Radiation recovery
Comments
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Hi Gigil thank you for the kind advice I did not know about the low WBC lasting so long. I like your positive attitude and tips. I definitely do not get enough fluids can not seem to make myself drink. I try tea. I am taking Vit D again and a multi vitamin and omega and preserved to prevent eye troubles. I have floaters from macula puckering that started with the chemo.
I live on too much Tylenol for general aches andpains and headaches but yesterday I saw a neurological oncologist who recommends tramadol and nortryptyline not sure if I will take it
Every ache and pain is scary nice to hear from a survivor with s good attitude
Thank you
JK
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Shouts out to the new fresh faces joining us!
Congrats to those in the 5 yr club.
I haven't been well for the last 3 months. Dr says I'm not getting any younger & need more sleep. Not sure he is right. For those who know me I'm a workhorse. Yesterday I stuck 2 tomatoes in pots, cleaned a sink & toilet. Rested in bed twice for 2 hrs each. Felt like crap all day. Dizzy light headed. The work around here is piling up, so hard to watch & want to do it but know I shouldn't. I have my yearly check up in a couple of weeks. We'll see how that goes. I think I would feel better if it included a ct or mri. But that's not gonna happen. I'll also have him change my sleeping pills as they only give me 5 hrs. Anyhow, pity party over. Take care ladies.
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Gigi, that is good to know. Your advice is good....not everyone can or will follow such a good regimen but it makes me want to try harder. I did not think about spacing the meals.
Fran (Charger), so sorry you have not been feeling well. I am thinking this is not your normal. We age, but not so quickly!
Will you get blood work done? I hope so as that may reveal some things. If you need to, try to move your appointment up for peace of mind.Missing: Josie? Janis?
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Welcome newbies! I would not have objected if my ONC had decided I should stay on Tamoxifen for another 5 years. It is kind of an extra insurance policy to me but she said I was tempting fate since I had dodged a blood clot(SE of Tamox and my tumor, stage, etc and my Oncotype score just didn't warrant another 5 years. She isn't dropping me after August; the only reason I see her according to her is to evaluate how I'm handling Tamoxifen.
It's okay Gigi I'm sure you are still a hottie! Admittedly I do eat the sweet stuff but in moderation and exercise as much as I can. DH and I walk the dog for a mile just about every night and I mow the lawn and do all the garden work.
I wish out MIA ladies would check in.
Diane
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Joan 811 just had bloodwork done in Feb, all was good, blood pressure good. But yes I will be getting bloodwork, mamo, ultra sound, chest x-ray. Dr also said if not from lack of sleep then possibly emotional stress. But I don't feel stressed. I just want to get my work done. There's no way hubby can do all the yard work on the weekend. ( 4.38 acres) with no bush, all grass & flower bed & my fruits.
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It's so lousy to feel lousy, Fran. Maybe once he gets a look at you, your onc will order some sort of scan to rule out seven or eight possible causes for your problem. He'll have to see you before he knows what to order, I guess, but it will certainly help if you play the squeaky wheel role. As for lack of sleep, I don't think so. That (or inefficient sleep such as the sleep apnea I'm dealing with) could account for the lack of energy. I can personally attest to that! But I don't think dizziness is part of that particular issue.
Gigi, I wish I were only 35 pounds overweight! I also have good food habits, but, alas, I total lack of knowing when to say, "When!" I'm beginning to address the issue. This week I lost four ounces. So glad I bought the new scale that shows ounce. Little as it may be, even this weight loss feels good.
I also picked up on the study that indicates a lengthy nighttime fast can be beneficial. I think the magic number was 13 hours? Tough for me because I only sleep about six hours, and there is all that afterdinner picking!
Welcome, countryfrenchrose. Yes, rads and all can certainly have a surprisingly long lasting effect on the body's equilibrium. Maybe something along the lines of, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."
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Brookside, not seeing oncologist, I was released to GP when I finished Rads. Which is fine, I've only met with my onc twice. I would feel better if I was seeing someone who specializes in cancer, but this is what I've gotten. Thanks for the support ladies.
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Oh, sorry. I guess I wasn't reading carefully. At any rate, it seems he's ruling out all the most obvious things first. I still think the trick is to keep insisting he look deeper, maybe send you to an ENT for the dizzy thing. If seeing an onc would give you a more secure feeling, is it possible to set up an appointment? From your signature details, it does not look as though you've taken any anti hormonal, so I'm assuming that is why your onc relationship was so brief.
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A quick check in to see how you are all doing. So good to see your dear and familiar faces! GigiL I'm still working on things 4 years out. I'm well and happy, mostly, back to work and back to my life, but it took a long time, and I'm still not quite there yet. Wishing you all well, please keep in touch
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Hi Susannah (neighbor), Good to hear from you. I have been missing here for long periods of time, so I agree it is good to see the familiar "faces" and the new ladies as well.
I hope you are well and enjoying the (slow to arrive) spring-summer season. Maybe this will be the summer we can get together for a coffee or lemonade.
I also am feeling well except for a few side effects from AI that I can live with. I have some aches and pains in joints for which I am having physical therapy. It could just be my time to admit my body has been working for many years and needs servicing! Otherwise, life seems "normal".Happy Sunday....overcast and rainy here.
I have a question on the overnight fasting time. Does it matter if I eat late and then not eat until lunch? Or does it have to be early evening cut off and then breakfast? Is it water only? I will be looking this up at some point.0 -
Hi Joan, I would love to get together for coffee this summer! Let's pick a day.
I'm glad to hear you're well-I know its hard to distinguish between side effects and normal aging
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Hi Joan,
I read that 13 hour article and it just says 13 hours between meals. Skipping breakfast is not supposed to be good for you, but who knows. As far as the 13 hours, I've been doing that for 28 years (I know, I lead a regimented life!) and I still got cancer. So I'm taking this with a grain of salt.
Susannah, good to hear from you. You are a voice from the past. I'm glad you're doing well and continuing on, as it were....
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MostlySew
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Brookside, I'm taking Tamoxifen (5yrs) 2 1/2 to go. Only way I get to go back to onc is if my GP refers me.
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Will you be asking him for the referral at your appointment? As far as I know, in this country, it is normally the onc who manages the tamoxifen. I'm surprised it isn't the same everywhere.
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Hi Susannah! Hope all is well and so glad you stopped in...
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Brookside, my pills are provided by the cancer center. If I run out or need it renewed my GP orders it for me or I can call the pharmacy at the cancer center. I will wait on my test results to see if I need to visit the onc. Even if I got an appointment chances are I would be seen by the NP. That was the case throughout my treatment.
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Susannah, good to hear from you. Talking about AI's Dorothy Hamill has a website talking about choices in regard to those. http://bewiseraboutbreastcancer.org/
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Hi Susannah - love your name and and the song goes with it!
Fran - I've seen my ONC since my DX. She said her job is to manage my reaction or issues with Tamoxifen and that's it. My last appointment with her is in August. I'm surprised they switched you to a GP. I will continue to have mammos with my BS yearly.
Finally moved DS out. His room is so roomy now. He had accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. I threw out bags and bags of just junk. He just got a big bonus from work. Well deserved. He works hard. Visited with the babies and GFF's girls Saturday. Put a time limit on them though because they usually camp out here until late at night. DH and I love them but are exhausted after their visit.
Sew - Amen. Didn't work for me either.
I wish we could all hook up some day at a neutral place. I'm willing to go north. Haha
I am going to try and contact Janis. Hope she is okay.
Diane
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Hello ladies, I have not started rads yet but have been reading on how the rads can cause heart damage, especially if the cancer is on the left breast. This really scares me as I am going through chemo now the last round of AC really bothers my chest and I asked for a Echo-dopp test. I really don't know what my options are at this point and they said the Heart damage risks are increased with rads and anthracyclines. Has anyone experience this after rads? I know it is a terrible thing to have after BC. Any inputs to this are very much appreciated.
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hi Houston, I'm not sure I can help you much as my cancer was on the right, but thought I'd respond with whatever info I've got to try to ease your mind some. It is true that rads on the left side can impact the heart but my radiologist told me that the biggest problems were 25 years ago when they weren't aware of the heart damage they were doing. Since then they have perfected methods of being certain they are not radiating the heart. Sometimes they will have you on your stomach unlike us righties where it's always done with us on our backs. They also use something that's called a bolo(?) that seems to control the rads beam based on your breathing to make sure your heart is out of the way. I'm sure there are other things they do to make sure they aren't causing heart problems. I recommend you have a long discussion with your radiologist to address all your questions and fears. If you end up with a doc who isn't able to allay your fears (unusual but could happen) then talk with another one. Perhaps other gals on here can help more but in the meanwhile we're here to cheer you on and help you get thru this active part of your healing.
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Thanks so much MostlySew for your informative response. It certainly puts my mind at ease to know there are ways to prevent things. I worry about things ahead but will definitely talk to the Radiologist about it. The method of laying on your backs sound safe to me. Will check with tall you ladies later. Thanks,,
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The dosimitrist (the person who maps the path of the radiation) will work hard to keep your heart and lung out of the field. As Sew stated, often that means getting them in the prone position. In my case, I had partial breast rads which they aimed directly at the lesion and not the whole breast. They have ways to work around it these days. Please talk to your RO about your concerns so they can reassure you. Hugs!
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They may also suggest (and train you in) a breath control technique where you hold your breath for several seconds, keeping your heart a little further out of the range of the rads. Your radiologist has lots of strategies to rule out risk to your heart.
Oh, and keep in mind that while you will be scheduled to see your radiation oncologist once/week, either your RO, or whichever is on call, will always be available to see you if you have issues. Most likely, like me, your issues will be concerns, not actual problems, but I do want you to be aware that you do not have to wait to be seen.
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Thank you so much ladies for all your tips and responses. I don't have to worry of the unknown anymore. It's helpful to know what's available to discuss with my RO. I haven't met my RO but my impression with my OC is that if you don't ask or probe questions she's likely not gonna discuss it, unfortunately. Anyway, I can go in now with open mind and questions prior to rads. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Cheers.
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Hi Houston, I am receiving whole breast radiation with jelly boosts for the skin. At our cancer centre, I have to take a deep breath in and when I've reached 80% capacity, the breathing machine does now allow me to inhale any more. There's a nose clip on my nose and a snorkel in my mouth. Then I can push the button to start (and stop) the radiation. The use of the snorkel and nose plug is so that they can avoid radiating my heart. You can always ask about this at your radiation sim appointment. Ask your RO and the technicians, they're great at answering questions.
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Look at the sheer joy on her face! I love it!! Aubrey is such a happy little girl. She is getting so big already at 20 months...so sad to see her grow up but so happy at the same time! Just had to share this smile with you all.
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Look at the sheer joy on her face! I love it!! Aubrey is such a happy little girl. She is getting so big already at 20 months...so sad to see her grow up but so happy at the same time! Just had to share this smile with you all.
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Made my day, thanks April, happy kids just warm my heart.
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April - 💕😊 ah, so sweet!
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