Radiation recovery
Comments
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Cindy, sounds like you have some good friends. The garage is quite a chore. Decisions,decisions not sure what to tell you about CA vs CO. Except you probably would be safer from a earthquake in CO.
In answer to your question ,yes I'm seeing a counselor. She is helping me a lot. Also teaching me deep breathing techniques.
Suems, sounds like you got some good advice. I can't do any better than that so hopefully you can find something to work for you.
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Suerms, I am glad you thought to go there. Our local "Bedtime Boutique" sells super lingerie and swimwear in every possible bust size. I went there to get fitted for a bra after dx and about fainted at the size I needed ( I know my mom rolled over in her grave) and the price
about what I spend for a dress. Then I couldn't wear it till Rads were over since she fits the band so snug. Best bra ever, so I went back the other day (I've lost 30 lbs since dx) and bought two more and size changed again (band number went down, cup size went up) She explained that the tighter band pushed me up, wh ich increased he cup--thank God, I couldn't believe they were growing again at 58.....) Best $ ever spent..... 0 -
Welcome Suems,
Like Josie I can't add anything to the good advice you have already gotten. I do hope it gets better. I was blessed that my 33 RADS treatments went well with no real SEs.
Cindy - be safe. The weather situation in your neck of the woods is just terrifying! I am petrified of tornadoes so when that siren goes off I freak out.
I have cleaned out our garage a zillion times. Good thing is we can move around in it. Some of my neighbors can't theirs is so jam packed.
We have rain and more rain but nothing like Texas and Oklahoma.
DH's company dinner tonight at country club. Yea don't have to cook!
Diane
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Hi Suems, Great solution. I'm so glad you thought of going to the experts! I'm especially glad you now feel like a normal, double breasted woman who happens to be burned. You've been thru so much this year and getting thru it takes its toll, but to feel normal is just the greatest feeling. Keep it up...and keep on moisturizing. Who knows, maybe Mt. Kyle will even reduce somewhat on it's own....and that would be another blessing.
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So day 15 of hospitalization and I am growing very weary of the drive and the parking situation is even worse. So far, two parking tickets at 20.00 each as the meter ran out and I was a few moments late. New Haven makes their money off of parking tickets it seems...ugh! Plus they seem not to know when he will be released yet! He has moved rooms 5 (yes FIVE times) since admitting and he is finally back where he started in the "Verde" wing (every elevator is color coded for morons like me who get lost in the huge building..LOL) and that is the least convenient wing for parking/walking and with my screaming joints from the AI, I am toast and using a cane more often than not...ugh!
So, hopefully they will release him soon.
Hey Betty Boop, hope you are doing well.
Welcome to the newbie Suems and hope you get your issues worked out and don't suffer too much longer (sore nipples hurt like heck!)
Cindy, you are simply amazing with your detailed shout outs. My brain can't handle all that memory..LOLLove to all of you and know that even though I don't do the individual shout outs, I am thinking of all of you.
Bunkie, great to see you btw.
Josie, try to keep your sanity at work by remembering how great you truly are and that when and if you leave, they will be the ones losing out. Kay chica? xo
OK, back to work! xoxoxoxoxoxo
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April, honey, I'm so sorry that this has gone on so very long for you. What a total trouper you are.....I know it's hard when our loved ones are sick (kittie too) but make sure you take just a bit of time to rest yourself, or you'll be in the bed next to hubby. Is he any better? Still draining? I hope the draining has reduced or quit because to me that would mean he's close to going home.......hang in there. I'm going to send along my magical air lift so you can easily get from parking to hubby and back......just stand on it, click your heals (3 times is good) and dream of where you want to be and, voila, there you are! Hope it helps. If not, try music on an ear bud to while away all those exercise calories you're running off.........boy am I full of good suggestions today. Must be this prednisone......
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April, it IS exhausting. And something like a parking ticket when I'm down could just put me over the edge and make me cry for an hour.
Hang in there...can anyone go visit and you take a break? I know that is probably not likely, but it is acceptable for you to get a night's rest.
I hope things are going OK with DH.0 -
April, hang in there honey. I know how much it wears on you running back and forth to the hospital. My mom didn't know whether she was coming or going after a while when my DAD was in the hospital and the rehab recently. He's doing great now but I think she is still trying to get energy back and that was Dec/Jan.
Is your DH improving I hope?
Thanks for your encouragement April, I appreciate that.
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April - breathe! Ugh, the back and forth to the hospital. Not sure if this is a viable option...are you able to take a few days off, sleep in his room, have friend or family care for kitty, or stay in hotel on hospitals preferred list with free shuttle and take kitty..If not in ICU usually they will accommodate spouses...not the best sleep, but you are together. I did this for months, but I retired early so able to...drive to USC. Killer, and even this last go driving between hospital/home/pup was brutal...demands.
Find what works for you...(((hugs)))
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Im starting radiation mid July! Im totally freaking out..... I already did chemo 16 sessions of Ac, T, bilateral mastectomy and tissue expanders... Kinda went through enough so why am I freaking out..... I see some of you are talking about creams? Is it a specific cream?0 -
Welcome. Gulyssa. Yes, I guess just about all of us used some cream and/or oil to protect our skin during rads. I used emu oil morning and evening, and sometimes in between, and Jeans Cream (which they gave us at my rads center) after my treatment (pretty hard to transport a slimy bottle of oil). Other often-mentioneds are aloe and calendula oil. Your RO may have a favorite. The one thing to remember is that if you are going to slather something on in the morning, it needs to be three or four hours before treatment as unabsorbed oil on your skin is a big no-no.
I wore a white cotton Tshirt (usually a man's undershirt) under everything, to protect my clothing. Incidentally, the techs will make sharpie marks on your skin, highlighting your tiny tattoos. After a while, i caught on and used the cream to remove the marks before I got dressed; until then, the sharpie marks transferred quite nicely onto theTshirts, and, yes, they will also transfer onto your lovely summer blouse, so do please keep this in mind when planning your rads wardrobe.
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april - Yes it is exausting. I agree. I have seen enough hospitals to last a life time. hang in there and get a riding chair if need be. You can blow at people in your way and speed down the hall waving. I did that once after too much benedryl.
Just stopping in. I went to the rhumetologist yesterday and she took a x ray of my knee. I have bone on bone rubbing in the upper corner of the left knee so I have 3 choices. A special brace to see if it can help. some sort of shots in the knee that could give me a reaction OR total knee replacement surgery. I have no words at this point. Going to try the brace first. I also have some wear on the right knee that is being rubbed because I can not use the left much. So lets see....Deep breath....breathe....breathe.
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Bunkie, I had the shots (called synvisc) and they are supposed to replace the synovial fluid that is between the joint and the bone in the knee but it did not work for me cause I was too far gone. I was getting ready to schedule a total knee replacement surgery when I was diagnosed with BC and after two lumpectomies three weeks apart, I was done with surgery for a while. Have not yet even considered getting it done since but am paying the price cause between that bad knee and the exemestane, I am all but in a wheel chair at this point. Hugs...I know how much we need and use our knees in our lives and understand what you are going through!
Back to work.....
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April - I bet you are tired. The drive and finding a parking space alone are exhausting. And tickets too? Bummer. My DH was in the MED for over 2 months. He nearly died. It was a hike from our home too. Worked FT and had an 11 year old at the time. Hospitals are so depressing to begin with.
Can someone take a shift for you? I have a large family so there was always there with my DH. It took its toll nonetheless and sounds like it's doing s number on you. No crime in taking a break.
We are all praying his hospital stay ends soon and you can have some sense of normalcy.
Diane
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april - Mine are called Hyalgan. I think it is the same drug just a different name. She thinks I may be too far gone also. I will go for the brace and PT to see if I can get the knee to come back some. If not maybe the shots. I am NOT doing any surgery right now. Not unless I can not get around at all. I have a walker here for the bad days. I use ice on it. Is there anything that really helps you with this thing?
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Hi ladies,
Well, one of the drains came out and they are talking about removing the other one either tomorrow or Sunday and then they will release him to come home. The path report showed *nothing remarkable* which was music to our ears as we were holding our breath for the word cancer of course. It also showed that nothing grew from the cultures which means his antibiotic regimen is spot on and working for his infection (which they have no idea what type or where it came from, just that it was really really bad and filled with pus and other nasty stuff in his pleural cavity) so the news from pathology was all good!
He is likely to be released Sunday rather than tomorrow according to the doctors but there is still a small possibility for tomorrow. He will then be scheduled for an endoscopy if he does not begin gaining weight and his anemia does not drastically improve as they cannot rule out esophageal cancer yet since he has been on a proton pump inhibitor for several years for acid reflux. But, we can pretty much rest easy on the lung cancer angle and we already have tested for leukemia (a couple of times) so we are hopeful that this nasty infection was brewing for months and that is the whole reason for his weight loss and his severe anemia numbers. He has been slightly anemic for the last several years but when he went below 11, they got very concerned. Right now he is holding steady at 9.6 since the two blood transfusions (normal is 14-18 btw) so he has to build up big time. He is on a high calorie diet and the doctor told me to feed him as much red meat as I can.
Bunkie, I have not found much that helps me for the bone on bone knee. Cortisone helped for a few weeks and then back to square one and the last time I had it, it did nada.
Ok ladies, back to work. Just wanted to update you on hubby and thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. The hard work will be when he gets home. I just want him to go in the right direction for a change. It has been a very long year (this began last July!!!!!!!!) so hopefully we are going to come through this with health and a nice fat weight gain (can't even imagine being told to eat lots of hamburgers and gain 25 pounds! LOL)
Love to all of you! xoxox
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April, that's great news...I'm so happy for you guys. Thanks for letting us know
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gylyssa- don't fret about rads---I was scared too, but it wasn't anything like I imagined. Most likely your Rad Onc will give you a list of creams to choose from. Like Brookside, I wore a cotton man's "wife beater T-shirt" with a sports bra (100% cotton, no wires) 2 sizes bigger than normal over the top. as I was to chesty to go without some type of bra.
Use your lotion often, but not more than 3-4 hours before your treatment. Make sure you wipe the under boob area dry right before you get on the table.
You will probably have Dr. Day once a week while doing your treatments, but if anything doesn't seem right, you just ask to talk to the nurse.
I got pink and warm right after treatment, but by next morning, if not that evening it was gone. That continued until my 25th treatment, and I burned then. I only had to do 28, (no boosts) because of abnormal blood result I have had all my life. (elevated ana titer test)
Look and see if there is a Summer Rads thread. It helps to connect with a group of women who are all doing the same thing at the same time....
You are almost there! You got this!
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April, so glad to hear your DH is on the mend.That's a big relief. I guess he will enjoy gaining weight .My biggest problem would I would tend to eat what he's eating and I would gain too!
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April I can't thank you enough for your upbeat and happy post. I am so happy for you and DH. I can imagine this lung problem goes back so far it sure would affect his weight and anemia. Since you have gotten all good news thus far, plan on it staying that way. You two have been through hell and now it is time for both of you to focus on healing and a happy future together. I am so thrilled! Big happy hugs.
Bunkie I am sorry to hear of your ongoing problems and now that darn knee! I sure hope you can find some relief very soon.
gulyssa, congrats on getting almost all the way through treatment. It must seem like you have been at it forever I know. Please know that while we all responded differently to rads, for most of us it was not a terrible experience. I breezed through it and while I had some burning toward the end I always felt well. I didn't experience severe exhaustion at all. Often we went straight from rads to our beloved garage sales, or off to grocery shop or take our dogs for a walk. I hope the worst is behind you and that rads won't be rough. It doesn't have to be. Like others have said your doctors/nurses will advise you on what lotions they recommend and as long as you keep that up I am sure it will go well. Keep us posted!
Sew thinking of you and sure hoping that you are slowly getting your strength back. Be gentle to yourself my friend.
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gylyssa -your done w/the toughest part I think. Just a quick tip. NO cream or ointment w/even a spec of alcohol in any form.Even if its mixed in Aloe it will make it burn even more. The pure Aloe helped me.The otber types of healing creams are good for after its all done. I wore tank tops w/a loose cotton shirt on top. Will be pulling for ya!
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Good Morning! Just a quick post to let you all know that hubby came home this past Saturday and is doing well. Will write more later but just wanted to let you know and thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers through this very difficult time. Huge hugs!! xoxo
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April, Perfect! Great news
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Great news April - thanks for letting us know. Prayers answered,
Diane
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April - Great news to hear your hubby is doing better. You are in my prayers.
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Great news April, I'm so happy our prayers helped!!
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Had an ok day at work today because I was on the phones. My manager came up to us at the end of the day to let us know I answered the most phone calls of all the department's. Apparently I answered 84 phone calls.
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So happy you had a good day, Josie, and that they let you know. Apparently they have a way of tracking who answers what calls? Wow! Sure can tell you're not just hanging around polishing your nails! May there be many more good tidings from your managers.
So happy for you and hubby, April. It must be such a relief to be able to go back to something that at least resembles a normal routine. I'm guessing he won't be real perky for a while, but there can be much joy in moving from one's own bed to one's own favorite chair (and one's own TV clicker), to one's own kitchen, bathroom, barbeque, and all.
Hoping you're making great progress, Sew, and that your energy level is rising, rising, rising.
I spent all last week, and this weekend, moving my office into my house. Still lots to do. Totally exhausted, and cannot seem to stop eating. Looking forward to having all those zillions of files settle themselves into the proper drawers.
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Praise God! Wionderful progress for hubby, April!
Josie, it is great to know that they noticed and acknowledged you at work.
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Good morning ladies!
Thanks again for all of your lovely wishes for hubby. I appreciate each and every one of them.
Brookside, I had to laugh when I read this "I'm guessing he won't be real perky for a while" because he is already doing waaaaaay too much! He has already vacuumed, changed the kitty litter, cleaned the kitchen and if it was not raining like cats and dogs yesterday, I suspect he would have hopped on the tractor and mowed the lawn too! I was furious with him when I got home from work!!
Another great thing is he is eating like a horse! Yesterday, he ate French Toast and Sausage for breakfast (at 6:00am!!) and he had a slice of pizza for lunch with an Ensure Plus (which is 350 calories by itself!) and for dinner, he had a 12oz steak with mushrooms/onions, a huge baked potato dripping with butter and some peas and a salad. Then he had a piece of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for a snack at 10PM!! O.M.G.!
Before he went to the hospital, I was begging him to eat a little soup and now...well, let's just say I can't afford to feed him! LOL
Sew, hope you are doing better every day.
Josie, 84 calls????? Wowzer!
Ok, at work and gotta run as usual.
Love you all! xo
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