Radiation recovery
Comments
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Great hearing from you Bunkie! Yes, I'm itching much less, thank you. Phew! But I am still taking Bactrim once a day. The next bold move will be to go to every other day, or two days out of three, and see if the itching comes back. I'd like to get off it over the next few weeks, if I can.
My mom insists on making pie crust and she taught me, but at some point I decided all the women of the past have paid our dues and it's OK to buy crust. So much easier. Good homemade crust is wonderful, but mine wasn't very good. By the time you mix it (carefully so it doesn't get tough or too wet), get your counter super clean, roll out the dough, clean up the flour that's everywhere, and wash the extra dishes, it's hardly worth the work. I'd rather focus on what goes IN the pie. The only thing I miss is the pie crust cookies I used to make with the extra dough.0 -
Bunkie, here's my mother's piecrust recipe: Two large globs of Crisco (I use 11/2 stick butter), about "this much" flour (I use 1 1/2 cups), dash salt, little sugar, and exactly 1/4 cup of cold water. Mix until it forms a dough. Flour your rolling pin and pastry board, and half the dough, roll it out, fill it, add the top crust, cut a nice design in the top to vent steam, using a floured knife or fork, or whatever, then make those little cinnamon pinwheels with the excess dough, and, finally, spend all the time it cooks cleaning the flour that covers the kitchen and you. Like RunFree, unless I'm showing off, I use the packaged stuff.
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Hi Bunkie, Wow...Tates in the wilds of MI? We have them in all our delis and farm stands...and I always bring them to MA for my DD & family. They are a staple but addictive. Gotta just eat 'em all then cleanse :-D
I am starting to get disoriented around noise and too many people...it's so not me--the ultimate unphased multi-tasker. Now, with tinnitus, if there is cross-noise, I have trouble decoding. When I got ear congestion this week end - 100% clogged and all I could hear was the louder ringing....I thought that's what it could be like someday??? UGH ....and when I was in the Museum in NYC with several students, I felt like the floor was moving (a la mild earthquake)...I was so disoriented. I guessed it was dehydration. I leaned against a wall, drank half a bottle of water, and was better.
Run, I have a weird job situation...I am a full time assistant for labs, ordering, curating collections...kind of do everything to support the faculty during the day. My teaching is overload and I have seniority over all adjuncts. It's a limbo job. But I am always there...so am the logical go to person for everything. However, at some point during the day, I am off the payroll. And that is when I need my time. Anyway, I kind of wish he would not bring me a gift because that means he feels he has compensated me. Last year was earrings.
Am shopping up a storm on line...love it! SAB, Run, anyone...I want to get a runners watch for DD. She asked for a watch, then said "bracelet" but I figured I'd go for the Garmin type...does any give an accurate heartbeat?
Soon I'll be FREE of course work and can keep up here...
Thanks for all who empathized or encourage me.
Wow, so much snow to the north...ski areas must be in snow heaven.0 -
Runfree I will pray that your sister is cancer free
Joan glad you can be with whole family for Xmas
WYO enjoy Miami
Bunkie you sound more upbeat. Please stay positive
Cindy I will pray that hubby's tests are negative, and that he doesn't need infusions0 -
Joan, thanks for explaining your role a bit more. I still wouldn't have asked you to cover for me. I get now why you don't want your chair to give you a gift! It's too easy. And I think it's a little weird for a male chair to give a female underling a gift like earrings. It's as if he's acting like your work husband or something, and you didn't necessarily agree to that.
For running, I have a Garmin 305 and I love it. I don't use the heart rate strap, so I can't comment on that. I love the data. I can use the "lap" function to separate my run into chunks, so a hilly section doesn't obscure how fast I was going on the flats. When I plug it into my computer, I get a little map of where I've been and a graph of pace, elevation across the run, and so on. I know there are a lot more functions that I don't use and don't really know about. Some people like the Nike + system which might be cheaper. I'm not sure what your daughter might mean by "bracelet" unless maybe a Fitbit Flex, but I don't think that would give much information for runners. You could ask on the running forum: http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/58/topic/799226?page=38#idx_11310 -
Joan - I have tinnitus also..... very bad started with my chronic vertigo. It is worst at night for some reason and I have to use ear plugs to control it. Yes Tates I order online. i bought some when I was in the Hamptons several years ago on vac. Nothing like it here in the midwest. One of my friends has a pie shop called Sweetielicious and she makes great pies etc but I can not get past Tates cookies. Yum. I was so glad when they did some GF also. My gastro says I do not have celiac and I am not allergic to wheat but I could be sensitive so I am cutting back. I eat a ton of wheat.
Brookside - thanks for that recipie. Have to try. I saw a good one on the Pioneer Woman last month and she used her stand mixer. I have one but it is so big I hate to take it out. Am I just lazy or what? I have my granddads rolling pin mom used. Maybe I will give it a whirl.
Runfree- I am with you on the store bought ones. Who makes the best? I saw some Marie Callander ones last week at Krogers. Might try hers this time. I have no idea why I never baked. I can cook for days but no baking except I do like Williams Sonoma cake mix. Expensive but good. Just want to make a sweetpotato pie for a change. I am going to have to get a Fitbit so I can track my steps. I think I am doing a lot with all these stairs and might not be doing much at all.
Kate - Thanks for the shout out. I am ok. Christmas was moms favorite time of year so I think of her a lot and it is so cold here this winter. 5 degrees again today with 10 inches of snow. More on the way. Definately a white Christmas. The cold really upsets my balance but we carry on. Today is a beauty shop day and the market. Then I will be inside till it warms up to our normal 30.0 -
Bunkie so jealous of cold and snow. It is 74 here0 -
Kate, so jealous of 74! The grass is always greener....0 -
Runfree you will be more jealous today it is 78 in Santa Monica. I'm dreaming of a white Xmas, but I won't get one.0 -
You can have mine Kate! It is snowing like mad out there right now and I have to drive home from work in it! I will take your 78 and raise you one slippery ride home :-) xoxo0 -
Oh Gosh I wish I could see it. Drive carefully April0 -
Kate - You can have all this I have. 13 inches total and still snowing. The temp is a balmy 23. My snow remover has been here 4 times in 5 days. I am sure if you go see your kids in Jan-Feb there will still be some waiting for you. I would love to be in Santa Monica right now.0 -
Single digits here, about a foot of snow on the ground and new inches coming down this afternoon. Roads poorly cleared, driving crummy. It IS pretty, though. From inside the house.
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Hello ladies,
I am new to this thread.
I completed my radiation treatments early September. Things were fine until about three weeks ago when my breast became red, swollen, and so sensitive to touch that even fabric against it hurts.
Why would this occur after 2 months of healing? I am a little confused. I called my RO, but while I wait, I thought maybe some of you had come advice. Maybe this is just part of the healing process?
Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Laurie
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Hi Laurie Parr -- I am so sorry to hear that you are having this delayed SE -- I had imagined by now you were well on your way back to normal! I hope you are able to find relief and comfort soon -- hope your RO has the answer for you. Gentle (((hugs)))
--Kim
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Hi LaurieParr--This doesn't sound pleasant at all! There's something called radiation recall dermatitis, but it's usually triggered by a chemical agent, like when chemo follows radiation. I may have had this in response to Tamoxifen (and that may be what triggered nearly total-body itchy rash for a few months, but I digress). Can you think of any possible trigger that would bring back the kind of skin effects that normally happen during or just after radiation? BTW, it's rare even when chemo happens after radiation, and my Tamoxifen-induced radiation recall dermatitis, if that's what it was, is even rarer. My RO looked at my inflamed breast--like yours, inflamed three months after I finished rads, but the itching was the worst symptom--and said, "I've never seen this before." She called in a senior colleague who said he'd seen it a couple of times. I hope your RO gets back to you fast. Let us know what you learn, if you get a chance.
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Welcome, Laurie, I'm sorry your having this delayed reaction.RunFree is right.It sounds like some kind of delayed reaction.When do you see the RO?Are you moisturizing still?
Kate you can have some of our cold weather.Although it's kind of warming up a little.It's supposed to be in the 50s by Thursday.We're supposed to get the rain and then more snow on Sunday.
Well my husband succeeded in giving me his cold I think.I woke with that scratchy sore throat this morning.Feel ok still though just a little cough.He on the other hand almost got booted out of the bed last night due to the nonstop coughing.Luckily for him the cough meds kicked in.He's on the mend though almost better.
We were supposed to go Christmas shopping today.My hubby didn't get off right away this morning though so I went up to the shop and helped him mark cars for the auction tomorrow.We got it done so he could get the rest of the day off.I made him take me out to lunch after that.Got 90% of our shopping done today.And wrapped.
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Laurie, sounds like it could be a bit of lymphedema, possibly. If the redness and pain continue, it's possible it could be cellulitis too, but I hope not. Make sure you get this looked at because while LE is no fun, if it is cellulitis that's not something to mess around about....good luck. The timing is about right for both of those things.
Shout out to everyone else. Just found a few minuted to try and catch up. Been very busy with family matters here, which I'd rather not be dealing with, but no choice. Glad to see you're all supporting each other, that's what makes this thread so great......
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Josie, I am so jealous of your shopping progress. I am up late still ordering....but I fear I will have to head to the stores one more time. DH is off for 2 weeks and can wrap. Yay!
Bunkie you sound pretty good this week....keep moving and think spring! A hair appointment....what a treat.
Laurie, I did not have any issues after rads so I can't comment. It is possible to get mastitis (clogged ducts associated with infection); but I agree with those who believe you should follow up with RO. Wishing you a better day....
Run, that's c-o-l-d! re: chair...I got a necklace this year...it has a "raw" blue mineral (kyanite) on a chain ...and after he gave it to me, I actually spoke up and said I would not do the late afternoon/evening time slot again.
I went and looked at all the runner monitors and could not decide so will read up on it tomorrow. Thanks for your input.When I came out of work tonight, my car was a ball of ice. DH "borrowed" my snow scraper and never put it in my car so I had to sit with the defroster on for almost a half hour. Then I used a plastic container to loosen the thick ice sheet. The joys of winter.....No snow at home at all; but it is relatively cold.
Stay safe and stay warm...
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How absolutely miserable, Laurie. Do you think it is a skin issue, or an inflamation of the whole breast?I'm guessing you really want this looked at, and, if your radiation center is like mine, there is always an RO there seeing patients, so, if you can massage your schedule, you should be able to see someone today, even if your own RO happens to be off on a cruise.
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Laurie I am sorry you are having problems
Rashes Rashes Rashes, Itch, Itch Itch, Runfree you must have been contagious. Last night I was ready to tear my skin apart from an entire body itch. I have an appointment Friday with doc, and will ask about it. Online folks are talking about this months after chemo ended. I seem to be only itchy at night.
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Oh no Kate, that is awful!!! There's really nothing quite like it to drive a person wild. How did you end up getting to sleep? I had reasonably good luck with lukewarm baths in Aveeno colloidal oatmeal powder (actually the generic version). But the water had to be pretty cool or the itching got worse. I'd take a towel in the tub with me, drench it in the coolish Aveeno water, and drape it over my madly itching legs. Ice packs held against a particularly itchy spot also worked pretty well. And sleeping pills.
We still have not heard about my sister's biopsy results from last Thursday. It's frantically nerve-racking. My sister arranged her whole week so as to be home Tuesday and today since they said the results would be available "early in the week." Now she will probably get the call while she's at work tomorrow after all.
I saw my MO today for my second 3-month check-up. She was very sweet and says I'm doing great. I have some scar tissue under my arm, and that's the reason for my sore muscles along my rib cage. She thinks PT would probably help. She wants me to taper off the Bactrim and keep doing blood work periodically, but otherwise she is very upbeat. She said if my sister does have invasive cancer, I might want to talk to a genetic counselor. But she also said that the genetic testing is likely to be a whole lot cheaper a year from now, due to recent court decisions and competition, so if I'm inclined to do it I might want to wait. She doesn't need to see me for another 6 months.
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Just a quick followup on my one-year appointment: My breast surgeon called wth the official all clear on my mammo and MRI. I asked what he thinks would be appropriate screening in the future, and he recommends 3D mammograms.
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Congrats Brookside, That's Great!!
Kate, sorry to hear your so itchy.I hope Friday comes soon for you.
Joan, sorry to hear about your scraper missing.I'll bet DH is feeling a little bad.Maybe he will get that scraper back in your car PRONTO!!
Don't be jealous we did get it all done yet and still had to wrap with no lock on My bedroom door with my about old constantly coming in the room.
I had a rotten day.Started off with losing my grip on the full coffee cup and spilling it all over my uniform.Luckily I just ducked backwards a little and that helped most of it land on the floor and not on me. Then had that sore scrAtchy throat today.Had a horrendous day at work.My manager wanted to talk to me.She also also had the lady who is helping me with the benefits in there too.She made it out like they wanted the lady helping me to give me suggestions on how I could be more efficient on getting my benefits done and even commenting on how busy she is and having to do my benefits too.She then started telling me how I have seemed so flustered lately and that employees have even noticed that I'm flustered and that they feel bad approaching me with anything else.Then my lovely Office manager comes in and puts her 2 cents worth in about how it should only take 15 minutes to do a bone density start to finish and I'm the only tech they have ever had that thinks they need more than that.I tried to assert myself and tell her and my manager it's not always that simple and if the patient is heavy or weighs a lot it takes longer to scan her.I left that office so frustrated.
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Runfree I hope your sister gets good news. Glad your MO appointment went well. I take 100 mg of Trasadone and 1 mg of Ativan for sleep and that knocks me out. Tonight so far the itching is under control.
Brookside happy dance for you. So glad mammo was negative.
Josie so sorry you had a rotten day
Bunkie How are you? Did you mention that you use Nioxin shampoo? Do you also use the scalp therapy and scalp treatment? How much do you pay for it? Which system do you use? I am thinking about buying system 4
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Thanks Kate
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Hi y'all
Josie - ugh...spilled coffee, in your face coworkers with constructive criticism, no appreciation
congrats on gifts all wrapped 
I spent sunday wrapping gifts for a friend...her 5yr GS ask if he could shake or peak...I wrapped gifts in double boxes due to Christmas spies...lol. I love that some things never change. Kate - ugh the itch and swollen leg...hope the swelling is going down...weekend party plans?
Joan - Frozen...burr! DH is in big ice block time out. Need a car with the app to turn on defroster before you arrive...like the commercial. Ackward on the gift, but you did speak up...set boundaries. Ah, Friday ...break time ...family time:)
GiGil - planning your winter escape
hope family is doing well, dad&siblings teamwork. Brookside - congrats on good reports! Yeah, 1 yr anniversary going well! What a year!
Laurie - sorry you are having problems ugh:(. Do see your RO...I agree it may be LE...you use that arm for work and had issues with your arm during tx...ask if these things have contributed to issues. About 3 mos post rads my skin began to change and peel at the boost/tumor site calmed after 2 weeks. PT for LE 2X a week and compression ugh...working thru this...good luck and let us know what your BC team determines.
RunFree - congrats on your checkup...getting some time behind us yippee. Fingers&toes crossed for sisters results...please please B9!
TeamKim - yippee, chemo land almost out of there! Happy Dance shoes are ready to celebrate
Busy visiting hubby's team this week tomorrow is the infusion issue, than MRI of abdomen...now they want to do head MRI ...ugh:(. Today BC center called and asked if I would like to have a chair massage...someone cancelled...yes! Ran across the medical campus...left hubby in waiting room for his labs...ah 30 minutes of heaven
then sat at the grand piano ...relaxed:)Shout out to Sew, Bunkie, SAB, Janis, April, and all Rad Radies!
(((Hugs)))
Cindy
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Brookside, that's great news! Hooray for milestones! Good info about the 3D mammo too.
Josie, this is insufferable. Have any of these people actually done bone densities themselves??? They are not worthy. Maybe after New Year's some new jobs will open up. I wish you a better job in the future where you are appreciated and treated respectfully. For now I suppose you have to put up with it and vent to us! Yuck, I'm so sorry.
Kate, I'm glad you have something to help you sleep. Itching and sleeping do not go together.
Cindy, I envy your chair massage! Good luck to your husband. Sounds like a lot going on, so hard to keep dealing with this stuff.
My sister wrote me that she called her liaison and said she was expecting her biopsy results early in the week, and the liaison said, "They ALWAYS say that, but it's really 3-5 business days." ARGH! This suggests there's no pathology lab on site, which is extremely fishy at a teaching hospital. So it could even be next week. The waiting is just the worst.
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Cindy I am loaning your hubby my warrior coat, only this time we will call it Prince Warrior Coat. We are all in his pockets. So glad you were able to have a massage while all this stress is going on. We are all in your pockets too
Runfree I am sorry your sister has to wait so long for her results, and praying for benign
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Morning ladies. Woke up very fatigued today. I can always tell when I brush my hair in the morning. If my arm gets tired I know I need to rest. Must be that sugar from the carrot cake I ate yesterday. Totally worth it. Another storm headed this way and a rain snow mix. Oh joy.Guess I will go to the store today and get ready for the next few days of storm. I am going broke from the snow removal man coming every other day.
Kate- yes I do use Nioxin and I swear I would be bald without it. I use #1 now but when I started I used the #4 I think. I had bald spots all over from the meds and two surgeries so I was a mess. I use the cleanser and scalp therapy but do not forget the Folical booster. It is in a pump bottle and you use it on your thin spots. It really helped. Takes a bit to see the difference but once you do you will love it. I have mentioned it to several people and they all love it. Smells like mint and makes the scalp mildly tingle when you use it. There is a color treated version you would want. A couple years ago I ran out and used some regular stuff I also like for about a month. I noticed I was shedding more and especially around the edges front and sides. I had to go back asap. They put it on sale a few times a year and you can get the real big bottles at a great price. Let me know how you like it. My hair never did go back to my Diana Ross frizzy wig look but I have more than I thought I would when I first got sick. I keep it shorter now and use less product on it.
Josie - Tell those people to get a life. Or as I used to say when I was working "bite me". That is awful. You need a medal for not locking the door and going nuts. Hang in there. I have to say before I retired I had a day when I did just that with my boss. Closed the door and blinds and told her off. Nothing dangerous but she was shocked that I could get that mad. I was always the mild mannered one that they thought was a doormat. Nope just a nice person pushed to the limit.
Cindy - All those MRIs...good grief. Good thing you got to relax. I pray he will be ok.
Runfree - I really hope your sister gets some news soon. Waiting is always the worst part. That is a long time and you are right I think about them sending it out. Sending good thoughts her way.
Brookside - YEAH!!!! Congrats on the results. I am 1 year out and feeling good about it too. My nurse at the foot dr yesterday was 12 years out and we celebrated.
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