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Radiation recovery

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Comments

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited December 2018

    Thankyou mistyeyes. Happy Holidays!

    Diane

  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited December 2018

    Congratulations on the win. Your lights are gorgeous and, yes, it is easy to see how hard your husband worked on it!

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited December 2018

    Thanks Brookside.

    Diane


  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited December 2018

    Hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We sure did especially with the twins. Saturday is my in-laws Christmas. DS and I will miss it. I’m going to a game watch for my ND Irish-Clemson game and DS is going to Atlanta with friends to see the Michigan-Florida game.

    Pics of the twins and their haul at Christmas. The dune buggies were a big hit!

    Diane

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited December 2018

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  • TrailDweller
    TrailDweller Member Posts: 29
    edited December 2018

    Back in October I posted how tired I still was after radiation. I finished 33 rad treatments on September 5th. Here it is late December and I am having less tiredness than October but it still lingers on. My question is about the tenderness, I am still very very tender and it was the oncologists who said it was from the radiation. Anyone else still so tender and having "random boob pain" ? Just trying to discover if it's normal or a bit abnormal.

  • mistyeyes
    mistyeyes Member Posts: 581
    edited December 2018

    TrailDweller - I still have random pain, but I don't think mine is from radiation, I believe it is still from when I had surgery. I was told the pain was scar tissue snapping and that was a good thing. I don't know really what I am talking about, but if I say it still hurts sometimes, they tell me it may hurt for a couple of years.


  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited December 2018

    TrailDweller, I had no problem with ongoing tenderness, but fatigue lasted for ages after I finished rads. I went back and saw the R/O once, I think, and her survivorship nurse several times. Rads does not necessarily end when treatment ends. A survivorship (post-rads) program is part of the treatment because so many of us have continuing issues. It sounds to me as though your issues are pretty common, but it is always better to have the rads people take a look.

  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited December 2018

    A belated Merry Christmas to everyone. I was away and so busy partying I never got to send messages. One of my daughters-in-law hosted a traditional Italian seven fishes Christmas Eve. There were 25 adults and a bunch of children. We ate from 5:00 until 11:00. No kidding. Hors d'oeuves to die for, then a fish course, then a pasta course, then a huge dinner buffet, then dessert, then candy, cookies, and after dinner drinks. Fish included shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, crab, clams, salmon, and maybe more. Total joy. I love to eat.

    Diane, those boys are getting so tall and handsome!

  • TrailDweller
    TrailDweller Member Posts: 29
    edited December 2018

    I was "released from care" from my rad doctor and referred to my oncologist. My rad doc was almost 80 and about useless during the entire process.

  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited December 2018

    TrailDweller, just because you have been released from care does not mean you cannot go back. If you are having post-rads issues, it is his/their responsibiliy to see you and determine the cause. You could, of course, see your surgeon or onc instead.

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    Brookside - they sure are and heavy too - at least Jackson is. I may have dislocated my hip carrying him. HaHa

    What an awesome dinner you had. Sounds like a fun time. I’m gaining weight just reading about what you had to eat!

    We are keeping the twins overnight so DS can go out NYE. We don’t party like that anymore. He said he’s not traveling around town but partying at one place and staying put. He doesn’t drink anymore so I’m not worried about that. We all know lots of crazies out there tonight and police as well.

    Hope everyone has a fabulous new year!

    Diane


  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited January 2019

    Happy New Year everyone! Best wishes for many blessings for all.

  • 70charger
    70charger Member Posts: 591
    edited January 2019

    our xmas officially sucked, big time.

    Glad to see so many having a good time for the holidays

    Love u all to bits, so thankful to all of you for all you give me.

    Hope 2019 is good to each of you.

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    Oh sorry Fran. Holidays are so stressful sometimes. You spend months prepping and usually spend too much money. For me though it’s my favorite time of year. I love the decorations(obviously) but this weekend gotta take them down which will take all weekend. Ugh.

    Hope 2019 is better for you.

    Diane



  • luanneftlaud
    luanneftlaud Member Posts: 1
    edited January 2019

    I had a lumpectomy 11/20 and did braechetherapy (sp?) savi catheter radiation. 5 days 2x a day. I had a home health care nurse come to change the dressing for 1-1/2 weeks. The incision under the breast in the crease is not healing. MO said leave it open, no bra, air out. Surgeon said looks good, put bacitracin on latex bandage and now I have a rash and bumps all over the breast. Any thoughts on what I can do to cover the incision and put rash cream on the rest of the breast. I live in So Fla and if I wear a bra with the gauze and tape and cream, it doesn't hold.

  • MostlySew
    MostlySew Member Posts: 1,311
    edited January 2019

    Luanne, I recommend calendula cream by Boiron. Not the diaper rash one, get the cream for burns. It’s wonderful, natural and really helps. Amazon sells it (of course). Definitely leave the area open, and if you get wet in that crease due to heat or humidity, try using cornstarch as a “pounce” ...I.e. put some in a nylon stocking and pat it under the boob. It helps. Good luc

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,741
    edited January 2019

    luanneftlaud, we welcome you warmly to Breastcancer.org. MostlySew, thank you for providing great tips!

  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited January 2019

    Luanne, my guess is you have some sort of sensitivity either to the bacitracin or to the moistness of bacitracin plus Florida heat plus bandaging. It sounds as though going back to air drying might be called for. Also, is the non-healing incision from surgery or from rads? I'm thinking either your surgeon or your R/O needs to take a peek at what's going on, both to figure a way around the rash and to see about getting that incision to heal.

  • brooksidevt
    brooksidevt Member Posts: 1,432
    edited January 2019

    So sorry, Fran. Holidays can be absolutely miserable things, and it sure sucks that this year it was your turn to be at the wrong end of the bell curve. I hope the New Year brings you some sunshine. And quickly!

  • 70charger
    70charger Member Posts: 591
    edited January 2019

    thanks ladies.

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    image

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    Our son had this picture framed for us for Christmas. These little guys are so adorable and photogenic! Of course I'm prejudice. We love them so much I don't remember what life was like without them.

    James always has a bag or backpack of something to carry around! Mickey Mouse is his fav.


    Diane

  • joan811
    joan811 Member Posts: 1,981
    edited January 2019

    Hi Rads Recovery friends old and new!
    Yes, I had disappeared, but not due to any reason other than it is a lot to handle right now.

    I shared with the group awhile ago that I had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer 7 years after Stage 1 breast cancer and radiation.
    I, like many, thought I would be done with cancer and hardly thought about it. My digestive issues and pelvic pain were misdiagnosed by gastro doc. So it was a shock.
    All visible tumors were removed, and now chemotherapy is being given to put the "invisible" cancer cells into remission.
    I am pain free and mobile and have at least two good days a week where I drive and go out and run errands and meet friends. On nice days I like to walk on the beach or on trails. I am not sick and have a great appetite.
    I am half way through the chemo - 9 down, 9 to go over 18 weeks. It is a long course, and not much recovery time.
    I am doing hair conservation which is optional and actually quite costly; however, I wanted to try it. My hair is very thick normally. I had great success but the past few weeks it has thinned a lot. I still have full coverage of hair. I wear a cap to cool my hair follicles so that they take up minimal amounts of the chemicals. It is uncomfortable at first. I have a long way to go so I don't know what the outcome will be.

    I had a good Thanksgiving - my DD Erika (CT) rented a house on the beach road and we had 4 of 5 kids and 5 grandkids. They gave me a little surprise 70th birthday party the day after.
    I managed to do my usual shopping for Christmas mostly online. I got a burst of energy Christmas Eve and went to the outlets myself...had a good time hand-selecting the final gifts. My son Matt came to spend the night.
    I am day to day with how I feel. On Christmas Day I was well enough to take the ferry to Connecticut to Erika's. We had a nice day, and ferried back that night.
    On Jan. 5th, DD Heather from MA came to CT and we went back and had Christmas again with her family and 2 granddaughters.
    My only sad moment was on Dec. 22nd when Heather got married (2nd marriage) at a beautiful small ceremony in her home. I told her I would be there but I did not feel up to the 5 hour trip and overnight. I did not go and it was very sad for Heather and for me.

    We will be getting the storm that is affecting so many tonight and tomorrow. But it will be too warm for snow. Sunday will have a high of 50 then the temps will drop to 8 degrees before the day is over.
    For those of you with clear skies, there will be a total lunar eclipse late Sunday.

    Thank you for all the good wishes that I read back. Sorry if I repeated a lot that I posted earlier.
    You are all in my thoughts.
    I will try to post a few photos separately.
    Love & hugs,
    Joan

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    Joan - so glad to hear from you and so sorry you are dealing with medical issues- again. You are such an active person and it’s great you have all that family time too. I know you hated to miss Heather’s wedding but you were there in spirit and I know she understood why you couldn’t be there.

    I don’t envy the weather you are about to get. Stay safe. It’s cold here in Tennessee but wintry weather is not expected thank goodness.

    Keep in touch and take care of yourself.

    Diane

  • josie123
    josie123 Member Posts: 1,749
    edited January 2019

    Joan,

    So nice to hear from you.

    ((((Hugs)))). I’m so glad your holidays were good. You are so strong and I m proud of you for being such a fighter.

    Something told me to check back on this thread tonight!! And here was a post from Joan. Keep up the great attitude and lots of love ❤️

    Diane we sure have had a snowy Jan in MO. Today it was 7 degrees when I went out to start the car. Brrrrrrr

    My grand babies are getting big

    image

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    Josie - they are getting big and so cute! Are your daughters doing okay? How are things with you? Are you still living with your MIL? How is that going?

    I’m posting a pic of the twins that my son had framed for us for Christmas. We see them several times a week. They are growing up fast too! Son is looking into a pre-school for them. They found one they all really like but it’s pricey like $800+per month per child and doesn’t include lunch. School has incredible reputation. Even if he can swing that I don’t think their mother can. We can help some but not for both. We’ll figure something out.

    Stay warm.

    Diane


  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    image

  • josie123
    josie123 Member Posts: 1,749
    edited January 2019

    Diane,

    Darling picture. They are definitely growing up. I can’t believe they want that much for the preschool with no lunch? Is it full time?

    Living with my mother in law is ok but has its stress that’s for sure. Like when she walks in on me as I’m getting out of the shower or getting dressed. We share a bedroom door and I really need to learn to lock it. She needs to learn to knock.

    My Sister in law is thankful we are there. She came down with the stomach bug on thanksgiving night and then had it again the week before Christmas. I took care of her but she’s stubborn and wasn’t drinking enough water and had gotten dehydrated. We took her to urgent care on New Years night. She was very dehydrated and had double pneumonia.

    they treated her right there with fluids and gave her antibiotics. Of course the first antibiotic was making her vomit so they sent her anouther one tht didnt make her sick.

    My youngest DD Claire is doing well in school but has a boyfriend tht we really dont approve of. Shes like her sister and

    ends up choosing someone she thinks she can fix.

    Im going to close this post right now and will check back later cause my coffee is done and calling to me


  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 1,568
    edited January 2019

    Thanks Josie. Yes it is hard to believe they charge that much for young children and yes it’s full time. My youngest son, their dad, went to a private Catholic HS. When he graduated in 2007 tuition was $8600 a year not including books. At least he was in HS. They are only 3 years old.

    Your MIL should knock but lock the doors just in case. I couldn’t have lived with either of my MILs but mostly because they were too interfering and my husbands didn’t want to buck them. That is until I came along. Things changed then - drastically. My parents never interested with any of my siblings lives or mine.

    Hope your SIL is lots better. Stomach flu is brutal. I’ve had to do the IV thing too. Bet she was glad you guys are there.

    Oh no another BFF you don’t like. Our kids seem to be magnets for picking them. Hopefully she’ll outgrow him and move on.

    I didn’t like my son’s GFF from the getgo and he knew it. I could say I told you so given what’s happened but that would be mean plus she is the twins mother. He had to find out the hard way like I did growing up.

    Diane