November rad girls check in here!!

Hi all

2 down 30 to go.  I was in and out under 15 minutes.  If I can get used to the drive, I will do fine.  they said I would meet with my oncologist about 2x a week, once he will check in on me while I am having radiation and again for like an office visit.  I decided to get out my german language CDs and see if I can learn German on my long drives to the hospital. 

I also decided I can surely do this.  I was thinking back to the chemo AC and the nausea.  Even the SE from the taxol is almost gone. No tingling or itching in my hands at all and my feet only bother me when I go for a 2 mile walk, but it is getting better too. So, radiation, inconvienent as it is, has got to be better. 

Wow, my Radiologists office just called to remind me of my appointment on Wed and if I agree to having Rads, they have scheduled time for the set up too.  Does that mean tattoo and or other tests?  It seems like everything is starting to go so fast-WOW blows me away.  Im having a few tears too though dont know why, probably just overwhelmed.  Im not scared.

I go back to work on the 13th after taking a nice long break.  Maybe it didnt start out that way with the lumpectomy and recovery but its starting to feel like a nice vacation.  Went to my surgeon a couple of days ago to see how I was healing.  She had to take off the steri strips because they tend to stay on me pretty good.  Its been 4 weeks today but my incision is completely closed and it kind of looks like a seam.

I'm jumpin' in too!  Looks like a great group.  I should start the process on Nov 6th.  I say "should" because I really should have started on Sept 7th.  I was actually at the rad onc clinic to have the simulation and the doc comes in and says, "OOOPS", we need to halt the process.  They just noticed additional information on the path report that the margins weren't clear.  Lumpectomy was July 30 and I on Sept 6 learned I wouldn't have to have chemo.  Obviously, I was ever so pleased!  The med onc did say he was going to call the rad onc because he was concerned about the margins.  Both the surgeon and the rad onc had missed that part of the path report. That certainly didn't create much confidence.  So,  for various reasons MRI scheduled and re-excision planned for Sept 24.  Then, after MRI there seemed to be abnormalty showing up in my lung.  This meant deferring surgery and having a CT scan.  CT scan was inconclusive so surgery rescheduled for Oct. 15.  Re-excision actually took place.  I'm healing nicely, except for the abundance of serum now collecting. 

But, all of this means - I can be a "November Rad Girl"!

Hi all,

I had been having what I would call sore muscles? On the affected side - at the shoulder in front - feeling like I had to stretch them out.  I looked on other threads, and yes, that is a se of rads. Some said massage worked...i'm not at a place yet (4 down 29 to go) where I feel I need that, but it was nice to have that info.

So far no redness, no soreness (other than the muscle in front of that shoulder). I'm wondering if I'm having a little trouble breathing, too...it's hard to determine if this is from rads, or the little bit of exercise i've been doing.

"Little bit" = ten minutes there and back total in the am to rads, then 30 minutes walking after dinner with dh.

Have a good weekend! 

Well ladies its back to the grind of rads tomorrow, I have had a pleasent week-end, stayed in my jammies all week-end rested played with my critters and fixed my comfort foods, have decided I will get what shopping needs to be done during the week since I have to be out anyway for rads and the week-ends will be more relaxed, after all they tell rest helps those healthy cells build themselves back up.

Oh my ladies, don't let your guard down...ever!  I breezed through most of my chemo and finished up on October 17th.  I thought all was good to go.  Went in last Wednesday for sims and CT scan and breezed through that too.  Got to feeling really crummy on Thursday, but tried to get through the day at work anyway.  Had to give up and go home at 3:30.  By 5:00 p.m. Thursday I was being admitted to the hospital with chemo induced neutropenia.  My white blood cell count was down to 1.1 and I was septic.  They sent me home this afternoon after being in reverse isolation all week-end even though my counts are still only up to 2.2.  I'm off work and confined to home for the week.  My son isn't allowed to come home for 3 days because he was at Marine Corp drill and got vacinations and they don't want him around me.  My dh spent 2 hours stripping the beds, washing every surface in the house down with Clorox wipes and hovering over me.  He's gone out to fill my antibiotic perscription finally so I'm allowed off the couch to sneak a message of warning out to you!  I thought that I was home free, but I was wrong.  PLEASE be careful!!!!

Debbi

Hi all

3 down, 30 to go.  They changed my appt. to a little later from now on so I don't have so much traffic to deal with.  Still feeling fine, a little tired, but I think it is more from the chemo than the radiation.  Been putting on aloe as soon as I get out of the Dr. office, than sween cream when I get home from work than aquafor before I go to bed.  Hoping something is working. 

Greetings,  I wasn't expecting to start rads until Wednesday but went in for my verification CT today after getting my tats and sim last week and after they got done, they asked me if I just wanted to get started today!  I told them to "fire away"!  So I am 1 down and 34 to go... I should be done on Christmas Eve.

  I just see rads as something very proactive and focused on any possible remaining cancer so am very upbeat and positive about it.  It feels good to be doing something that is really targeting where the cancer was last.  Chemo was harder to relate to because it seemed so passive and unfocused to me, radiation is very active!  So 2dogsnburg, just try to think about it as something that is truly targeting any potential remaining cancer ... that is a good thing.  Think about all the good that is coming from the time you are on that table.  Cancer certainly does suck but it is wonderful that we have this means to attack the cancer.

  Debbi, Thanks for the warning -- we all need those kinds of reminders.  I just finished Chemo on Oct 24th and it is easy to forget that I still must pay attention to my recovery afterward to make sure I stay healthy.  I am very sorry that you had to go through that and hope that you take it easy this week and recover fully...

  Wishing everybody a good week!

This is my first time here.  I just had my first radiation today.  It was pretty uneventful.  I am hoping to only have to have 33 treatments and I will finish just before Christmas.  Boy, this bc takes a long time to get through. 

I went last week and got a sleeve and a gauntlet to prevent lymphedema when I fly which I have to do regularly on my job.  Of course, I haven't done much of it in the past several months but hope to get back to normal in the new year.  I am not thrilled about the sleeve, but the therapist strongly recommended it as a precautionary step to avoid problems.

GarnetAnn, nice to see you on this forum; glad to hear you are doing well so far.  Your trip there and back doesn't sound like fun.

Take care all,

Conniehar ~ Yep, I guess that I'm done with chemo, but it's not done with me!

Pam ~ I too have found myself discussing my bad boob with people I never thought I'd talk to about private body parts.  It gets to be kind of funny when you realize mid-sentence what it is that you're talking about!

Debbi

Kaye,

I put on aloe vera in the car after my treatments. I put on sween cream at lunch, aloe vera after work and aquafor before bed.  I don't know what works for me, but I figure I have all the bases covered. I read that someone elses onc. said to put on aloe vera before any reactions start because sometimes you can't see it until it is already there.  I had #4 today, met with my doc. and he showed me my CT scan pictures and showed exactly where the radiation was going.  You could see my backbone, my heart, my lungs, my boob, and the area they removed the tumor from.  Then there was a box that showed where the radiation beams went.  The 28 treatments cover my whole boob, and only a tiny sliver of my lungs.  So they said to be diligent about any problems with coughing or anything like that. 

I ordered it from the manufacturer but you can get it from your pharmicist too.   Indications: Use Sween Cream® for: Cracked and flaky dry skin; Red skin due to minor burns; Radiation/chemotherapy skin reactions; Peri-wound skin; Perineal Erythema; Surgical incisions - reduces itching and pulling discomfort; Relieves itching under tape; Callouses; Any reddended skin.

http://www.sweenstore.com/sweencream.html

I got the fragrance free stuff. I read about it from a lot of people on the radiation boards, so figured I would give it a shot.  My onc said anything was fine but to be careful of lanolin because if you are allergic to wool.  And to avoid anything with fragrances. 

Ok, this IS interesting. Sedosa, The advice your med onc gave you doesn't make sense to me - unless one is dealing with cancer that directly relates to skin. If the cancer is BENEATH the dermal layers, it seems as though you'd WANT the skin to have all the help it can have to regenerate. It doesn't penetrate through the dermal layers to the breast tissue, or does it??? Was your cancer very close to the surface of your skin?

I'm not wearing anything right now because I keep (intentionally) forgetting. My rads Dr. said not to worry about it until it seems red. But then I'm not ever sure he knows what he's talking about. (Don't have as much confidence in him as I did with other doctor's I've had this year....EEEEEGH.)

Clessie, I was told no hot tubs to avoid lymphedema.



Kato, I am receiving a bolus every other treatment to bring radiation up to skin according to my rad onc. He says the skin and the scar are the places cancer reappears most often. Unfortunately my rad onc issn't as great as my other docs have been.



i can't wear a bra for six months because of bad scarring on bra line.



7 down and 29 to go