Leeayn

I went back to the Rad Onc today, not only do I have the severe burns, I have yeast on top of that!  Talk about pain! 

The Domeboro is a power that you put into a cup of luke warm water, let a rag soak in the mixture and then put it on the raw area for about 15-30 minutes.  Once you take it off, then let it completely dry for 15-30 minutes.  It feels good most of the time, but yesterday and today, the skin was breaking down and starting to bleed a bit, so it stung!  It smells like a mild vinegar and has a "salt" feel when it drys on you.  It has helped dry up the ozzie skin, too.  I do this 3x a day. 

I also had the same problem with the seat belt, on my way to my bone scan, I had a full water bottle, I just wrapped the seat belt around it a little bit and so it wouldn't touch me.  It worked  :)  Mine is my right breast too.  Hadn't thought about a pillow, that's a good idea.  It's really painful right now to drive/use a seat belt.  Good think my Rad Onc is just 3 miles from home.

look @ www.chemocare.com for all the chemo drugs, it's a great site. 

There is a limit on the Adriamycin (A); not sure if there is a limit on Cytoxin (C).  I had 6 rounds of AC and 5FU.  Each one got harder and tougher for me.  #4-5-6 kicked my butt for about 12 days each!  not fun when you have treatments every 21 days! 

I'm not sure how the determine how much A you can have, if it's age, height, weight???   Or if they know the total and split it up between so many treatments.  I have another friend who will have 7 AC, so not sure how they split it up. 

Good Luck and there is a light at the end of the tunnel! 

I finished my rads on 10/31, THANK GOD!!!! 

Fighting Cancer with Dignity and Grace!

<><  Keeping the Faith  <><

www.caringbridge.org/visit/leeaynbyrd

What my rad onc and nurse both have told me is the lighter your skin (I'm baby butt white!) the less you will burn, so I thought I was home free!  The darker your skin, normally, the more you will burn. 

Like I said, I did well until 8 treatments before the end.  Honestly, today, there is no way I could have gone in to have another treatment.  I'm that burned and raw.  It's been bleeding today, too.  I broke down and took a pain pill tonight w/dinner, it was that bad.  I'm not a pain pill person, I can only take Darvocet, so it's not too strong, but I still don't like to take them. 

Just talk to your rad onc, nurse and techs constantly.  The Aloe Vera w/o alcohol, Aquaphor, and Silvadine have been great for me, but I still had the skin break down and burns. 

My mother-in-law just got really red and her nipple turned dark.  It's been 5-years for her and she said her breast is still discolored, but she didn't burn and she has an olive skin tone.  My dear friend said the same thing, she just got really red, she has olive skin tone, too.  Guess being baby-butt white didn't serve me well during radiation. 

I saw my rad onc every Tuesday and the nurse every Friday.  As I started getting burned, the nurse would come see me on the radiation table daily. 

It is miserable, but again, it is NOTHING like chemo!  With Chemo, I felt horrible from head to toe and each treatment I got weaker and weaker. 

I did ask about the strength of the radiation and my techs said they determine that by the cancer stage/size, size of the breast, how deep the tumor was, etc - as I said and if the sun lines up with the moon.  My tumor was on the bottom of my breast between the nipple and the bottom of the breast, at 5 o'clock (as my path report showed) and it was fairly deep.  I'm also pretty swollen around the scar, like I need bigger breast! 

I'm so glad I'm done  :)  Literally, stick a fork in me! 

I'm DONE!!!!!   Finally!

I had 25 regular rads, 5 boost for a total of 30 treatments.  My skin did really good until the Wed before my boost, then ZAP.... . I'm burned really bad under my arm and under my breast.  Like 2-3rd degree burns!  they are painful, too.  I used Aquaphor, Aloe Vera, Silvadene and now using an astringent to dry up the areas,  it's called Domeboro.  I have large breast, so the entire area about 2-3 inches under and 2-4 inches up my breast and about 6-8 inches across are just raw; same with my underarm.  My nipple is pealing too and so very tender.  I thought I was having 8 boost, but on Tuesday (2nd boost) when I saw my rad onc, he said he thought I was DONE, Friday would be my last day.  Since I had already gone through Chemo, he felt comfortable with only doing 5 boost rather than 8.  I sure was glad.  I'm so glad I'm finally finished with my treatments! 

I didn't get fatigued during Radiation, but I think I was so fatigued during Chemo, I would not have realized it during Rads!  Chemo really kicked my butt! 

Yep, I had Sharpie markers, too, all sorts of colors!  I told my husband that it looked like a kid had been drawing on me.  They drew a nice little (ok, not so little) circle around my entire breast (42DD); then lots of "X" with the onion skin tape, too.  Looked lovely, let me tell you.  And I had just bought all new bras the 1st of September and threw the old ones away.  Now I have new bras that have lots of blue on them!  Oh well, I can't wear a bra for a while anyway.

I wore my bra to treatment up until the Wed before my boost started (10/22) and then the next day, I was raw, almost like it happened overnight.  The nurse and dr had been mentioning that my skin was breaking down quite a bit, but it didn't hurt until then.  And boy, does it HURT!  My Dr said to take a pain pill, but I don't like them, I'd rather take motrin or tylenol.  I walk around the house with a camisole with the right side not even up on my shoulder!  I tell my family I am starting a new fashion trend.  But I can't stand anything under my arm and the camisole is cool.  I do wear something over it when I leave the house, though  :) 

 My last rad was Friday, 10/31 (Thank GOD!), and my skin is so bad, the nurse said it would probably take about a month to heal, then another few weeks after that before I should attempt to wear a bra, AND only wear it for about 2 hours at a time for a few weeks.  So, maybe by New Years I can be fully clothed again. 

 I go back for blood work on 11/12, then once the results are back, then I'll get the Tomaxfin filled.  Trust me, Chemo helped with the hot flahes, they are horrible.  But, this too shall pass!  I'll have nurse checks weekly until the skin heals, then will have an appt with the rad onc in December, Mammogram in January and then see my medical oncologist in January.  After that if all is clear, then I'll only have to see my medical oncologist every 3-months for the next 3 years, then we'll go to every 6-months for 2 years.  After 5 years, then I will only have to go 1x per year!  YEAH.  I never thought I would be so excited to have to only go back every 3-months! 

The burns make me miserable, but like I keep telling my husband, I only feel bad on my breast and underarm area, with chemo is was from my head to my toes! 

My hair is growing back in, too!  it's about 1/2 inch long and you can barely see my scalp now!  I still wear a hat or scarf in public, but hopefully, not much longer.  No eyebrows or eyelashes yet, still waiting for those to grow back. 

Fighting Cancer with Dignity and Grace!!!

<><  Keeping the Faith  <><

www.caringbridge.org/visit/leeaynbyrd

I"M DONE!!!!!  :) 

I had rad #11 today and I'm thinking this is a breeze compared to Chemo.  I had 6 treatments of AC and 5FU and honestly didn't think I would be able to do all 6 of them, I was that sick!  But I did it, now I see light at the end of the tunnel! 

I started getting "pink" by Radiation #4 and I can feel the slight pulling and pain in my breast, but it's not too bad. 

My radiation oncologist is wonderful, he spent a good hour or so with me on my first appt and his nurse did the same.  They answered every question I had. 

I was told to use alcohol free Aloe-Vera gel 2x day; after radiation each day.  Use natural soap, I found Tom's all natural at Target and so far, so good.  I also use the medicated baby powder, but don't put it on until after radiation.  I use it in the place of deodorant, also put it on and under each breast and under my arm.  Works wonders  :) 

They said to use a cotton shirt and make sure you don't have any skin-on-skin contact when not wearing a bra and I have big breast, so I bought some cloth diapers and use those when I don't have on a bra.  Just put them between my breast and my chest area.  Cotton and absorbant, right  :)   Yes, they still sell cloth diapers at Target  :) 

Keep up the positive post and keep up the Prayers - GAP  (God Answers Prayers!)

Fighting Cancer with Dignity and Grace

<><  Keeping the Faith  <><

www.caringbridge.org/visit/leeaynbyrd

The phrase I get the most and drives me nuts ...

You are so brave to go through this, and to have Chemo!

I've never met anyone who is as brave as you! 

HELLO - I'm doing this to stay alive, nothing brave about it! 

Positive, I'll take, but brave? 

Fighting Cancer with Dignity and Grace!

<><  Keeping the Faith  <><

www.caringbridge.org/visit/leeaynbyrd

Chin up!  get the path report, have it with you when you go see your surgeon and Oncologist.  they will be the best to help you determine next steps.  And don't forget, your surgeon and oncologist may have a different treatment plan.  My surgeon (he's great) thought that I would only need radiation.  However, my Oncologist recommended Chemo and Radiation due to the size of the tumor, grade, ER/PR+ and HER2-; my recurrence rate with just radiation was 25% in 5 years; with both rad and chemo 6% in 5 years - no brainer for me!  I had my 2nd of 6 chemos yesterday. 
it's a long hard road, but I know that I will be alive to see my grand kids (none on they way yet), but that's my goal, that and to live  :) 

Cancer is very scary, but medicine has come so far from when my mother was diagnosed and had a mastectomy in 1985 and my mother-in-law just hit her 5 year survivor mark.  I'm a survivor, too! 

Putting it in a little better perspective - my Oncologist told my husband and I that me being a diabetic was more dangerous than my having cancer!  Cancer is scary and in your face, but treatable, and in my case, curable! 

Fighting Cancer with Dignity and Grace!

<><  Keeping the Faith  <><

www.caringbridge.org/visit/leeaynbyrd

For me, I had to tell the people I was the closest too, my family and my work family.  The neighbors were told by my husband because he's the one in the yard talking to them most often.

I did have a coworker who was appauled that I told people and one person even put it on his my-space.  I feel that the more people that know and pray for you, the better!  It's not like it's a sexual transmitted disease.  It's cancer for heaven's sake!  not something that you did to cause it.

It's a personal choice on who and when you tell. 

Praying for you, sister! 

we are all in the same little club!

Fighting Cancer with Dignity and Grace 

<><  Keeping the Faith  <><

www.caringbridge.org/visit/leeaynbyrd

I'm 47 and was recommended for both radiation and chemo.

Tumor size 1.8 cm; had to go in two times during my lumpectomy to get clear margains; 11 lymph nodes removed and all clear.  ER/PR +, HER2 neg.  Grade 3; stage 1-2 (depends on the surgeon or onco staging). 

My recurrance rate with just radiation was 25% in 5 years; with both rad and chemo 6% in 5 years.  That was a no brainer for me! 

I would listen to your oncologist.

Where do you live?  I'm in the Dallas area and would love to recommend my oncologist if you live near.  She is awesome!

I just have my 2nd of 6 chemos yesterday.  So I'm on a roll!

Fighting Cancer with Dignity and Grace

<><  Keeping the Faith  <><

www.caringbridge.org/visit/leeaynbyrd

my fingers type faster than my brain thinks!

BRCA 1 and 2 gene test :)