Topic: Scared & anxious about radiation! -Any comments please!

Hi Krissy,

I'm sorry you have to go thru this.  This is a great site for information and support, so I'm glad you found us.  Radiation does act different on some people.  For myself, I did get burned, but it was do-able.  I put aloe on everytime I got done.  Physically I was very tired, but I did work thru the entire 7 weeks.  As far as a size difference, I don't notice any.  But..I have implants, I had them before I was ever dx.  So, it could be the reason that I don't see any difference.  I don't know.  The radiation effects seem to linger, even after 2 years.  You're not being paranoid in asking.  You should know as much about it as you can, and make sure you are making the right decision for yourself.  Anything I can help you with, feel free to ask or send me a pm.  I wish you the best thru this!!

g

Little-G

Thanks for your opinion.  I will PM you after I start Rads, if indeed I do. Krissy37

KRISSY  I FELT THE SAME FEAR FEAR FEAR AND IT WAS SO  EASY I AM 63 AND HAVE NOT BEEN TIRED ONE DAY  NOT ONE   FINISH RADS AND GO TO LUNCH AND THEN TO SEE GRANDKIDS   THE ONLY PROBLEM I AM HAIVNG NOW IS 4 MORE TREATMENTS AND I AM RED AND A BIT SORE BUT NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT  , IT IS A BREEZE DO NOT LET ANYONE FRIGHTEN YOU WITH PROBLEM AND LOOK FOR THE BEST CREAM FROM YOUR RADIATION DOCTOR ONLY

LOVE YA

A

Ditto to juliajo's comment. I am also a April rad gal, just passed the halfway point (14 left out of 33), doing okay, working, exercising, cooking good food for the family, etc. My skin is pink since #8, but it hasn't gotten a lot worst since then. There are all kinds of good creams out there. It isn't a complete breeze but it isn't horrible, right now anyway.

I was concerned about shrinkage, doc extend tx by 3 days, less intensity daily is suppose to help, no shrinkage yet.

I also had DCIS... my onc saw some invasive recurrence, from dcis to stage 1 or 2 on women who didn't do the rads. He convinced me that it was the right thing to do.

Good luck in making these though decisions, I still wonder if I should have taken everything off, time will tell...

Krissy....I just finished 8 weeks of rad....I also had DCIS stage O in the right breast.....the first 4 weeks was a breeze...did not really feel anything...the last 4 weeks were HELL.  I personally had lots of burning/blistering/peeling/infection....just use a lot of aloe and a cream called aquaphor....also a loose fitting cotton bra helped.....I strated becoming very tired the last 4 weeks..it was a challenge to get to work everyday, halfway do my job and then get home...the last week of treatments were the worse...I was almost to the point of tears and had to force myself to go....however, I also was very depressed during that last week and also mentally and physically exhuasted.  I was so happy for it to be over....and I was expecting to wake up the next morning (or a few days later) and feel wonderful...NOT!!!  It has been almost 3 weeks now and I am still feeling totally exhausted....kind of nauseous, and hard to focus...like my brain feels fuzzy or something...some dizziness...but I am extremely anemic...so it may be more related to that.  I have noticed that I do have periods where I feel like I starting to come out of the "fog" but then a wave of pure exhaustion hits and it is still pretty miserable.  I think the more time goes by the periods where I feel better will be longer and the bad feelings will slowly go away.  My doc said it would take MONTHS to feel better....it is very frustrating...I am a very active, high energy person and it is driving me nuts to be so tired all the time and take it easy.  My advice to you, take as much time off from work as you can...or see if you can work from home some, drink a lot of water, eat healthy and most important tell yourself that it is truly ok to take it is easy and lay around and do nothing...watch TV or read a book.  If you can take small walks and be in the sunshine for a bit.  If you are prone to depression, think about an anti-depressant during this period and definitely do not stop taking your meds during this period (like I did...big mistake).  If you are spiritual, pray a lot, and if you like to write, it helps to keep a journal or a blog. 

I will be thinking of you and would be glad to talk more if you want. 

Sending good karma your way to be strong!!!

janet

Hi, I had rads 9 years ago.  It was nothing and I was 63, I kept on working.  I did not burn or anything, I did think about the irony of laying there getting rads when we all know rads cause cancer, but the records are very clear.  Radiation treatment definitely keeps local recurrence rate low.

For me, it was nothing, only took two minutes, took longer to take off my blouse.

Good luck honey, gentle hugs, Shirlann

Know how you feel-I finished this past monday-28 rounds.  This was after a mastectomy and 6 months of chemo.   I am spent!  Worked throughout-with 3 weeks off for surgery.  It was getting up everyday and going to radiation-then work that was tiring mentally first, then physically.  I got on an antidepressant-helped a lot.  I am normally very "up"!  Each day I picked a person at radiation and prayed for them.  This took the focus off of me and helped me get through it.

Amers

Can you tell me the side effects that you are experiencing 2 years later?  I have just had a lumpectomy and I am scheduled to start radiation soon. My lymph nodes where clear so I am only going to be treated in area where lump was removed.

Hi all, i am a 14 yr survivor had L mas and rad and 7 weeks mon-fri and a little tired but that about it, oh yes a got a little darker on spot but not bad at all, thank God it was the prayers from famil friends, got me through, 15 yrs this December hope I helped and gave U encouragement. msphil

Diana63

Wow...I felt the same way.  Compared to RADS, the anxiety I felt for chemo & surgery were nothing.  Today starts my last week and it gets no easier to lay on that table.  I think it is fear of the unknown.

Will they do IMRT for your left sided treatment?  My Dr finally had to show me the computer diagrams of the treatment and radiation counts affecting the areas. It did help and all I had to do was ask. I am having 79 beams of IMRT + regular rads on the superclav.  it takes anywhere from 30 min to 45 min depending on x-ray days.

Good luck to both of you!!

Krissy, you can pm me anytime but I'm not sure when I will start. I have 4 more taxol treatments, then I will see a radiologist.

Dragonfly, I really don't know what they are going to do yet, I know they want to radiate the breast & lump nodes. I have only seen the radiologist one time so far, and I didn't get to ask many questions.

Congratulations on your last week of rads, I'll bet you will be so happy when it's finally over.

Hi Krissy, Shirlann has some good advice, about beter living through chemistry.  I was afraid before rads as well, I used Aloe Vera pure jel everyday  at least four times it really helped.  I was lucky and went into a rapid rad clinical trial and had 16 rads instead of 33 and 8 boosts, the rapid rads gave the same grays and it worked just as well. I wish you luck and use alot of cream and get onto to a rad thread for your month it's great because I found we were all going through the same thing and it was great to complain to someone going through it at the same time.  I also noticed rads scheduling was really good they didn't mess around and make you sit and wait like the chemo clinic. So that was a bonus.  Good luck and hope to hear how your doing with it.