Radiation February 2019

How are you ladies holding up?

Sending out hugs and prayers that everyone’s skin is holding up and mental states are okay!

Tomorrow will make 2 weeks, with one more left. Last Friday my skin started to get a little darker, more tan than red, and it has gotten a little darker each day. Yesterday after my treatment the scar from my reconstruction at the bottom in what they call the fold area started to get a little irritated with wearing my surgical bra so I whipped that off and have been wearing a stretchy cami for a little support instead. This morning it felt fine so I wore the bra until after treatment. I only have 6 more left, here is to good weather for my drive and my skin continuing to handle the treatment.

On another note my facility has a Reflections Wellness Program that is free for those going though cancer treatment. Yesterday I went for a Reflexology appointment before my treatment. I've had massages before so I thought I would try this to see if it would help my muscle tightening and the stiff neck I have from turning my head for the breathe holds (that 45 minute simulation 3 weeks ago did my neck in and I haven't been right since). I was amazed at how much of a difference that session made in my muscles. I'm going again next Monday. If you haven't looked around for something like this in your area you should.

FaceForward, my nipple was raw and in constant pain after week 2. I got those silicon gel petals and use one over a layer of aquaphor and it has made a huge difference. They can be rinsed, cleaned, and reused.

I finished my 20 treatments on Friday (4 boosts, 180 for all 20 treatments). I was told that most of my non-skin side effects weren't related to radiation (vomiting/diarrhea and emotionally unpredictable), so I guess this is my new monthly normal after birth control pills (including bleeding or spotting all 20 days of radiation).

For the skin side effects, skin was mildly burned from day 2-3, with dry patches here and there that responded well to aquaphor or miaderm. Miaderm gave me a mild rash, but the techs say my skin looks good, so not worrying about it. The nipple has been the problem area so far (tumor site was just below there, so it's been through a lot). Noticed this evening that the top layer of the skin's starting to come off and can't tell if the bright pink skin underneath is healthy or burnt. For now, it's covered with aquaphor and a silicon gel petal and stabilized with a sports bra to minimize movement/friction overnight, so I hope I wake up to healthy skin and not crispier skin. 🤞🏻

Holding up ok

Yesterday was the last full breast treatment and today begins to the boost. Not a moment too soon as my skin is done. Pretty red, enlarged hair follicles and, some breakage in the middle and underneath. The fatigue is serious. I feel like I am running on fumes today at work. I have been trying to keep up with the gym but with the skin breakage, I am not pushing it. Final boost treatment is next Wednesday and then I am off from work for 6 days and then on the 22nd BELIZE BABY!!!!!!!!!! Whoooohooooo. Can not wait to rest (and drink all the rum) in the sun (I will keep my angry little boob covered, don't worry). Right now the fatigue is wearing me down but I am determined to keep going until next Wednesday and then I plan on sleeping and watching "my stories" (what I call the Jersey Shore...please don't judge me hahaha) for 6 days after that! We got this ladies, we got this.

Finished up session 13 of 30. Skin is holding up fairly well, Just seems very tight in my side "foob" area and is sometimes uncomfortable at night. I got some rest over the weekend and Monday and Tuesday were okay but found myself crashing today so I left school at 11 and it doesn't help that I had to take my daughter to the dr and she now has bronchitis. I meet with the RO tomorrow and I am going to talk to him about maybe taking Wednesday's off from school to give me a break during the week, I am just exhausted! I'm also very emotional, I guess from being so tired. I had started zoloft when I was first diagnosed in Oct and gradually weaned off a few weeks ago b/c my MO said zoloft would intefere with tamoxifen when I started it in march. At that time I was feeling emotionally better and thought I would be fine without it but now I'm not so sure...I'm a basket case! Not for sure if its just from being tired or if I truly needed meds to take the edge off....stay strong ladies...2 more days before a break this weekend!

Hello everyone! It has been about 2 weeks since I finished rads, just wanted to drop in and give an update. My skin is back to normal in most areas. Just a couple of spots on my scar are still pretty pink. My underarm still feels irritated at times but looks pretty good, and it is not nearly as intense as before. I do still have some mild chest wall tightness, especially if I over do it at work with lifting. I have seen the BS and PS since finishing. They both noted some minor swelling but were not concerned. The BS did an ultrasound in the office of some lumps I felt in my upper chest. She thought they were radiation changes and said we will watch them. The other lumpiness along my side was felt to be radiation changes as well by both the PS and BS.

Congrats to those who are heading into the final stretch! To all, you are strong for going through this, be proud of yourself!!!

Jen2Mom- I was wondering if you had been referred for PT? I found it helpful and was given stretches to do. They also did measurements of my arm since I had rads to my nodes. Maybe that would help with the chest wall tightness. Mine got pretty tight as well and it is so uncomfortable!!!

CHB87- what a trip to look forward to!!!

Gentle hugs and healing thoughts for everyone. I appreciate all of you and this community.

Misha- mine were from Target too, but you might even be able to find them in the baby section of a well-stocked drugstore. They're marketed for nursing moms, so anywhere that has that kind of stuff might have them. My nipple is pretty unhappy, and putting one on under my bra this morning was definitely helpful.

Jen2Mom- taking a day off midweek sounds like a great plan. You have to do whatever you need to give yourself the rest and recovery time to get through this. The fatigue can be pretty intense. As far as the emotional part goes, sometimes you can have a bit of a rebound effect right after tapering off meds, so that could be part of what's going on. But this is also a pretty exhausting and emotional process, so it makes sense to be having a hard time regardless. It's all just so much. I seem to swing all over the place with my emotions right now, and I've been on meds for a long time!

Hpfull- I hope PT is helpful. My RO said nausea wasn't a side effect and that it must be dehydration, but I disagree. I've had very little appetite and intermittent nausea the whole time. Things are a little better this week with intense focus on hydration, but it's all still there. I think it's easy to discount side effects when you're not the person experiencing them.

Yay for hair growth, Vivian and Misha!

Apologies to anyone I missed. You're all awesome for continuing to get through this.

Three more boosts and I'm done. Appointments with MO and pulmonology next week (check-in on lung nodule found in CT) and then I get a little bit of a break I think. Looking forward to having my body back under my control, even if just for a short time. My boob is like something from a freak show now. So many different colors. Everything is super sensitive and itchy and sore. I don't know what will happen with my hormone plan, but no matter what I'm giving my body some time to recover before introducing anything else. I got sick between surgery and rads, so I feel like I just haven't had a chance to catch up since the diagnosis. I wish I hadn't used up all my leave with medical stuff because I would love to take a day or two to rest and do something enjoyable or at least non-cancer related.

Good luck to everyone getting through today. So close to the weekend now!

Hi everyone - it was so good to scroll through posts and see how everyone is doing. Congrats to those who recently finished or who are almost done! Woohoo!! And welcome to those who recently joined. This is a good place to find encouragement, support, and ask questions.

After this afternoon I will be half way to the finish line! So far I have done pretty well. My boob is very tender and aches but no radiation burn yet. I use Radiaplex gel and Miaderm several times/day and that has helped so far. I have been wearing a cotton cami against my skin and then my bra on top of that. Wearing a bra alone is very irritating for some reason. I do get zingers where my sentinel node scar is. Those hurt! Like several of you I have also had bouts of nausea. Mine does seem to be connected to how well I hydrate. Just trying to drink lots of water! I am going to a stretch class at the Y about 3 times/ week. Not super active but at least I am moving my body, slowly but surely. I can’t do all of the movements but I’m ok with that.

Heading out of town for a wedding this weekend. My husband and I love to dance, but probably won’t be as active on the dance floor this time around. The thought of my boob jostling around makes me hurt already! But it will be a nice break and get away and I’m looking forward to it.

Hugs to all of you warriors. :0)

Hi everyone,

I am about to join you guys. Starting Monday, I will begin proton rads, about 30 sessions (I forget but 6.5 weeks). I decided to pursue proton radiation because my tumor was on the left side-- and because of TNBC being high risk, despite my pCR from chemo, I still need full boat radiation to whole breast and lymph nodes. The big difference is that a proton beam can be programmed to stop, rather than exit the body. So it stops before your heart.

Is anyone else getting proton rads? The side effects are essentially identical to regular rads. My intake for rads involved tattoos and also them making a foam mold for me to lie in so I am in the same position every time.

I am also going out of town for the radiation. I live in CA, and am going to NJ because I do not know a soul in the two towns in CA that offer protons. I picked Procure in NJ primarily because I used to live in NYC and I figured if I have to devote a month to rads, I might as well pick a place where I know people to have dinner with!

My big hurdle will be flying coast to coast w my two 6 month old kittens tomorrow night. They will be in cabin w me. I found a cat friendly extended-stay hotel but the schlepp seems challenging!

Dani444-good to hear things have settled after two weeks. I have three more treatments left and my skin is ANGRY. super burnt and peeling underneath. I'm in the overly dramatic "I'm going to feel like this forever" stage so it's nice to hear there is relief

Jen2mom-hoping you can get wednesdays off.

I was suppossed to work until Tuesday and take the rest of the week off to rest after my last treatment...my skin got so irritated/burnt/raw I couldn't do it. went to my boss on Thursday, told I'd be working from home for the rest of the week and my time off will start Monday. I tried but the pain got too bad and because it's under the boob, the only thing that helps is laying down and letting the area get air (I've been laying in bed answering work email topless, like a lady). smearing silvadene all over.

boyfriend wants to take me to a flyers game tomorrow. I told him no promises I wouldn't press the boob against the glass just for the cool sensation. if I dont laugh my way through this....

Hi ladies. I heard through the grapevine that this is the new place to be (thanks, egregious!) So this is mostly a cut and paste.

I started radiation on Jan 28 and have done 10 of 33. 25 whole breast, chest wall, axillary, and supraclavicular lymph nodes; 8 boosts. I'm just now starting to have mild SEs. An occasional zinger in one small spot, a little tired (but nothing new), and just a tad bit of redness above my clavicle. My RO strongly recommended Mometazone twice per day, so that's all I've been doing so far. Although I'm mixing it with a lotion because it's thicker than Baby Butt Paste!

I'm really hoping my energy level holds as I have two active boys, and I don't intend to take any time off work except for the daily trip for rads, but I do it early in the morning so only miss about 30 minutes most days. Work has been very supportive of my cancer journey, but my boss keeps comparing me to his 80 year old neighbor who "did just fine" with radiation. I don't have it in me to point out the obvious differences between her treatment and mine. Still, when fatigue hits, I plan on napping at work.

After this first 33, we are going to hit T6 and my 9thrib. They've yet to be planned out, but it's coming. The proximity to my spinal cord makes me VERY nervous! But I guess it's gotta be done… Has anyone here had bone rads?

FaceForward, you are SO CLOSE. You can do this. It might be rough for a couple of weeks but it's sweet to leave the medical visits behind.

Pain meds, special treats, watch movies, whatever is going to get you through. I promise it gets better!

Hello to all the newbies to the page! This week was emotionally better for me and I think it's because I took a half day Wednesday to rest. my daughter came down with bronchitis and has shared the congestion and sore throat with me, my voice comes and goes. quick question for those of you with drain sites, I have started have short, stabbing pains on the radiated side at the drain site underneath my foob. it's not burnt per say but a very hurtful feeling. Any ideas?

Facefoward: I hope you are able to get to your appointments to have it over and done with! I hope your skin treats you nice tonight and you can get some rest

OTMom: I hope you are able to make it to your last appointment. so many appointments are exhausting!

Holy Cow! Blowing, snowing, drifting here. We're on a private road with a long steep road down and a ravine at the bottom of that. There's not many homes up here and it's a private road so no plows come here. We have a guy that usually plows but it's been too icy this weekend even for his tractor. This year is a very unusual weather year for us. Getting to my appointment tomorrow is looking highly doubtful. Oh well. At least I'm stocked up on hot cocoa and comfort food. Cortisone and Netflix are my friends and I'm prepared to snuggle my itchy, swollen, exhausted self in for the duration.

Thank you everyone for all the encouragement! We will all get thru this eventually.