Radiation February 2019

Congrats to OTMom and Faceforward for finishing!!

Vivian-Some docs just seem to have a God complex and yours sounds like no exception.

Jen2Mom-I hope you got to enjoy your date night!

HPFULL-Halfway done! Woo-hoo!

I’m at 10/33 now and am experiencing some pink skin and itchiness. Also the occasional zinger and nipple soreness, but overall I can’t complain.

Wishing everyone a happy Valentines Day tomorrow! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Dropping a note to wish everyone an early Happy Valentine's Day! Wishing you all some distractions to feel some relief and comfort.

I completed 25 treatments Feb 6th and sailed through it with little discomfort or fatigue. Now 1 week post rads, things are the worse they have been so far. Soreness, peeling, breakage in the skin mostly in the underarm area. Doing a lot of stretching of my arm as tightness and restricted mobility is also setting in. I'm hoping in one more week, things will start improving instead of getting progressively worse, as has been the case since 2 days after completing radiation. Gentle hugs to all.

Mymomsgirl - Congrats on being done! Sounds like you had a wonderful celebration! A great way to celebrate Valentine's Day a little early!

van2018 - That's a bummer that you are experiencing such discomfort now that you are finished with rads. Hope you see some improvement soon! Keep us posted.

Jen2Mom - So sorry you are dealing with that. I didn't have a mastectomy so I am no help to you. I'm sure others will chime in.

I am 13/20 and I start my boost next Tuesday. I am getting redder and more itchy now after every treatment. Wearing a bra is very uncomfortable! It's off as soon as I get home. I know the boost targets the lump site, which is just under my left nipple. Just wondering if that area will become even more sensitive. Is the boost harder on your skin?

Happy Valentine's Day fellow warriors!

Hi everyone, I'm set to start 4 weeks of treatment (16 regular, 4 boost) on 2/20. I'll be part of the 3 pm crowd so I can try and work earlier in the day. All of these posts have been so helpful in setting up expectations for side effects! Has anyone had to use the DIBH (deep inspiration breath hold) during their treatments? I went through it yesterday during my simulation (due to my cancer being on the left side) and am keeping my fingers crossed I won't need to use it during treatment. It wasn't painful or anything, just very weird and kind of uncomfortable. Would appreciate hearing about anyone's experiences with this. Thanks, glad to be part of this group!

mrsEO I just finished my treatment with the DIBH technique yesterday. The simulation is a little daunting because you have to learn the technique and then they have to have you do it several times to get the correct threshold. Are you using something called an Active Breathing Coordinator (ABC)? It is like a snorkel with a nose plug and button you can release if you need to breathe. At first it is a little intimidating but I actually found the the fact that it cuts the air off I can't slip up by inflating my lungs too far.

During the setup before treatment I would take one 20 second breathe usually followed by a quick one just to make sure I was all lined up. Then during treatment it was usually one 20 second breath from one position and then one 20 second with a follow up of about 8 more seconds (yes I counted in my head). The machine is all programmed and it went pretty quick. My team was great, they would always say when you are ready, so when I was ready I would push the button in and take the breath in. They would let me know when I got to 10 seconds and then when to breathe, but I could feel the ABC device airway open up when I was done. I was also told that if I had a problem during the treatment just push the button twice and they would come running.

Feel free to message me if you have more questions or post them here.

Dear mrsEO and teriholmes,

Welcome to the BCO community. We are so glad that you reached out to our members, and shared your stories. We hope that you will stay connected here. Let us know what we can do to be of help.

The Mods

FaceForward & Momsgirls, Congrats! You did it! It's OVER! I am so happy for you.

Prissy, Good luck with the boost. You are almost there. Let us know how things go this week.

Van--So sorry about the tightness you are feeling. I hope it get's better soon. I think it was FaceForward who mentioned physical therapy in one of her posts. You may want to consider that. A friend of mine had a similar issue. It took her a year to resolve it but she is doing great now. She says that her arm and chest now feel like she has never had a surgery or radiation.

Kerlyn, Santabarbarian, Hpfull, Salamandra, FaceForward, Dani and Prissy--Thank you for your suggestions and support. I talked a few people in the Cancer Center here about the problems I am having with RO. It looks like I will be able to switch to another doctor. However, I will follow the same treatment plan even if I get a new RO since I already started it. My other option is using my nurse navigator as a buffer between me and RO. She said she would be more than happy to help minimize my interractions with him.

whoooohooooo made it! Last day was Wednesday and skin is already feeling better. Boob is still dark and starting to peel but I already feel like myself again..got back to the gym, got a lot of rest. Happy to be done

Already pinking up as a finish my first week... I have done 5/28 sessions. No pain yet. I ordered some organic aloe vera gel (no alcohol) online, and some organic calendua oil (also no alcohol). Both of these are supposed to be very good for protecting skin. You let them soak in before applying whatever oil or cream you want to seal them in.... I'll see how this works. I do not like drugstore lotions usually, as my skin is quite sensitive to the petrochemicals.

I continue to be impressed by the efficiency and professionalism at the center where I am being treated. I never wait. If I'm there a few minutes early, so far, they get me in a bit early too. It is an A+ medical experience in therms of nice staff, beautiful facility, timeliness, availability of docs/nurses, etc. So it's all about keeping my boob from getting too sore!

I RANG THE BELL!! My last treatment was this morning! I’ve already filled my script for Tamoxifen, will start that in about a week, here’s hoping I never ever have to go through this again, that NONE of us do. I love this site, I’ve learned so much, and I’ll stay here a while as the journey continues on Tamoxifen! Thank you for the support!!!!

-Kerry

Hi All, just wondering if I'm correct in my assumption that I won't be able to wear a bra at all during radiation? I start next Wednesday for 3 weeks plus a one week boost. Thanks!

RoseRed! Welcome and good to see you! I am working as are some others on here. Things are okay for now but I’m only about a third of the way done!

Kec 1972-I have a front-hook bra that’s not really very tight, so far I have been able to wear it.

KerLyn-Woo-hoo! Congrats on being finished!!!

Hello everyone. I hope someone can tell me if they have had a similar experience. I started my 1st radiation (of 20, 16 whole breast, 4 targeted boosts) on Tuesday, 2/5/19. By Friday, 2/8/19, (my 4th) I noticed some redness and tenderness on the outside of my treated breast. My tumor was in my armpit area. By Saturday, I was distinctly uncomfortable and swollen on my breast. Since that time, the redness has increase to encompass the whole breast and I am noticeably larger on my left side. My RO took a look at me on Tuesday and said the redness was not bad and the swelling wouldn't be due to the radiation. By Wednesday, the radiation techs were able to see the redness and the swelling / lopsidedness was visible under the gown. The RO sent me back to the BS, who stated he thought it was an infection of some sort and prescribed antibiotics on Thursday. I had my rads this week on M,T,W so have completed 7 in all. My breast feels full and firm all the way around and is red with a visible line of demarcation where my bra strap goes. Had anyone else had swelling with radiation or been diagnosed with an infection. I think the redness is due to the internal breast problem what ever it is as the skin doesn't feel sensitive at all. Thanks in advance for any input.

KBLank, I hope that resolves soon!