November 2018 Starting Radiation

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  • Misstic
    Misstic Member Posts: 115
    edited November 2018

    Hi Spoonie,

    Maybe you should consult a dermatologist after your RO.
    When I gave birth to my first son, I got a severe skin reaction on my private parts. I saw several gynecologists, went to the hospital. No one could explain what happened. They treated me for bacteria infection, fungus, etc. I spent 3 weeks in hell (I couldn't even seat). The last doctor suggested me to see a dermatologist what I did. This dermatologist immediately found what was going on: severe allergic reaction due to the special pads used in the hospital. In one week, the painful skin reaction was gone.

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited November 2018

    Oh Misstic, I'm so sorry you went through all of that. I can't imagine how awful it was for you and how frustrating it must have been to have Derm solve it so quickly after you suffered for weeks. Uggh. What you suggest, is actually what my RO suggested yesterday when I saw her. I'll be seeing a Derm specialist on Monday. My follow-up with my RO mid Dec has been on the books since RADs ended Halloween. My RO was hilarous in that she said what will probably happen is that I'll make the appt, and the day before I go in the "rash that is not a rash" will spontaneously clear up! LOL indeed. Would be my luck! Just like when you visit the restroom while waiting for your dinner order to arrive, when you come back, wahhlahh, it's there! And in my case, probably not there. Ha!

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  • kinderkel
    kinderkel Member Posts: 8
    edited November 2018

    I just found this forum.  I started in November. I need 20 treatments . I have had 10 so far. My cancer was in the left breast and  I am doing the deep inspirational breath holds during radiation.. I have been having a hard time taking a deep enough breath. Very frustrating! Feeling some fatigue and lower breast is red and sore, but not too bad yet. Slathering cream on it and hoping for the best! 

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  • ghostie13
    ghostie13 Member Posts: 59
    edited November 2018

    Finally was able to start today!!! 1 down, 15 to go.......

    Only frustration today was the weather....roads here were icy so doubled my time in getting home....

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  • Wised
    Wised Member Posts: 351
    edited November 2018

    Ghostie congrats on getting started! Hopefully it is quickly for you. Our roads are pretty crappy today too. Be safe!

    Hi Kinderkel, even though I'm getting radiation to my left breast too, I don't have to do the breath holding. I'm glad your skin is holding up.

    Day 7 down for me. My breast is red, but my skin is good and the discomfort pretty mild. I get "zingers" under my arm and my breast feels like it has a headache. Plus it's much warmer than the right, untreated breast, so I'm constantly pulling my shirt away from it to cool it down. I teach middle school, so I try to do the shirt fanning thing on the sly.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited November 2018

    Welcome, Kinderkel! We're glad you've joined our community, and hope it can be a source of support for you. Best of the luck with the rest of your treatment!

    The Mods

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  • Wised
    Wised Member Posts: 351
    edited November 2018

    Hi radiation friends. I just got done with my nightly Miaderm slathering when I noticed a small pink lesion just outside of the radiated area. It's slightly raised and has irregular edges. Has anyone here had that? This is only my 7th tx.



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  • egregious
    egregious Member Posts: 240
    edited November 2018

    Hi kinderkel,

    Welcome! Hope the rest of your rads go by quickly for you. It's challenging to do the breathing thing, just do the best you can!

    ((gentle hug))

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited November 2018

    Spoonie77, I developed a weird rash the first week of chemo that the nurses were unable to identify. It turned out that I had suddenly developed an allergy to one of the synthetic materials in my bra. On a hunch, I switched to an all cotton bra, and the rash disappeared. Just wondering if radiation could possibly be triggering an allergic reaction??? Hope the mystery gets solved ASAP.

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  • PebblesV
    PebblesV Member Posts: 658
    edited November 2018

    Hi all,

    So, me who seems to have been skating through radiation with no side effects, now has a potential side effect / question. It has to do with my asthma and radiation's impact on the lungs.

    First the good news... I'm 21 of 30 sessions in today and my SKIN is still fine! I am fully prepared for it not to be in these final treatments, but so far so good.

    However, the thing I'm now worried about is that I HAVE ASTHMA - was born with bronchial asthma - and was always nervous about HOW RADIATION WOULD IMPACT MY LUNGS, but we were reassured by the doc, and we all triple checked and felt more reassured that while the radiation does hit some of the lungs, it's minimal, like 5%. But then lately I've been wheezing... a lot... and a lot more than usual. I feel it could be due to one of four factors, and I hope it's not the first because that would mean radiation is damaging my lungs and I don't know what the protocol is (if any) to recover from that. But here are my thoughts:

    1. Wheezing because radiation treatment impacts my lungs a little bit and I have asthma to start with.

    2. Wheezing because I live in southern CA not far from the Woolsey Fire in Malibu and air quality has not been great, and I get super sensitive around weather changes.

    3. Wheezing because like Dwisely, I caught a small cold.

    4. Wheezing because I have not been getting enough sleep trying to balance working from home while going to daily radiation treatment (and going to fertility appointments to pull eggs before I start hormone therapy, that's another topic).

    Thoughts? Reassurances? Anyone experiencing anything similar? Maybe I'm just seeking re-assurance, I'm getting a little bit worried... I know I've been the one with the super positive experience, but the wheezing was really bad last night, and now I'm wondering if radiation is at fault, or maybe it's not and just an untimely bad coincidence. FYI when I saw the radiologist halfway through treatment, I brought this up and he said it was the fires.

    ghostie - SOooo great you finally got started! We might actually be done at the same time as you have half the treatments I have, so there you are the lucky one.

    kinderkel - welcome to the thread! On skin and visible stuff on the breast, I have had no side effects and I'm 21 sessions in, so hopefully that provides some encouragement for you. My advice - lotion lots! Look up Miaderm. Put it on right after radiation treatment.

    Dwisely - I hope someone can answer your question on the small pink skin lesion. I haven't experienced it, sorry I can't help, but didn't someone else on this thread have some bumps and lesions that have now settled into a nice tan?

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited November 2018

    PebblesV, I've gotten asthma from lingering wildfire smoke before. If you have a mask rated for smoke, perhaps you could try wearing that for a few hours as an experiment and see if the symptoms resolve. If so, that might answer your question. If not, I imagine it's still possibly the smoke and that it takes longer than a few hours for your lungs to recover from the exposure. Hoping it's just the smoke!

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  • urdrago71
    urdrago71 Member Posts: 559
    edited November 2018

    Pebbles, im curious why u don't see radiologist weekly?? I see mine every thursday to discuss any concerns or questions. If I was u I wld call today and discuss with nurse. Dont wait !

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited November 2018

    Pebbles -- I sure hope it's just a combination of stress, fatigue, and smoke. Be sure to tell your team asap and hopefully they can give you some strategies/tools to make it "manageable" for you as you finish up therapy. Hang in there! Sending lots of hugs and cleaner air, stat!

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  • Wised
    Wised Member Posts: 351
    edited November 2018

    Pebbles, the bronchitis I had started w wheezing.

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited November 2018

    SillyOldRabbit --> Thanks for the suggestion. I'm sorry you went through that. Isn't it so strange how things we were fine with prior to a treament can now be triggered? Uggh one more crazy thing to add to the puzzles right? Just what we need. Ha! Glad it went away though. Like you, on a hunch, I completely stopped, as of this past Monday, putting any creams/lotions on my body, in order to rule out that possibility. Also clothing. No luck. I really think RADs has trigged one of my immune system issues, as now the rash appears to be starting on the tops of my hands. Seems more and more likely that I now have SLE (systemic lupus erthematsus) to add to my list. IDK. Monday is nearly here, so Dermatology will surely be able to shed some light on this, whatever it may turn out to be. Will keep everyone posted.

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  • Wised
    Wised Member Posts: 351
    edited November 2018

    Well, November rads sisters, the pink bumps, (yes they are plural now) appear to be nothing more than dermatitis from rads. I will commence applying hydrocortisone tonight. it still isn't very bad, just a couple bumps, it doesn't hurt and it doesn't itch, yet. Today marks the halfway point of my treatment cycle.

    Spoonie, "I completely stopped, as of this past Monday, putting any creams/lotions on my body, in order to rule out that possibility. Also clothing".

    Ummmmm... Post rads clothing optional party at spoonies! Lol, jk... I am so sorry that you are going through so much. I am sending you a lot of love and healing light.

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited November 2018

    LMAO Dwiseley! Thanks for the giggles! It's not really the nudist camp I apparently made it out to be! Ha!

    What I meant to say (and I know you know this... :) ) is that I switched/stopped wearing the original clothing/bras I was wearing to something of different materials. Glad that's cleared up! But by all means, everyone is welcome to come hang out! RADs party!

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  • Wised
    Wised Member Posts: 351
    edited November 2018

    Idk, Spoonie, I just quoted you directly! Lol So yes, I knew what you meant, but I had to read it twice and think about it. I'm still giggling.

    I really hope your skin issues clear up soon. I hate that rads made you so miserable. I wonder if your tx could have been done differently. My MO, who has been my MO for the last 3years, was concerned because I have fibromyalgia and sometimes rads kicks up activity in diseases that are auto immune in nature because of the way our immune systems respond to the tx. I can't tell if the fibromyalgia is flaring or not because my fatigue is so high from the rads. (Need more spoons)


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  • PebblesV
    PebblesV Member Posts: 658
    edited November 2018

    sillyoldrab / urdrago / spoonie / Dwisely - thank you for chiming in! I’m a bit better today and just going to do the breathing / hold my breath thing during rads and try to get enough sleep. It’s raining now in southern CA so hopefully that will clear the air! Isn’t it funny to actually HOPE there was poor air quality from the fires that caused my asthma to worsen?

    Urdrago - I have the option to see the radiologist whenever I ask to and there’s a doc on site all the time for if patients have questions. I just haven’t except that once because I wasn’t really having side effects and was more concerned with spending as little time as possible with treatments and meetings since I’m still working through this. I did see the doc about my asthma concerns and he told me it wasn’t the fires, so I feel if I bring it up again it would just be the same answer. Plus I’m not going to stop the treatment at this stage when I’m almost through. So I guess I will try the breathing tips and hope for the best!

    Dwisely - glad they figured it out and you have a plan of action now with the hydrocortisone! Whew! Hope it just heals now.

    Spoonie77 / Dwisely - any thoughts to just 100% pure aloe vera vs other lotions or creams? Might be interesting to hear what your dermatologists say for that? I started to up the Miaderm which I was originally only applying after radiation treatment because I’m trying to be preventative. So I started to apply Miaderm instead of aloe Vera in the mornings and nights. Then a funny thing happened. My breast started to itch and didn’t feel as good as when I just did the aloe. So now I think I’m going to go back to my regimen of 100% pure aloe in the morning and night, and Miaderm right after radiation treatment, instead of more Miaderm. Trial and error I guess!

    For ALL the ladies, here are the Domino pics for today. One looking not so happy in the rain and one looking so much more comfy and happy in the warm dry indoors (of the car). 🤗🐶

    image

    image

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  • Wised
    Wised Member Posts: 351
    edited November 2018

    Pebbles, my RO recommended pure aloe vera and Aquaphor, with the Aquaphor to be used only at night. I found out about Miaderm on this forum. I'm not a big fan of Aquaphor, but now that I'm rashy, I'm going to try it instead of the Miaderm. The hydrocortisone seems to be effective as the bumps aren't itchy and haven't gotten any worse. My breast just feels heavy and sore. I'd rate the discomfort at about a 2, so not bad...

    waves to sweet Domino

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  • journeyforward
    journeyforward Member Posts: 42
    edited November 2018

    Hi Everyone,

    It is official, I am done with radiations today. I just had my final boost at 8:15 am. I am sooooo thankful all went well - I even received a "Certificate of Completion". The radiation technician told me Eucerin cream will help remove the marker etches for the boost radiation.

    I hope everyone has a great weekend and I really appreciate all the support and tips shared on this forum. Know one else could be so supportive than others going through the same treatments.

    I wish everyone wellness, healing and to continue to breathe and relax and let us all take good care of ourselves...nuture your mind and body with loving kindness :)

    Well, I'm off to work...

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  • egregious
    egregious Member Posts: 240
    edited November 2018

    Hey journey,

    Congratulations!! You did it!

    Hope things go well for you in the future.

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  • Linda2119
    Linda2119 Member Posts: 85
    edited November 2018

    I finished today too! Boy - was I emotional. I didn't expect that at all. Started when I received flowers from my nieces saying I was an inspiration. That was when it hit me - I'm done with treatment! I had my diagnostic mammogram September, 2017 - I've been in treatment for 14 months! And now it is done. Wow. WOW!

    Keep on trudging through, everyone. One day at a time, one day at a time.

    Happy Friday,

    Linda

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  • egregious
    egregious Member Posts: 240
    edited November 2018

    Way to go, Linda!

    Must be a great feeling, to be finished!

    Hope things go well for you in the future.


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  • PebblesV
    PebblesV Member Posts: 658
    edited December 2018

    Dwisely - sounds like a plan! I hope you can figure out soon what works best for you.

    Journeyforward and Linda2119 - Domino sends a huge PAWS UP CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING DONE WITH RADS!!!

    image

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  • mLghtn
    mLghtn Member Posts: 101
    edited December 2018

    Journeyforward and Linda Congrats on being done! I had my last dose today too!

    This was a huge milestone for me, I had so many fears about rads and am so relieved that all went well with pretty minimal SE's (compared to my expectations), reassuring in respect to long term SE's. Also, finally finished the long course of my treatment that started in March (admittedly shorter than yours Linda--- Sept '17, WOW, you are so strong!). So thankful for everything including this forum! I really appreciated coming here daily to read the supportive posts and other's experiences. I'm currently trying to find a support group to go to because its just so hard for regular people to relate, even close friends and family, after all this time I think they are tired of it...

    Dwisley I had the dermatitis rash too and I was told by RO is response of the sweat glands and therefore concentrated more on the area of chest where we sweat more. Mine gradually got worse until about 4-5 days after the last whole breast and has since improved. The boosts were nothing, and I already feel somewhat recovered now 9 days after whole breast ended. Hardly any breast pain anymore, rash and fatigue are going away. Also found that using the emu oil and taking benadryl at night really helped, it always seemed to recover a bit by morning.

    Pebbles thanks for posting all the adorable domino photos, they are so uplifting.

    I feel like I can finally move forward with my life again now, will probably start tamoxifen in next week or two though--so there is that, but seems like not such a big deal now after everything else.

    Hang in there everyone, wishing you all well over the weekend break

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  • Wised
    Wised Member Posts: 351
    edited December 2018

    Congrats to everyone who's finished with rads!

    Mlghtn, thanks for the tip! Mine hasn't gotten any worse since yesterday. I was extremely nervous starting this too, but it has gradually gotten easier. I haven't tried emu oil, but miaderm seems to work for me.

    Hugs to you all!

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  • egregious
    egregious Member Posts: 240
    edited December 2018

    Hi mLghtn,

    Way to go on finishing rads!

    Congratulations! Best of luck for you in the future.

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  • PebblesV
    PebblesV Member Posts: 658
    edited December 2018

    Mlghtn - here is a Domino paw congratulations for you too! Woot woot!

    image


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  • urdrago71
    urdrago71 Member Posts: 559
    edited December 2018

    Wow, so many finishing great news Journeyforward,Linda, and Mlghtn Congrats !!

    Mlghtn, that awesome tip about benadryl and emu oil. Did u take it when u started breaking out in rash? Im just starting to notice the pink tint to my skin 12 of 33.

    Pebbles, domino is so dang cute. I see he has a car seat . I was thinking about getting one for my Jemma, just not sure she will stay in there..

    Dwiseley, How are u feeling today? How many times a day do u slather and Im doing Aquaphor and aloe twice a day. Should I be doing it more often?

    Happy Weekend.

    Slather, drink and repeat .

    image

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