November rad girls check in here!!

I guess I won't complain about my hour drive back and forth for my treatments ... 160 miles ... omigosh!  I worked from home almost 100% of the time I recovered from surgeries and chemo and will be trying to transition back to the office during rads.  My radiation treatments are on the way to/from the office for me.  I have yet to get them scheduled and that won't happen until after my dry run coming up.  I am anxious to get something on the calendar so I can start planning around it. 

  Debbi - my son is living in the dorm (Meredith) and plans to major in Biomedical Engineering (he wants to design artificial limbs). He loves Purdue!!

  I really appreciate everyone's advice on creams and such, I was told that the rad nurse will go over all that with me, but I don't know anything about what I will need yet!

Hi Girls,

I went today for what I assumed would be a simulation...but no, it was a real-ulation. Hmnnn. They said they simulated LAST TIME. (Well, where was i? Was i scared? Did i have fun? Did i embarrass myself?  My simulated self must have gone in my place.) 

I wonder if it has to do with the machines... people on this board are talking about dry runs, and all these appointments before anything starts - One day I met with the rad dr about a half hour for a consult. The next week I layed on the machine while they did a CT scan, took measurements, drew on me with markers, tattooed me and it took about 45 minutes, then TODAY i layed there - in a different room, different machine, and they toasted me. Badda bing. done. 10 minutes. So i wonder if the technique has to do with the requirements of the machine. Or if my doctor is just incompetent.

Gives one pause.

Kim - I'd be interested in knowing the answer to the antibiotic question too. I just started on Cipro for a bladder infection this afternoon. And i am not stopping that, period. The Cipro patient instructions say i'll be "sensitive" to sunlight, sun lamps etc. I asked the GYN, and the Pharm. about the rads, and both said they didn't think it would be a problem. I have yet to speak to the rads dr, though. They both deferred to him.

He said I should do well for about a week, then weeks 2 and 3 the se's will start. Mainly redness, soreness in the crease under the breast, nipple tenderness. He told me not to wear a bra. (uh huh. Spoken like a true man.) The nurse suggested the all-cotton sleeping bras. That made more sense. I'm not lettin' these girls free, no way. They'd never come home again. He said the Aloe Vera jell is good 2X a day starting now, and it can be 99%, it just can't have any alcohol in it. If something that is troublesome arises, I can call, and they'll deal with it then. As far as deodorant, he said i can use anything on the unaffected side, but nothing on the zapped one. He also told me DON'T DIET. Now is not the time to deprive my body of nutrients. We want it to rebuild itself. (yeah man. Hand me the chocolate.) He also said not to take anti-oxidants as a supplement - it helps your cells, but it helps cancer cells too. What they're trying to do is kill everything, and they want the regular cells to regenerate. The cancer cells are not able to do that. He just stressed a good, balanced diet.

My rads facility is literally RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER from my work. I get to sneak a little exercise in my day walking there and back. The whole thing has me out of the office for one hour total. Pretty nice after driving 2 hours one way to my infusion center every 3 weeks. That's why I chose this place. That, and the "state of the art" machine. I just hope the dr is good.

So, the count-down has begun. 33 - 1. (uh oh. Sounds like math...)

I wonder what they do for the holidays? Do you skip? Or just blast through?

Hi all -

Katomato, I'm on Keflex and my planning session is tomorrow.  I asked the rad nurse about taking antibiotics for a breast staph infection and having rads at the same time.  She asked the doc and he said that by next week, when they actually start zapping me, this infection should be cleared up.  If it's not, they would postpone.  (Before the nurse understood that my infection was in THE BREAST, she implied that just taking antibiotics in general is okay while on rads.) 

Luckily, this infection seems to be responding and probably is not the resistant staph strain.  Jeez - this should never have happened!  I know it was caused by the injections of radioactive isotopes for the SLN biopsy.  I was a little loopy on Valium when those injections were done, but I sure don't remember the nurse swabbing down my nipple area with antiseptic before pulling out her syringe and injecting me four times around the nipple.

Anyway, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of this whole radiation process.  I will have to commute 45 min. each way for my treatments, but I am not working now, so I guess I will look on this as a job of sorts.

One of the hardest things is knowing who and what to believe, making the right choices. 

hi . i'm new to the boards, but not to bc. Just had my first treatment yesterday. Today they put something on me called the bolus and quite casually said that they would be doing it every other time so radiation could be drawn closer to skin.. Does anyone know anything about this?

Wow! What a big group!

I went for my sim today. I was surprised how involved it was! Got my lovely "tats" too. They tell me the doc will call next week and maybe I can start the first of my 28 tx Thur or Friday!

Other than the skin issues, has anyone heard about any other side effects? After reading all the comments about heart involvement, I'm concerned. My bc was on the left side and very close to the chest wall but nobody mentioned any potential cardiac issues. What exactly are you all hearing may happen to the heart???

Good luck to one and all! We WILL get through this one way or another.

Blessings to each of you, Chris

Well, 3 down 25 more to go!!!

Sedosa, I'm having the same thing every other day...... this is what I have been able to research:

High energy x-rays are skin sparing. Because some BC requires a need for skin irradiation because of skin involvement by the cancer cells, the addition of tissue-equivalent bolus material placed over the radiation field can circumvent skin sparing. Bolus, a flabby, rubbery material, is used to 'fool' the radiation beam so it will deposit the maximum dose on the skin surface instead of a fraction of an inch deeper, as it would otherwise. Therefore, a skin reaction is almost inevitable in this scenario. Bolus is usually incorporated into radiation therapy when a surgical scar, such as a mastectomy scar, needs to receive a full dose of radiation therapy.

Hope this helps to answer your question.

Hi ladies,

I went for what I thought was my simulation appt yesterday because they said plan on being there 2 hours but all it turned out to be was going thru the paperwork which I had completed in advance and meeting the doctor and nurse. I was in and out in less than an hour. They said I needed to have a post surgery mammo to make sure they got it all and the CT's but received a message that they are scheduling the radiation planning on the 7th. I just wanted to get this started and over with and I'm not for sure when they will actually get started. The nurse told me to get the Udder Cream, I asked about Jean's cream and she said it was expensive. I don't mind paying the money if it works better. Has anyone tried both and prefer one over the other? Hopefully by the New Year we will all have completed our treatments.

Hi Sandra,

Do you go to Saint Joesph's in Burbank or out by Stevenson Ranch? I'm going to St. Joe's. I work in Lake Balboa so we're traveling opposite ways from home to work. I hope the fires weren't too close to your location. You seem to have gotten going a lot quicker than I am since my surgery was Sept 19th. I have HMO so everything has to wait for approval first. Are you having any discomfort? I'm mostly worried about bra discomfort since I can't go without one when I'm at work or out. Well I do have to get up and go to work in the morning so I should try to go to bed but with the menopause on top of worrying about juggling my work schedule I'm not sleeping to well. Take Care.

Hello ladies, looks like I will be joining you, I start rads on November 8th.  Went in today for my markings...they said the lines had to stay on until my appointment next Wed. but does anyone know if they have to stay on for the whole 7 weeks of treatment?  They put stickers over them so they won't come off.  I had a bit of a meltdown tonight, first a missing breast, a bump where my port is, a bald head and now I have purple lines that go almost all the way up to my neck.  I live in Florida and my normal daily attire is tank tops....not anymore.  O.K., pity party over.

For those that have their tattoos, did it hurt?  I am terrified, I know I shouldn't be but I have a terrible fear of needles.

Take care everyone.

Ginger

Ginger - the tatoos didn't hurt me. Only a tiny little stick. It's done with an appartatus that makes the stick and shoots the ink in one quick procedure. The tatoo itself is a tiny speck less than the size of a pinhead. Maybe take a little of that anti anxiety med they give you at the beginning of chemo if you are worried about leaping off the table.

 I know what you mean about being marked up, bald headed and sporting a huge plug (port).  Reminds me of well-worn dolls my youngest daughter used to drag around the house as a child. The end results are what keeps you going so hang in there.

Linda

Hey Connie, I will be going to the rad doc in the morning to get marked, and then my 1st tx will be on Monday, I will have 33 tx, I know how you ladies feel, as for the bald head and now marked up, but this too shall pass, I am having the hardest time with the weight gain, it is so hard for me to stay focused enough to even watch what I am eating,  I just feel like in that dept I have lost control, I will be so happy when this is all over, the hair is back the weight is gone the energy returns and thing are normal again.  I have as many of you have kept things pretty low key and normal, but its the personal changes that affects me the most. and even the hair loss has been easier for me because I can cover and hide my head but I can't hide the weight that I have gained.  but again this too will pass, and I have sooooo much to be thankful for.  Anyway glad to meet you all and am glad to have you to go with me along this journey. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Hugs and blessings to you all, Renee

gshoemate, bless your heart, this disease kinda makes you lose your vanity, but soon you will have that full head of hair with treatments over and go back to a new lifestyle.

They told me my markings had to be there for the full 7 wks of rads, I`m gonna go ahead and do the tattoos, they told me its just a little stick and not bad, so far they haven`t lied to me, seems like everytime I bathe a new sticker comes off and they replace the next day, so that the reason I want to do the tattos or dots has they call it at my cancer center, said it looks like a freckle.

I have been going braless as much as I can and with winter coming and cooler temps now can get by with it, they told me by the 3rd week it may be uncomfortable wearing a bra, but when I`m at home always in my jammies, this getting dressed everyday is not a part of my routine and going to get very old, but at least by the real cold mos. can hybernate.

Renee - I so hear you on the weight gain! I've always been about 10 to 20 pounds overweight, but I've heard I can "carry it well", whatever that means. (Shoulders like a bull?) It's really discouraging, isn't it? And now I weigh what I weighed when I delivered my first child! And I still haven't stopped eating! And after rads I'll be on Arimidex whose side effects include - wait for it - weight gain! Aarrrrgggghhhh!

We've just got to keep things in perspective. A perfect figure and full head of hair won't mean a thing if we're not here to enjoy them. FIGHT THIS FIGHT. Ultimately, it will all be ok. Hang in there.

Greetings, all.

I've been done with chemo for about a month and a half, almost two.  I've had my lumpectomy.  I'm scheduled to see the radiation oncologist for the first time on November 26th, but I'm not sure if I need to push for a earlier appt or not. It's rough because I work overnights so trying to get them to meet me halfway on a decent time is rough in itself.  I'd like to just stay with the 26th, because I'm medically uninsured until the 1st, but my medical oncologist wants me to try for a sooner appt. 

Does anyone have any feedback?  I'd love to get move the date up and get things going...but I don't want to jump in without looking either....