After Radiation
Comments
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Sherry: I'm taking ibuprofen and benadryll. I'm itchy and really sore. I don't tolerate pain pills very well, between nausea and constipation. My skin has held out very well, except for the last week. I've been drinking a ton of water and eating a lot of protein. I'm hoping the healing from the inside out will be helpful, because the outside in, is a mess!
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Girs---i went to see the BS today.first time sice i finished the rads.the burns from the rads are normal.it may or may not ever go away.as long as it doesnt hurt she said keep creamin.the boob is another thing.its swollen.not that bad but bigger.is it lymphadema she said she doesnt think so but be careful about lifting and salt intake.its really slight.
some sistas were asking about the CTC test.and the Thermography instead of mamo.first they are expensive and out of pocket and second they are still testing it soooo in Aug.i have to go for my first mamo and she told me to expect it to hurt.well thanks a lot for the warning.
i think i can live with this.im still praying for the vacine.hugggggggggggs K
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today was 2nd day after my last boost...felt kind of weird not making my way to the rads center, as it has become so routine for me...
still itching, burning, red, peeling and yucky...still applying my lotion, but RO also recommended putting Vitamin E on my skin as well...so off to the store I go to look for something good...anyone have any suggestions?
heading to my dad's tomorrow and will be there until Easter...My birthday is this Friday, so it will be good to be home for that as well since hubby is still deployed...
I'm just gonna relax and rejuvenate myself for my PT that starts in a couple of weeks and all the follow up appointments to come my way...
Okay, so what is the deal with little pangs of pain in the radiated breast? RO says it's normal, but why does it happen???? GRRRRRR....
Will check in as soon as I can...my dad does have a computer! Yay!
xoxo
Tori
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Tori have fun at your Dad's. My RO suggeted vitamin E cream so I bought Fruit of the Earth and have been using it. What kind of pains are you having and are they really bad???? Happy Birthday early!!!!!!!
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Torigirl---I think I missed you.damn I wanted to wish you a happy birthday...I hope you party real hard...gosh a double celebration.Those pangs of pain is what i told the BS about...everything is normal...I love my Dr so im gonna believe her.Hey we just had a lot of trauma put on that poor broken boob.right?sure its gonna cry right???BUT FOR HOW LONG DAMN IT????????? Unfortunately its individual just like this entire BC crap.I read on one of the threads it could take years..and i also read it could go away and then come back.wonderful.are we enjoying ourselves yet???
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Torigirl - Big congratulations on finishing and Happy Birthday, hope you have fun!
Grannydukes - Thanks for all your updates. Yes, we had so much trauma to our poor boobies, I think you're right, they are gonna cry for a while! I am enjoying the heck out of all this, it has been a big ol fat blast, yeah right!!!
Sherry - have been thinking of you and hoping you are doing okay.
Girlfriday - I had to use some benedryl too during rads, got so itchy and red... anyway it will get better. As for lotions I only used aloe vera and aquafor (not sure how to spell it) and now I'm using a regular lotion once a day (I'm 3.5 months post rads). My skin is in good shape, just the inside is still working hard to heal.
My rad breast had gotten so much bigger and swollen and hot, I'm glad to say it's gotten better, still bigger, but it's feeling more like it is healing on the inside now and it's been itchy on the inside. My next oncology apt and mamos are next month and I'm already getting nervous. With this swelling I'm just hoping the mamos don't make it flare up again. There have been so many other little twinges and some pain here and there, I think some pain is from chemo too and gittin old!
Big hugs to all my rad sistas!! Love ya! ~Beanie
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Beanius and everyone else----remember the Dr told me to watch the salt intake.I never thought of that.SALT,SWELLING. anyone have any more?????????
I sure hope one day we can look back at this time of our lives and say YAY..the bad boob stopped crying...
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Beanius I am doing better. Have had quit a bit of burning pain and swelling on rads boob, so BS put me on amitriptyline for the burning pain which she says is nerve damage. So far the medicine has worked pretty well. I am still having some pain but nothing like I was. It was bring you to the knees kind of pain. The RO has put me on Celbrex and ice pacs for the swelling. It has helped some but not much. I am begging to think time will help the swelling. It has taken away that full achey feel but has not gone down that much. Overall I am feeling so much better. I am three months post rads and go for my first mammo on Monday. Not looking forward to it as I am afraid all the squishing is going to make it flare up some more. Hope that is not the case. The outside of my skin looks really good except I still have that square tan box I would love to get rid of, but there again maybe it is just taking more time. Sounds like you have had your fair share of swelling as well. I love how they tell us it is not cause by rads. yea right.
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Sherry - Glad to hear there is some improvement! Oh, I will be wishing you an easy mamo and no flare up...last time I was in was November and still recovering from surgeries on both breasts (I had 2 lumps on one and 1 on the bad boob, the other one was NED, but sure got cut up, poor thing is all dented, the one that had cancer looks great, go figure!). Anyway, I asked the tech to be extra gentle with me and she was so I got thru it okay...oh, is this from rads??? (j/k)
Grannydukes - salt, I hadn't thought of that but good idea to watch that...other than that I'm just doing light massage each day and waiting for another year to pass - ha ha ha!
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Hello all - I've been on the Feb rads forum. I finished rads last week and am going back once a week for skin checks with the nurse until it clears up. I went in Tuesday and the nurse gave me mepilex to put on the boost area and around the nipple where it's still sore and red. It's a foam backed wound dressing to hold moisture in (from your lotion/cream of choice), so we'll see how that works. I looked on Amazon, and a box of 5 of these is around $22, yikes!
Overall, everything is healing well I think. I'm just very tired, but part of that is going back to a regular work schedule after working from home and only part-time at that for the last month.
Sherry, my RO said no mammo for a year post rads because of everything the breast has already been through. Hope they're easy on you!
Sharon0 -
Hello to Granndydukes (thanks for starting this helpful thread!) and everyone and congrats to the recent rads graduates! I'm now 5 weeks out of radiation and have been hit pretty hard by the fatigue-especially the last week of rads and the first couple of weeks out. Slowly getting better and fortunately, no adjuvant therapy needed.
Therefore, I'm working on eating better (lean proteins, whole grains, veggies and fruits, less sugar) and walking--and using healthier cleaning and health/beauty products, no microwaving in plastic and using mostly glass container for food storage. Also planning to join Weight Watchers to take off the 10 pounds I've gained since surgery. I know the journey doesn't end with the completion of treatment so I'm also trying out a support group at Gilda's Club and joining a 5-week group there--"Moving On"--for those after treatment.
I'm also reading the the following I checked out from the library: Living Well Beyond Breast Cancer by Marisa Weiss, MD (founder of BCO) and two books recommended by Designermom: Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, MD and The Sonoma Diet by Connie Guttersen,PhD (although I have to admit I couldn't stick to the diet but there are good recipes).
ToriGirl: I am using Jason's Vitamine E Cream (5,000 iu's)--contains mostly organic ingredients and no parabens. I got it at Whole Foods for $8.49 for 4 oz. jar. Stay away from Vitamine E oil--the radiation effects continue for 2 weeks and oils may cause burning.
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Sharon-I have heard more people waiting 6 months to a year after rads, but all my Dr's, MO, BS and Ro all want them 3 months post rads so guess I will do want they want. In six months I will have a MRI.
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sjames - congratulations on finishing rads last week, I sure hope yours gets all back to normal soon. That's interesting that your RO said to wait a year for mamo. My Med Onc has me following a 6 month plan so I had mamos toward the end of chemo in November and before rads started. I will be 5.5 months post rads next month when I go for my next mamos.
Brilandgirl - hope that fatigue lets up soon, I didn't get that too badly, but I'm still having some chemo brain leftovers, just a little foggy still and slow. Your healthy eating and less toxic cleaners, etc. looks like a great idea.
sherry - I'm still having that full feeling in my post rad breast and it is still quite a bit larger, but so glad it does seem to have gone down some. I get some twinges, and it is quite itchy inside, it is still noticably pinker than the one that didn't get rads.
I need to take off about 5 lbs to get to the top of my BMI...for some reason I've just plateaued here and can't seem to take off these few pounds. I get about an hour of exercise every day, but I guess I balance that out with my calorie intake...well, so still have more work to do.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!
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Beanius-if you are tracking calories there are two really great free websites. One is livestrong, you can put your weight goal and hight and will will calculate the calories you need. When you put your exercise in it gives you back those calories. There is also one called loseit. I have not used it but I hear it is good as well. They are both free and also have apps for iphone.
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hello-before i read any threads i must answer our sista chevy about the drs.appts.I see my Onco ever 3 months.probably forever but i dont care because she is so wonderfulI.....I saw my BS Wed. and i dont have to see her until Aug.when i go for my next mamo.and she said expect it to hurt.Im gonna see my RO next month.I finished tx.first week in feb.went back to see him 2 weeks later and he said see me in 3mos.I see my internist every 3 mos too.just routine.GYN every 6 mos. and Gastro dr. as needed.enuf.
My BS did say the V i have is from the rads.and yes it may never go away.love her honesty.
welcome Sjames and Brilandgirl---as you can see most of us are havin the same issues.especially that poor crying boob.massage it gently daily.
about the oils,creams gels.etc...gosh that could make you crazy.my dr told me to use the calendula for 2 weeks and go back to my reg.cream after that.(RO).well that didnt happen.i have used utterly smooth cream for years all over my body and its great but not on that boob.im using emu oil mixed with 100% aloe and calendula gel mixed together.working good for me...that too will probably be forever.YIKES>>
Im also finding that i must cream my entire body at least once a day as my skin got very dry from the rads.another S/E.altho im 70 yrs old my skin is really not dry but im doin it every day too.
gosh what do people do who work,have kids home husbands etc?????i live alone and i dont have the time to do all this stuff.I guess i do have a life after all.its new and different but its LIFE AFTER RADS.YAY WE DID IT.PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK.
Today is Torigirls birthday----Happy birthday.....you came to us before you even finished.enjoy you vacation.
keep cremin...prayin for a vacine or a miracle or both.hugggggggggggs K
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granny-I was in bed already last night when I realized I did not ice down my boob or put my cream on . I was just too tired to get up to do it. So skipped it last night. such maintenance.
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Sherry---I remember that you had a hard time with the rads.how do you feel now that you skipped 1 day?damn.how many times a day do you do it?????
my BS said once is enuf but im a little obsessive(can you tell) i TRY to do it 2x a day.or whenever it hurts if im at home off to the bathroom i go....
and im constantly lookin at the rest of my skin...i just hate hate hate dry flaky skin.so far so good.this is like a part time job...
Im goin up to PA next week.gonna check out what they have in the health food stores up there AND my GD said there is some kinda school right in town that has all kinds of goodies.she said when they first come in they drink something that looks like sludge.yuk!!!!!gotta get all the info i can for my sistas and myself.remember im not takin any of the ALs.
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granny I am creaming and icing two times a day, morning and night. I also take Celebrex in the morning. I can tell a little fullness today as I overslept and did not ice down this morning either. But my skin feels fine. My RO told me to continue using the creams 2 times a day until I go back for my 3 month checkup which is in two weeks.
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Grannydukes - it is a lot of work to take care of ourselves! Thinkin back to when I was on chemo that was really full time, so now is definitely much easier, still working on trying to calm my mind down too, whew, what a scary buncha stuff! I used an all over lotion once a day all over, I really like putting it on my feet too to keep them smooth. I'm glad your doc was honest that the mamo with proly hurt, darn, but at least you can be mentally prepared and maybe that will help...I mentioned I go in next month, arrggghh! Not looking forward to that, but also do pray for "normal" for me and for you and for all of us! Kick that bad stuff to the curb! Thanks for the pat on the back too, I think we all need and deserve that!
Torigirl - Happy Birthday again to you!!!
Sherry - thank you for the weight loss info, I will check those out...I had gotten sort of chunky, had creeping weight gain and over the past three years I've taken off 25 pounds, slowly with some positive life style changes. Chemo did help take some off and I got within 2 lbs of my BMI, but now up a little, it's a lifelong challenge, but this summer I will get there. I don't mind if I plateau once I get in that healthy range. I'm not trying to be a swim suit model or anything - ha ha! Little by little it sounds like you are getting some relief, whew, so glad we are in the healing phase now.
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Just remembered TODAY IS WORLD CANCER DAY. i just got a email.just a few words.please pray for a cure/vacine.please pass this along...i just posted it on my facebook.0
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Hi Gals! And a special shout-out to Kantalope...(GD) because she is my dearest little hard-headed girl-friend, Ha! See, it took forEVER for her to convince herself she even needed rads! And look at her now! Her own thread!
You guys, I've been reading what you all have been going through....and honestly I don't have a clue what that is like, because I just had radiation through the MammoSite device....So no burning, no nothing. That is a special way of getting radiation through the device, taking only 5 days, twice a day....
http://www.mammosite.com/breast-lumpectomy/view-a-demonstration.cfm
Most women are not candidates for this..because it depends on WHERE your cancer is in your breast, and also how large it is. During surgery, they implant the device, which is like a deflated little balloon, with tubes hanging out of your skin....It is filled with saline? (I think)... and then after they are sure...(the planning, scan, pictures for positioning) they inject little radiation "seeds" into the tubes, leave them for about 8 minutes, then pull them back out.... It is very painless, and so easy to go through..... Well it hurts for a second when they yank the darn thing out, after the 5 days....Man, it felt like she pulled my right arm through the left breast, & it came out with the Device!
But it only hurts for a few seconds. After she picked me up off the floor, we got on with the dressing.!!! And Kantalope, you are actually using ALOE? Ha, ha! After all the yelling I did, you got the Aloe! Good job, funny face! You just didn't want to get the plant! What kind of farmer ARE you?
So I didn't have to go through what the rest of you did..... I quit taking Tamoxifen, after the hearing loss, so now I try & read what the Natural Girls are doing without further treatment.
You gals take care of yourselves! Love you Kantalope! xoxoxoxo
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to my dear sista chevy-gosh this sounds so mushy but we have been sistas for quite some time...i did get the aloe..in a bottle as they dont have the plants till july in new jersey...but ive become a chemist too.im mixing it all together and it feels sooo good.I do listen sometimes.come back often and let us know how you are doing.You are a great inspiration to all our sistas.uplifting and very funny.BTW chevy is a chemist too.she makes her own mixture of creams.its soo much fun trying all thes different mixtures.0
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Hey all..
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
Just been spending my birthday today with my dad and brother...just getting back from dinner and it was wonderful...I'm just so happy to be here and that I'm gonna be able to do some relaxing....
Thanks for the tips on the Vitamin E...I will look for the cream at Whole Foods...
Some asked about the pings of pain I've been having in my radiated breast..they are kind of like a little "jolt" of pain...real quick like and then they go away. They are not constant or even consistent...just every once in awhile...
Thanks Grannydukes about reassuring me that are normal...I know my RO told me that too, but it's nice to hear it again!
I will be checking in while I'm here...hope you are all doing well...
Thanks for always giving me the advice and info I need!
xoxo
Tori
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Hi Tori----glad you arived safely and spending your birthday with your family.Its still your birthday today so HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN...
those pangs as you can see we all get them.its the boob crying.treat it like a baby.its very fragile now.try mixing a few creams together or different ones.the 100% aloe,calendula and the emu oil is expensive but it feels soooooooo good.gentle massage.....treat yourself.you deserve it.
keep us posted as i know each day we are gettin better and better.WE ARE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.YAY.HUGGGGGGGGGGGS K
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Tori happy birthday and glad u got to spend it with your dad and brother
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Had a followup with RO today. She noticed a fairly deep scratch on my right arm that had scabbed over. She said that anything like that on my affected side must be treated with bacitracin and that I should've called her office for antibiotic prescription. Any chance of bacteria getting into affected side must be treated. Please keep this in mind for any cuts or scratches on your affected side.
I was also told that those sharp shooting pains are the nerves working on healing and reconnecting (but I'm sure Grannydukes is right about the crying too).0 -
not only do we have a crying boob but we have this baby arm.damn.we gotta take care of that too.i walked into a wall the other day.i was sooo nervous.do this do that...it is really getting to be a pain in the butt...all this is forever.
any more gifts comin our way??????
Thanks for sharing that one.I swear this is becoming like DEAR DIARY.Thank God we can get answers here...
keep the info coming.it looks like i beat the clock today.spent all day on this puter when i have more the 50 things to do...and its time to go to bed and im wired.
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I love how we keep sharing our experiences with each other...
We are able to get on this thread (and others) and feel like we are not losing our minds...
Most of all of this is crappy, EXCEPT for meeting each other...
peace, love, prayers and hugs...
Tori
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Chevyboy sent me a link on the lymphedema that was very interesting...now if i could only get her to put it on here we can share.
Tori i sent it to you in a email.maybe you can post it if you have the time...
Believe it or not ive been on the puter for about 50 yrs.the changes are surreal.i still dont know how to post pics or links.
somehow im gonna get it on her.we need to know this info....
lets pray that all the crappy stuff is behind us now...going forward and marching on...REMEMBER TO PAT YOURSELVES ON THE BACK.....WE DID IT.GIVE THE CRYING BOOB A GENTLE PAT.NITE ALL.HUGGGGGGGGGGGGS k
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Thanks, Grannydukes for referring me to this thread you started...Has lots of good info and am still creamin as you said...very HOT here in southern california and I had to loose the wig for gardening... got some itchies but no swelling... even though I did some yard weeding, always Ice now after use of right arm... seems to be OK...Hope All you ladies are gettin back to the new normal... I am tryin my BEST and getting ready for Easter brunch at my house... the first event since ALL this crap began... night all,Cath
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