Starting radiation treatment in April, 2020

13»

Comments

  • striveforhealth
    striveforhealth Member Posts: 121
    edited April 2020

    LB13 - Wishing for the best for you with your radiation treatments. I treat my "exposure" during treatment with humor. Thankfully, the techs also do their part to lighten up the the mood for me. :-) Your situation is unique though. First time I'm reading this.

    VeeHow - I'm struggling with sleep as well. Waking up too early like you. Ugh! I hate it. I've been fatigued enough during the day that I fall asleep in the afternoon if I sit down to read or watch TV. Then night sleeping is even worse for me. When I mentioned it to the doc he said get all the sleep time you can no matter when it comes. Hopefully, when this is done I'll have a more normal sleep patter. Stress certainly can't help so I'm doing the best I can to keep busy and distracted. Best wishes to you.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • striveforhealth
    striveforhealth Member Posts: 121
    edited April 2020

    TrixieBlue - Today was my 2nd boost. 3 more to go. So far so good. I look burned but no skin breakdown. We get our break over the weekend so there's something for us to look forward to! :-) ;-)


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TrixieBlue
    TrixieBlue Member Posts: 21
    edited May 2020

    One more to go! I did get the silvadene prescription yesterday because the discomfort was waking me up in the middle of the night. We had a lot of rain so I couldn't get outside to exercise. Lack of sleep, sore underarm and no sunshine had me in a crappy, emotional mood and I cried in the treatment room. Today was so much better - exercise, sunshine, good news from a friend, husband grilled dinner, even traffic approaching pre-virus levels.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TrixieBlue
    TrixieBlue Member Posts: 21
    edited May 2020

    I'm done and doing a happy dance! I feel great and the redness that developed under my arm last week is already healing. I also managed not to fall asleep this afternoon! I have a followup appointment in a couple of weeks, the first of many over the next several years.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • elc75
    elc75 Member Posts: 19
    edited May 2020

    Congrats TrixieBlue! And I’m happy to hear your redness is already clearing up.

    5 more to go for me. I’m so ready for all of this to be over

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • amyhey
    amyhey Member Posts: 44
    edited May 2020

    Hi everyone. Jumping on here a little late. I had#18 out of 33 today. My breast is a little swollen and I have developed some brown spots under my breast. My RO said the spots are normal. I was feeling OK until yesterday and the fatigue came on pretty hard. I finished chemo in March(6 treatments). My RO said it can take up to 9 months to feel “normal” and to listen to my body when I need to rest. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during this crazy time

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • deanders
    deanders Member Posts: 66
    edited May 2020

    So I'm heading out for my second to last treatment today. Met with the RO for the last time yesterday. This treatment journey ends for me on Monday and I can't wait. My armpit is a bit of a mess- it's super dark and just now starting to degrade so I'm not going to complain. Organic aloe (seven minerals) and vaseline have been my go to. I definately do some simple stretching and massage the gently skin to keep it pliable but this last week has been hard on it. RO said that by next Thursday it should be at it's worst and then start to heal. I use a small touch of deodarant on the skin that is normal to keep my arm from rubbing but I don't put any on the red parts.

    Now that I am so close to being done, I find myself feeling a little weird about it. I want a parade but really it's just done. Now I have to find a way to live in the new normal of intermittent fear and vigilance. I don't ever want to go through this journey again but that fear is there and real. It would be much better if we weren't all dealing with this virus stuff at the same time. I am just grateful that all my surgeries and chemo were done before all this. I can't imagine trying to navigate chemo in the current state of affairs. Although chemo did teach me the hygiene habits that others are just now trying to embrace. Little blessings I guess - I will take them where I can get them.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TrixieBlue
    TrixieBlue Member Posts: 21
    edited May 2020

    Update on me - I'm peeling under my arm where it got the reddest, but I can see nice, normal new skin underneath. Too early to say if it's any different from my normal skin tone. The scar for the lymph node incision has practically disappeared, and it looked big and very dark purple about 10 days ago. Funny that my skin barely changed in the boost area. I'm not having to take naps in the afternoon anymore, either.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cyathea
    cyathea Member Posts: 338
    edited May 2020

    I’m curious- how many weeks of treatment were prescribed? Did anyone ask their RO whether the amount was necessary? My RO said he wants me to do 4 weeks. I’ve read that some people only get 3. What evidence do we have that a longer treatment is better

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • elc75
    elc75 Member Posts: 19
    edited May 2020

    @ deanders - I understand your feelings. While I am happy that I will be finished with active treatment this week, I am also terrified for the future and the possibility of this returning. I hear the intense feelings lessen over time but they will probably always be there.

    And today is supposed to be my last treatment but they called saying the machine is down so I may not have my last one until tomorrow. Sigh..

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sshibal
    Sshibal Member Posts: 38
    edited May 2020

    I'm late to the party, but I started radiation at the end of May and I'm currently wrapping up my 3rd week out of 4. I woke up waaaaay too early today and I'm feeling a bit nauseous. The fatigued started to set in this week, but thankfully I've been able to find the energy to go on a few runs. I also haven't had much of an appetite lately and I keep falling asleep before dinner. However the good thing about having to drive to radiation appointments is the opportunity to order food from restaurants along the way lol.


    My skin is pinkish-red, not great but not horrible either. I've been using calendula cream and ointment, and so far they've seemed to help. I bought enough tubes of it so I have one in my bag, my office, my car, and my nightstand. I didn't realize there were different types of calendula, so I bought the cream and the ointment and just put them on in layers. The ointment is quite waxy, so it tends to last longer, but the cream is much more soothing and seems to lessen the redness a bit. Is anyone else using calendula? How do you like it so far?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Flutegirl
    Flutegirl Member Posts: 7
    edited May 2020

    Hello all, I started my treatments in late April. 20 treatments total, 15 whole breast, 5 boosts.Doing pretty well but wondering if anyone is experiencing fatigue? Besides the expected redness and general "sunburn" on my treated breast, my biggest issue is fatigue. I just finished my third week and it really hit about Wednesday. By late afternoon I have no energy to do a whole lot. I know it is one of the side effects and I'm wondering if anyone else has felt this and if there are any suggestions.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sshibal
    Sshibal Member Posts: 38
    edited May 2020

    Flutegirl,

    I just finished my third week too (15 whole breast + 5 boosts) and I'm also experiencing fatigue. I slept 10 hours last night, but I still feel weirdly tired. It doesn't feel like a normal kind of tiredness. It's like my brain wants to stay up, but my body wants to sleep. I ended up drinking some espresso yesterday and it seemed to help. I was able to get some work done and go for a run. I have found that exercise helps keep me awake the most. Have you experienced any muscle issues? When I raise my arm or rotate it, it feels like my ligaments are all crunching together. It doesn't hurt, but it feels super weird. My RO said it was just the scar tissue forming. I definitely wasn't expecting it to affect areas outside of where the radiation hits.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Flutegirl
    Flutegirl Member Posts: 7
    edited May 2020

    Sshibal - I bit of what you describe with the arm - more like soreness after a new exercise but some of the "crunching". Trying to determine if there is swelling. There isn't a noticeable difference between arms so I'm going with that. But I expected a bit of it due to lymph node removal. Good luck with your last week!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sshibal
    Sshibal Member Posts: 38
    edited May 2020

    I've also been wondering if there's any swelling. Yesterday I asked my husband to look at my back to see if there was any swelling, but he said everything looked symmetrical. However, when I sit down it feels like my left shoulder blade is sticking out more and seems to hit the back of the chair first. Because my gym is closed, I got a super cheap row machine off of Amazon and it seems to help restore flexibility and make that crunching/popping feeling go away for a while. I definitely recommend doing some sort of arm resistance exercises to loosen up all of the scar tissue that's probably forming.


    Good luck with your last week too!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LB13
    LB13 Member Posts: 49
    edited May 2020

    Flutegirl and Sshibal- I also just finished week 3, and the fatigue has begun. Friday night, I think I slept the best I have in months because I was just plain whipped. But also woke up tired. The odd tiredness that you described - not really sleepy - just worn out. I napped twice this weekend, which I rarely do. Hope you are both holding up okay! I am halfway through rads and can't wait for it to be over!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sweettalker52
    Sweettalker52 Member Posts: 64
    edited June 2020

    Hello! I will have radiation treatment #25 of 30 tomorrow (including 5 boosters). Had not heard of Mepital. Wish I had. Used Cetaphil cream and then Aquaphor cream but have "burns" anyway. I just learned that the skin is not actually burned, it is missing. It fails to regenerate. Painful. Since this just started happening, my first chance to discuss this with my radiation oncologist will be tomorrow. I will keep you posted. Best wishes, everyone.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LB13
    LB13 Member Posts: 49
    edited June 2020

    @Sweettalker52 - I finished my 30 treatments last Tuesday. I had some pretty significant 'burns' under my armpit and under my breast. The last week with the boosts definitely helped my to start to heal, as my armpit was the worst part and was no longer getting the radiation. I will say the open wound under my breast is now basically gone, and the one under my arm is about half the size of what it was. I have been using prescription Silvadene cream and telfa non-stick pads on top. I have also been taking advil for the pain. I am happy you will be done soon - just don't do too much, too soon (I overdid it this past weekend and lifted my grandchild) or you will feel it. Congrats on almost being done!! I will start Tamoxifen soon, but my RO said to heal from this first and give myself a little break. :)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • striveforhealth
    striveforhealth Member Posts: 121
    edited June 2020

    UPDATE: Now that radiation is over and I'm healed up I can't quite believe how well I made out. I'm so grateful for a good result and a great team at the cancer center. I'd have to say that other than the teeniest spot of skin breakdown at the boost area and the typical sunburned look my breast skin handled the radiation well. I continued to use Aquaphor healing ointment and Calendula cream to get me through the skin healing post radiation. My skin now looks and feels normal. My follow-up appointment with my RO was changed from this month to July but I expect that will be my last appt with him.

    Continued best wishes for you all.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TrixieBlue
    TrixieBlue Member Posts: 21
    edited June 2020

    UPDATE: Just checking in - It's been almost four months since my lumpectomy and 7+ weeks since I finished radiation. I've had follow-ups with the RO and surgeon and my first post-treatment mammogram is scheduled for August. My skin looks fine, a little more tan on the radiation side, but not really noticeable, and my chest is symmetrical with no shrinkage. The surgery scars have faded a lot. I got a second opinion on my survivorship plan from another MO who agreed with my treatment team - either a mammogram or MRI every six months for the next few years, plenty of exercise, and maintain my weight.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cyathea
    cyathea Member Posts: 338
    edited June 2020

    TrixieBlue, I’m glad you are doing well! Wishing you the best

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories