worsen a bit still even after these 2 tx. Oh well, still better than what I initially expected. I have tomorrow off per my request, just because I really wanted it, and then only go tues and wed this week, then 4 days off thankfully! so this week I will be done with whole breast and have first of 6 boosts, they are not supposed to affect the entire chest area as far as SE's go.

pebbles and spoonie-- your furry companions are so adorable! I can feel your positive attitudes through your posts and I really appreciate it. Its now been almost 8 months since I started treatment and beginning to feel really worn down and frustrated with all the changes in my life. A couple of weeks ago I got myself a Stan poodle puppy, i always wanted one and I am calling him my emotional support dog for going through all of this--he seems very tuned in to me already and always wants to please even though he is only 12 weeks. My kids as well as my other dog (2yr pit mix rescue) are having lots of fun with him as well, he lightens everything up for us!

Linda— I understand the mixed feelings about nerve damage and I'm sorry for all you experiencing with rads after chemo and everything else. I’m glad the new prescription is working for you. From what I understand the bolus effect concentrates more radiation closer to the skin, Hence more skin irritation. Was your tumor/margins close to the skin? I guess I would continue to watch your skin and report effects as well as the numbness to your provider. Also I am taking ibuprofen and antihistamines daily for pain and anti inflammatory effects. Often inflammation itself can cause tissue damage when it’s over a longer period of time. 11/30 is also my last day, when r u done with whole breast (Tuesday for me then boosts start)? Wishing you well..

Dwisely - thank you! At least the good thing about these being daily on weekdays is that we can check them off quickly. ;-P

journeyforw - Congrats on being through more than halfway! What an interesting perspective you bring up. That's a wonderful way to look at it, while all this treatment is a lot for us to go through, we have access to the best treatment, so that's definitely a positive. Oh and new pic of Domino freshly groomed below!

Alicebastab - No weekend zapping planned for me, so I have a 4-day break Thursday-Sunday. I asked the radiology therapists whether that impacted treatment, and they said that there were people who were taking even longer breaks over Thanksgiving. Not that they recommended it, but it's happening. I'm on a 30-day regiment, and I am coming in Mon.-Weds. this week.

Spoonie - Domino and I say HELLO-O-O-O-O-O-O to Gypsy! I am glad you are healing with the help of this little adorable one by your side too. Furbabies ARE the best! Domino was also ESA-certified for me before the bc hit... just a few months before (it's been a crazy year too) but before as well. So glad you are more healed now, slow but steady, and from the sounds of it, you should be really well along before the new year! It's encouraging to hear that your scar is less visible now - I have a very visible scar also with dimpling/pulling on my breast, really hope the radiation lessens that for me too.

sillyoldrab - I love that you showed pics of Domino! Below are new ones, freshly groomed for Thanksgiving! I'm with Kaiser, not any special facility, but I did ask if I could bring Domino and the supervisor happens to be super dog friendly, so maybe it was luck of the draw to have a good team here. Or maybe, you'll never know until you ask? I do see a lot of people with support dogs at Kaiser, I think by law they are not supposed to say no if the dog is truly providing you needed support, which I think is a yes for all of us going through this. Uneventful is GOOD. Best of luck with Flash next week!

mLghtn - Domino and I also say HELLO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O to your poodle puppy! So cute, look at him posing already! I'm so sorry you have all the side effects... I did hear that most of them come in the last week so am mentally preparing myself for that as well. At least a silver lining is that you will be DONE soon, and finally have a chance to rest and recuperate? What follows this for you? For me, it's 5 years of tamoxifen which frankly, I'm more worried about side effects on than the radiation. But one step at a time. I hope Spoonie's posts can provide some encouragement that YOU WILL HEAL. Slowly but surely. I still vouch for Miaderm even after the fact based on what I've read about it.

Linda2119 - have you tried / are you trying Miaderm? Do you at least get a break from radiation treatment over Thanksgiving? I really think that based on what you are saying, you need a break. I'm not a doctor, but I think it's worth discussing with your doctor. The fact that you don't feel your nerves seems to be an exception to the rule, and the docs are so 'one size fits all' in treatment and I really think they need to be taking extra care with you and digging into the specifics of what you're going through and adjusting accordingly.

CarolAnnieL - Early almost congrats on your last day of radiation coming up soon, and I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving! Hopefully you get a radiation break over Thanksgiving as well so that your skin has a chance to recover a little bit.

And for everyone, here's Domino, freshly groomed! OMG I keep wanting to hold her now, she is such a poof with this new teddy bear cut. I'm actually looking forward to bringing her into the radiation clinic tomorrow as the staff there all know her now and they will see this cuteness. Hope this brightens everyone's Thanksgiving rads week a little bit!

Oh, PebblesV, I just can't decide which feature of Domino I like best! It's a toss up between those teeny little feet, that sweet little face and that flouncy little tail. Cute overload. It's interesting that my daughters and I always seem to cheer each other up by sharing cute animal photos. After my last dog passed, I couldn't bear to start a relationship with a new one, so my fur/feather babies are all wild creatures now - quail, woodpeckers, javelina, cottontails, etc. Of course, they're not especially cuddly, but the savings on vet bills is some kind of compensation.

Rads cancelled for today because the machine broke. I sure hope there are built-in safety features that would prevent zapping in the wrong place during a malfunction with a patient in place. Great, a new worry, y'all!!!

Urdrago, the weekly pics are to recalibrate, if necessary, for any physical changes - swelling or shrinkage of the treated breast, and it's also why there's a weigh-in before the weekly oncologist visit. Whoo, look at me, I hit my halfway point mid-zap today and I'm trying to sound like an old pro! 17 out of 33 down!

Alice thank for explaining. I notice that Im a bit more uncomfortable tonight. Thank goodness I have a break this week. How are you doing at the half way point? Im slathering and drinking not sure if theres something Im missing in my routine to help support the achiness I feel.

Dwisely - I'm in the trenches so to speak, 16 of 30 done today (!), and I did not notice any redness on day 2. The only thing I noticed was in WEEK 2, I felt like I could 'see the blue veins' on my breast more. That's when I started to religiously apply Miaderm after every radiation treatment. Anyways, I would definitely recommend talking to your RO about it. I'm glad there's no pain. Oh and yes, I agree that 'darling' is a suitable work to describe little Domino!

urdrago71 - I don't know whether this is recommended or not, but I do some yoga-like stretching in the evenings to help with any achy-ness. I have a dance background so I just feel like stretching to stay limber, and a lot of it might be because I'm sitting and working a lot too. But it seems to help! Also I take our other bigger dog Tucker for walks in the afternoon, which helps with trying to avoid achy-ness too.

alicebastab - thanks for all the details and specifics, you seem to be the expert of the bunch!

CarolAnnie - Ella is darling and reminds me of Tucker, our other boy (not ESA-certified, but also cuteness certified in his own way ;-P)! Domino is a she, little girl pup, hence she gets away with lots of poofs in her fur for the holidays LOL. Tucker wouldn't have it. Let us know how it goes with the localized boosts! I'm also due for that in the last week. I think you'll be the first of us to go through it?

sillyoldrab - oh my! At least they cancelled before putting you on a broken machine! Maybe it's fate's way of giving you a well deserved break. My heart goes out to you on your last dog... maybe on day it will feel like the right time? But I can definitely understand... I can't even fathom the thought with our pups and I know that there will never be dogs like these.

Anyways, because I took a million pics with Domino looking so cute all freshly groomed, and because it's also time to introduce everyone to our non-ESA-certified (but equally protective and loving) dog Tucker, here you go!

Domino getting the royal treatment from my husband:

Tucker enjoying a sunny-day post-radiation treatment walk with me:

udrago, DW I had pinkness a few hours after first few treatments and tightness and achy crummy feeling that i swore was from radiation and (the techs) actually told RO's RN about it. They acted like it couldn't be from radiation, said I shouldn't be showing any effects so soon in treatment--- I was kind of freaking out about it. They seemed to think it was due to irritation of tissues from lying in that position with arms up over my head for tx and that some women get that initially. I felt like it was more than that, I even felt like the breast was heavier and swollen feeling after first week. I took ibuprofen daily in the evening and using all the topical stuff (my girls and emu oil) and it did not get worse for a while, the achiness and heaviness actually improved. It was always pinker and achier in the evening and then back to normal in the am. Also felt like my energy levels dove and generally felt crappy by the end of each week. Weekends really helped to recover. Things suddenly seemed quite a bit worse after the last 2 tx, I'm glad I asked for an extra day off this week even though I have 4 days off for thanksgiving. Tomorrow is my last whole breast 15/21, then just boosts left...

Its nice to hear from everyone because the medical team sometimes makes me feel like I'm overreacting

Wishing you all well

spoonie 77, I am so sorry you're going through this and thanks for sharing. The techs who set me up didn't make anything of the redness, but I saw the RO nurse today and she said that the redness is normal. It looks like I've been in the sun for a short time, but it's not tender or anything.

Spoonie, my heart goes out to you. You are such an inspiration the way you stay positive and push on. I read the spoon theory via your link, it's so true. As a healthy person all my life until BC I can say I took many things for granted. Now struggling with fatigue from radiation, I get the spoon theory. I will pray for you Spoonie.

PeeblesV, Ella is our spoiled rotten GSD baby. She was born here Feb 17, 2013 on a super cold 14 degree night. Her momma gave birth to her in her kennel out in our garage in those freezing temps. I went out to get something and heard a small whimper. Needless to say in they both came, the birthing blankets went down on the laundry room floor and by the next morning we had 4 beautiful pups. We chose to keep her and named her Ellament of Surprise since she was a surprise found in the garage. I miss her mom and dad so much since they both have since passed over the rainbow bridge.

The boost today was a piece of cake. My regular treatments were 4 zaps if you will. The boost is 3. I still need to hold my breath for each zap and the last one they come in to turn the table at an angle. I am a little itchier in the boost area which is all around my lumpectomy incision. In my case that is at 12:00 on my right breast. For those of you just starting out, my breast started to get a bit pink the first week and I didn't feel fabulous either. I am not sure if was the rads or if I was just stressed over the whole process. I now have a very visible square area that surrounds my breast and goes well into my armpit. It looks tan and red, my DH says it looks like somebody that has been tanning a lot. Doesn't hurt to touch it in most places. Just this last week I have had my tan skin start rolling up and rubbing off just like any normal sunburned skin. The skin underneath is pink and tender. The pink tender areas are getting some extra attention in terms of pads to keep it from getting chaffed to much.

Hugs to you all.