Radiation recovery
Comments
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You just reminded me Bunkie10, that I had a thyroid biopsy the same day as my stereotactic biopsy of my breast. The breast biopsy turned out to be something, obviously. The thyroid, all clear. So, sail through it. Hopefully, yours is nothing too!
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Thanks for the explanation. It looked like something else that ends with hoe.....
Just kidding I am not up on some of the abrevations either.Laurascott - Thanks I am going to get it over with. He thinks the rads just scattered on it and ticked it off. Lets hope so. It could also explain this awful fatigue. Might not be rads afterall.
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Oh dear, Bunkie....I'm afraid I'm entirely too old to even imagine thinking like something that ends in hoe...lol.... Oh, and it seems NED is always all caps.
Hope everyone had a great weekend....0 -
Just checking in to say HI to everyone here.
I see so many new ladies here...I wish you the easiest possible time during rads. Try to keep active in some way...but do rest. (hmmmm I did not follow that second piece of advice until rads was ended)...There is something just plain exhausting about getting there and back each day....not to mention the emotion we experience. I was in a waiting room with ladies with all types of cancer and it was quite emotional.
So, that said, I had a quick recovery and didn't miss much of anything. I did not have chemo, so I cannot address the rads after chemo sequence.
I've been "away" due to work and travel to CT to visit DD & grandkids.
Work again in a few hours...but cannot sleep...something with meds.
Gonna try though....
Hope to catch up Tuesday.
Hugs,Joan
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Going in for my last rads treatment later and I am an emotional mess! Between that, being exhausted and PMS I don't know whether to laugh or cry ... figured some of you ladies might understand. My husband sure doesn't - he thinks I should be happy, happy, happy and doesn't get it when I tell him it's more complicated than that.
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I haven't even started mine yet and I get it
Congrats on getting through it! Huge hugs..it is gonna be alright girl. You did your time with the rads and now it is time to live your life!0 -
Annette, congrats on your last tx! I burst into tears as I left the cancer center after my last treatment. My poor husband didn't know what to do with me!
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((Annette))...Yep, I sure know what you mean! I'm like Andrea and also burst in to tears my last day and could hardly ring the gong (they have a big gong you get to ring when you're all done, and eveyone there cheers)...... The strangest feeling was the following week when I didn't have any appointments. Seemed really strange. You do get used to it in a hurry though
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Thanks guys! It's funny, because as weepy as I've been all morning, the moment I stepped out of the hospital I couldn't stop smiling and felt 500lbs lighter! Still can't stop smiling.
No diploma or bell to ring, but they gave me bling - a really pretty necklace (although they had other things to choose from too) - apparently it's through a program set up by a local jeweler called "Operation Bling". When I got home my husband had a dozen roses waiting, so it's been a good day.
The ironic thing is though, that it was probably the WORST treatment day I've had - apparently the swelling in my breast has gotten so bad over the past few days that the setttings they originally had for the table were no longer working. They had to bring in all sorts of people (physicist, chief dosimetrist, chief of practice) in to consult and approve so instead of the typical 5-10 minutes, it took 45. They were all so nice about it and kept apologizing for doing that to me on my last day! They could have done anything to me at that point though and I wouldn't have cared because I was so happy it was the last day, LOL.
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Annette,
I have not started RT yet either. All of this is so hard on us. Try and see if you can get a good night's sleep. If I get my sleep, I always feel better the next day. Hang in, it will get better!
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Annette, yay for getting through rads!!!! Be kind to yourself and your body. How nice to get bling and flowers. I got confetti and a piece of chocolate. But it is a day I will never forget. I did get lots of hugs from the staff. I found the positioning had to be adjusted a couple of times during tx. But I was always grateful they took the time to get it right.
Bunkie, I hope the thyroid is just ticked off and settles down soon. We will be with you through whatever comes your way.
welcome to laura and waiting. On the home page is a list of abbreviations, it sure helped me out in the beginning. It's like learning a new language.
So besides having the horrible cold, I now have pink eye in my good eye. Going to a stronger antib and that lovely goop for my eye. The pharmacist asked how I was doing today and I had to throw back my head and laugh. (very hoarsely.) My immune system better kick back into gear soon!
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Finishing rads....let's see. Oh yes, I remember now. I got a lump of coal! Seriously the cancer center I went to had absolutely no celebration. It almost felt odd to walk out with no fanfare. Just a simple 'goodbye good luck' and I walked out to the waiting room alone. It is a very strange feeling to walk out that last time. However it is the same place I go to see my MO/NP etc. I have not seen my rad techs since I finished rads almost 18 months ago. Wow, it shocks me that it was that long ago.
Annette, congratulations on completing rads, YIPPEE!
How sweet of your DH to give you the roses. He sounds so thoughtful, what a day you had! Hard to beat bling and roses, unless of course you add chocolate!
Bunkie let me know when they schedule the biopsy. Mine was no big deal and didn't take much time. I suppose having the right lobectomy was inevitable. My doctor assured me that thyroid nodules are very very common and almost always benign. They just have to err on the side of caution when you have had cancer. Everything becomes a red flag!
Welcome Laurascott and Waiting for the next.....you came to the right place. We are a mixed batch of serious and silly. The best.
Macatacmv, first a bad cold and now pink eye. I am so sorry! I really hope you mend quickly and get this crud out of your body. Hoping the stronger antibiotics give that pink eye and cold a big kick to the curb. You will start feeling better soon, promise! In the meantime I am sure you know lots of fluids...well, I am sure you know the drill! Take good care and heal.
Joan as always you sound super busy. I hope you have some free time to drop in tomorrow and update us.
Sew Sew Sew....always there for everyone as always!
Elizabeth, I don't see you posting enough here. Come back and stay awhile. I always love your posts, even if you just stop by to wish everyone well. So typical, you are such a kind and nurturing spirit!
Goodnight all, love and healing hugs to everyone.
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Good morning...I got up at 6 AM to head for work and realized today the college is closed...sounds great BUT...they have the entire college meet for a day of speeches and workshops. That is much worse than a day at work. So I have another 45 minutes before I have to make the long drive to another campus. I was going to skip out at lunch then realized the afternoon is my department's meeting. I don't see how I can not show up since my chair and assistant chair will be there. I just hate the politics and the hot air that will be blowing around today.
I have been feeling achey and shakey for 2 days. I can't pin it down. Am skipping caffeine. I hope it isn't something unrelated to my meds (i.e. Lymes) but I will wait it out.
When I had my last day of rads, I thought I'd cry a lot...I kind of got attached to the people I met there. It's a strange experience. Well, I always make my own party, so I brought fancy pastries for both the front office and lab staff. I got small journals for the main 3 techs...and of course, I had a different guy last day and had nothing for him. (awkward - I even forgot his name and he did my set-up)
I got hugs and a diploma from them...I felt emotion but didn't cry. I too go back there every 3 months or so - visited rads lab once but most were busy.
Annette, I am so glad you felt the relief of being done...congrats and rest up. Healing takes time and energy.
Have a great day today. Sun is shining....rain or snow and wind on the way here. [What else is new?]
Joan0 -
Looks like rads will be pushed out a few weeks. Got my path report today and while I had clean margins technically, the posterior margin was <mm so I go back in this coming Monday for a re-excision...YUK!
Good news was that the path said ONLY DCIS, no invasive cells found. That was my biggest worry so I am blessed even though I have to have surgery again so soon.
I guess rads will begin sometime mid Aprilish they say. Ugh..always something! My poor boob has been assaulted 3 times since late Jan between the biopsy and the 2 lumpies. Small price to pay and I know I am blessed that is only DCIS. They also said it was only 5mm! Really small.
Have a great evening. I am going to lick my wounds by having a bag of microwave kettle corn..lol
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April, so sorry to hear about the delay, but I think you'll find the re-excision is a cake walk compared to the lumpectomy. Good luck sweetie....you're really great at keeping your spirits up, and I'd say go for it with the kettle corn...
Joan, sure hope your day turned out less odious than it was shaping up to be..
Annette...remember....you get to coddle yourself for the next number of days....that number being as high as you want....mines up to about 250! Lol. Because you're DONE! Hurrah.
Macatac... I'm so sorry about not only the cruddy cold but also now the pink eye. Yuck! I'd offer tips on curing this, but before I do I must relate the silly story about my 40 something daughter who caught a miserable cold/flu thing this year that went in to her lungs. She asked me if I had any homeopathic remedies as she has no health ins. And is pretty broke. I told her my best one is to take cayenne pepper. Put it in an empty gel capsule or peanut butter and take it up to 3 times per day, but that she needs to eat first. And, you need to be pretty desperate to face doing this. So...this kid is all of 115 pounds, tiny, and sick as a dog, as we all get with a bug like this. She decides to try it, and while filling the gel caps proceeds to try to push her lanky unwashed hair (you know what it's like when you're ill) out of her eyes....and, yep....gets the cayenne pepper in her eyes. While dancing around trying to get it out of her eyes she manages to get a big snort of it up her nose! She finally gets it down, and has heart burn and an upset stomach. Turns out she thought drinking some milk would count for "eating"! The poor kid, we got laughing so hard tears were running down our faces when she finally felt well enough to relate her trials with my homeopathic remedies! So....guess I won't offer you any. Hope you're well soon though.0 -
Sorry to hear that April.I know how you feel unfortunately.That's how I spent my Jan.At least you know what to expect.My incision looked better and healed quicker the second time around.
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April, sorry to hear of this surgery. I hope it is quick and an easy recovery. It must be frustrating to have this detour when you just want to get the treatments overwith.
We are awaiting yet another snow storm...mostly rain here, but 4" or more by friday.
I'd be fine if I didn't have to work Wednesday PM. I'll just send everyone home....
If you're in the path of this storm, be safe!
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April - sorry you'll need a re-excision, but YAY for no IDC at least.
MostlySew - 250 days of coddling sounds good to me right now, LOL. It's funny because I pretty much refused to coddle myself all through treatments (probably why I had such bad fatigue) but now that I'm done I've been letting my husband get the kids off to school and sleeping in the last two days which has been really relaxing.
Joan - your forecast sounds about like ours (3-5 inches) mixed with lots of rain. So far though, it's barely even raining so I suspect this storm will be a bust. Sure hope so as I am ready for SPRING.
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April I am sorry you have to have another procedure, but I agree with Sew, this will be very simple. Good luck!
I went to see my neck surgeon yesterday. My neck has more mobility since the fusion, but the pain has gotten increasingly intense the past couple of months. In the mornings I can barely hobble to the bathroom. My neck is just awful. I have been so frustrated. I had a long talk with Dr.Manos aboit this yesterday. Clearly he feels bad that I have so much pain. He touched several places just with his finger and I about jumped off the chair! He said that I have far too many trigger points which is why he suspects it is something else. He asked me if I had ever been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. No. He said he could do some injections right then if I wanted to....I said of course! Anything that might help I would be happy to do. He did three injections...one in the back of my head and two in my neck. Then he said is is referring me to another doctor in the practice who does acupuncture. He said that he might be able to help. Finally he is ordering a bunch of blood tests. I have to run to the hospital in just a bit to get the blood drawn. I follow up with him in three weeks and we'll go over the results. He is testing for some auto immune diseases including Lupus. I hope this produces some answers. The good news is my neck feels so much better this morning. Better than it has for many many months, so that cheers me.
I am really hoping we can find a treatment that works well. Being in chronic pain is not fun! Okay, rant over! Have a great day one and all!
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April I had to have the re-excision also. It was not as bad as I thought. He went into the same spot and everything. My margins were clear but the DCIS looked more spread out and he wanted to be sure. They kept me overnight because of my steroid dependency. It went well. You will be fine.
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Janis, thank you and also hope your neck feels better. Chronic pain is awful and I have a knee that need replacing and I am limping big time at the end of the day. Without pain meds, I would not function at this point. Hugs!
Thanks Bunkie. I am not at all worried about the surgery itself to be honest. Just bummed that it put off rads for a while cause i want to get this show on the road and finish! I am impatient is all..lol
My other margins were all great. Smallest one was 5mm and the others were close to 2 cm! Just that one pesky posterior margin was <mm and so back I go on Monday. I know it is going to be really quick.
I just wish I had the "yes" on the shave trial I joined. It was randomized and I was a "no" which meant she did not go back in after she thought she took enough and take off additional 5mm on each margin...if I was a yes, I would not be going back in. But I guess I proved the point of the study which was "Does shaving margins minimize re-excision and recuurence" I proved that it likely would have prevented my re-excision anyway!
So, Monday will be spent icing down my boob again..lol
It's all good though.
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Well I survived my first day of Rads!!I was pretty much scared and when I arrived they told me they were having computer troubles.Then my RO came in to check me and the positioning before we got started.The position isn't bad but my neck was so stiff afterwards from laying on that hard rock pillow.Then you know how they tell you no underwire bra' s?well my DH decided to go buy me a sports bra.Well I don't wear them because their so hard to get on and off and I have an inpingment shoulder.Needless to say since I was kind of in a hurry afterwards to get over to work so I think I pulled my shoulder out trying to get the darn bra over my head and shoulder.I could barely lift that arm today at work.Now what? Hopefully it will work it's way out and improve by tomorrow.
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Hey everyone, I am starting to feel better. The stronger antib is working! yay! I actually got dressed today and took the dog for a walk before the 2 days of wind and rain that's coming our way.
Sew, I was almost crying when reading the story of your daughter and the homeopathic remedy. I've done that to myself with the pepper. Learned that lesson! But your poor DD, did it make her forget about the cold?
April, sorry for the holdup on starting rads. But you want to be as healthy as you can before starting tx. I hope you will still hang out here.
josie, yay your first day is over. No more unknown. It really does get down to a routine. I, too, put my shoulder out during the staging event. They kept me laying there for 45 minutes. It was really painful. The RO ended up ordering OT/PT for me and it was the best. It was so healing and the tech was so kind. Ask if it is available for you if the shoulder doesn't settle down. I got some cotton sports bras from WalMart that had a front closure so I didn't have to struggle with the over the head deal. You could also ask if you could get a script for a bra that would be more comfortable. Most insurances cover at least one or two. When I got fitted for one, they said cotton was important for your skin to heal. FYI
janis, I do hope you get to the bottom of the neck pain. I am glad the shots took some of the pain away. You have been struggling with this long enough.
I have a confession to make, I haven't taken my AI for two days. First I was so sick I forgot to get the script refilled. Then I picked it up today, but just didn't want to take it. A small rebellion is going on, I fear. My joints were so sore this last week, hard to tell if it is the bug I have or the meds. So I'm telling you guys, to be held accountable. It at least deserves a conversation with my PCP or MO.
So hopefully I won't be blown away. I told my brother today, I got ready for that hurricane at the end of the summer and it has served me well for these winter storms, too. What's the girl scout motto: Always prepared?
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Macatacmv glad to hear your feeling better.Thanks for the tip on the front closure sports bra.I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with the shoulder problem.But sorry to hear you had the problem to begin with.
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thanks josie, hope day two goes smoothly!
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Josie, To this day I'm still stepping into my stretchy bras and pulling them up.
Lousy day. Cold and raining, joint pain, I got a cold and I didn't get the job I wanted. Onward!
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Macatacmv, definitely do chat with your MO about the AI. My guy said he offers a two-week break to patients having a hard time with the drug. Often when it is restarted, the side effects are considerably less. I haven't started yet (still suffering through rads), but plan to keep that little vacation in mind should I need it.
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macatacmv......You are not alone in taking some time off your meds. My sister works for a breast cancer center in Colorado and the female oncologist there is wonderful. She is highly educated and in demand for lectures, etc. Susan says she is blunt but compassionate and the one thing she works hard with is her paients SE's. Quality of life is so important and she wants her patients comfortable. They do see the most SE's and issues from Arimidex. joimt pain being a big issue. To be perfectly honest my joint pain is so difficult to manage I have had enough. I am so crippled in the mornings it is pathetic. I saw my orthopedic surgeon Tuesday and went over the severity of my pain with him. He knows I am on Arimidex but said he suspects I have something else going on. He said I have way too many trigger points. We talked a long time and he gave me three injections, one at the back of my head the other two in my lower neck/upper shoulder. He said he thinks I have fibromyalgia or possibly some other auto immune disease. I had to go get a ton of blood drawn yesterday and go see him on the 27th for the results. He is also scheduling me to see his associate who does more injections as well as acupuncture.
My sister is really frustrated with my care. They never do blood work and they certainly don't seem to care about SE's. Plus, Susan was shocked when I told him I broke my arm. She said that is a huge indication of a bad SE of Arimidex. AShe cannot believe he did not order a bone scan right away. Anyway her boss encourages her patients to take a 'medication vacation'. She said often that is all you need, a break from the drug for awhile. She said it will not hurt, can calm symptoms down. etc. I am going to call my MO and let him know my plans. Also I want to discuss an alternative medication if I find that this joint pain is releived after going off of it. I am goimg to wait to talk to him and then just pick a date and stop for a week or two.
For everyone new to thism please understand that these meds are very necessary to help keep your cancer at bay. It is important to take them, and never assume that just because on person has an unpleasant SE from a specific med, it does not mean it will happen to you. So I am not recommending this to anyone, and at this point it is only an experiment. Listen to your bodies but also to your doctors. They need to know any changes you are making and be kept informed so together you can work as a team.
So as soon as I can reach my MO I will call and discuss these changes with him. If my joint pain ceases then we will discuss another med so I will not be unprotected.
So that is my plan, and I am sticking to it!
Love and pain free days to all.
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sab, hope you are feeling better.
brookside, welcome to the thread. How far are you with rads? I do have a good relationship with my MO, and will call her. I think this was a rebellion thing for me. Just sick of being the "good girl" and doing what "they" say.
janis, thanks for sharing your thoughts and about your sister's boss. I do hope you find the source of your pain and get relief.
I went to my chiropractor today and got adjusted. Her assistant asked how I was doing. I told her I was rebelling and not taking my meds. She reminded me that it is almost the anniversary of my sister's passing. She said that I have so much to live for, and my sis would want me to fight it with all I have. This was after the dr said she never went to a regular medical dr and would not do what they wanted her to do anyway for tx. So I came home and got the bottle out of the bag and took one.
I had alot of tests for other ailments. But all the tests came back negative, which is great! So why do I feel so darn bad? I am still on the antibs for the "cold" I have had for a week, the pink eye has settled down and my other eye is healing. My digestive system is out of wack b/c of the antibs. Anyway, I'm soldiering on for now. as sab said..........Onward!
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I have 10 rads down, 10, I think, to go. A couple of days ago I found litle pink dots on my chest, and they tell me it is radiation folliculitis. So far, not a problem, but I am facing this thing one day at a time. My scars (one for IDC, one for ALH, ADH, and several other benign thingies) are retracting. The nurse suggested I massage the scars, said I should do it this week because I probably won't want to do it next week. Oh, well.
If I understand correctly, the concept of the AI vacation is that after two weeks you go back on the very same drug, and might well find the side effects have been conquered while you went about your daily routine. If that does not happen, then you look at other drugs.
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