Fall 2015 Rads
A shy hello to all the lovely participants on these boards! I was reminded by someone starting an 'August rads' thread that there may be others out there undergoing radiation this fall, and thought to start a thread for that/us/anyone who's interested.
My sim/official intake's on August 26th, and I'll start rads on August 31st. At the moment, my RO and I are planning on the Canadian protocol for me--approximately the same amount of grays but over a smaller number of treatments--but I'd like to throw this open for anyone who is or might be undergoing radiation treatment this fall, or just faced with the possibility in the near future. I've been following the summer group, and pestered them endlessly with questions, and would like to start a place for the next group to come.
- Kbeee: August 26 (30)
- Littleblueflowers: August 26 (25/5)
- OxfordLady: September 1 (15)
- Queenmomcat: September 1 (15/3)
- PamelaR2015: September 2 (33)
- Skysquirrel: September 2 (30)
- Goofyfoot: September 8 (18)
- Mira845: September 9 (33)
- NM: September 9
- WinLT: September 15 (25)
- Horsegirl: September 17 (18)
- SpriteB: September 17 (26/8)
- Sweetmamaj: September 18 (16)
- Ankledolphin: September 21 (33)
- Meme117: September 21 (33)
- Sophie14: September 21 (33)
- KTBird: September 22 (33)
- Gingeel: September 23 (20)
- Tresjolie: September 24 (33)
- Dimccleland: September 27 (25)
- BrutersMom: September 28 (20)
- Capippy: September 28 (16)
- Lizannee: September 29 (30)
- TheyCallMeCommodorable: September 29 (21)
- Jactreehugger: October 1
- Courtleboo: October 5 (21)
- EnigmaticFox: October 5 (30)
- Ltam61: October 5 (25/5)
- Eaglemom: October 7 (15)
- KKjmck: October 7 (15)
- RA1960: October 7
- SugarCakes: October 7 (30)
- Upstater15: October 7
- ChristineT: October 15 (16)
- Inkster: October 15 (33)
- Trvler: October 15 (28)
- Bluedog: October 19 (15/5)
- ChristineT: October 19 (16)
- Magnolia83: October 19
- Petula: October 19
- Sloan15: October 19 (30)
- BJClaywell: October 20 (8/26)
- Molly50: October 20 (33)
- Outrunning: October 20
- Wildflower: October 20 (18/5)
- Georgie61: October 23 (25)
- 513Mgy: October 26 (15)
- KellyAnne13: October 26
- ElishebaJoy: October 28 (33)
- Lctbird: October 28 (16/5)
- Espanola: October 29 (30)
- Daylily: October
- ChiSandy: November 2
- Melb44: November 2
- JaneSheridan: November 3 (25)
- OneBadBoob: November 4 (25/5)
- Sophrosyne: November 4 (30)
- Suzanne50: November 4
- BradyBunch08: November 6 (33)
- AusUSA: November 9 (25/5)
- ThePrincess: November 9 (25/5)
- TinyDancer: November 9 (30)
- CuddyClothes: November 11
- Cupcake65: November 16 (30)
- Rainnyc: November 16 (25)\
- Ohiotripleplus: November 26 (30)
- Pennsygal: November 17
- Nana2-8: November 18
- Creativevintage: November 25
- HappyHammer: December 2
- Octogirl: December 2
- StefLove: December 7
An attempt at links:
- Summer Rads
- August Rads
- Winter 2015/2016 Rads
- Radiation Recovery
- What to do/bring/take to radiation treatment.
Comments
-
Good for you for starting this thread, QMC. I hope it all goes very well for you.
Feel free to stop by the summer rad thread anytime. We still love you!
0 -
Indeed I still love you! though I hope I'm not a pest....and I hope that anyone finding out now that they need rads would think to come to the summer group to find out what to expect.
0 -
Got my first official rads appointment: September 1. (mostly to bump topic if anyone's interested. I promise not to sulk if another similar topic pops up! More power to us all.)
0 -
I will join, not a big poster but I like to read
I have my apt with the oncologist tomorrow to find out oncotype score and *fingers crossed* will be starting rads soon. I need to go read the summer thread and find out what to expect! Just enjoying the break between surgery and treatment, trying not to let cancer consume me.0 -
(waves hello from the other side of the state) Definitely a break between surgery and rads! I'll be at eight weeks out from surgery myself, and cruised the summer and spring rads threads. Lovely ladies in both.
0 -
Hi, everyone. I finished radiation yesterday. While it hasn't been side effect-free, it's been really manageable and not nearly as bad as I feared. I'm posting this just to represent the "not so difficult" end of the spectrum.
0 -
I will bounce between summer and fall threads. I start tomorrow so I do not finish until October.
0 -
I start rads 9/24 so definitely in the fall group. 35 treatments for me :-( due to age, being overweight, and location of tumor...I don't qualify for anything but the full monte. Already had my Sim before I started chemo.
0 -
Ksusan: thank you for mentioning that! I know that the people most likely to post are the ones that have an issue, whether doubts about treatment or SEs, so it's nice to hear from someone who had minimal/manageable side effects.
Kbeee: makes sense to me. I've been batting between several groups as well--different people in each, with different diagnoses and experiences.
Tresjolie: my sympathies! Never did figure out how ROs decide to do what to whom. (I'm overweight and then some, with large breasts.)
0 -
Nice to meet you ladies!
Ksusan, thanks for the hope! I am praying for all of us to have a similar experience!
See, I didn't even really know that there are different treatments. I thought radiation was a set protocol. What is the Canadian one? The RO told me I am getting 30 treatments, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. And today I will talk to the MO about my hormonal options, those are really freaking me out!
0 -
Skysquirrel: The Canadian protocol is, in essence, the same as the one you're getting, except over fewer days. I confess i'm not sure how oncologists pick one over the other. Something to do with stage of the disease?
0 -
QMC, I am going to ask about it tonight
Did you pick up any good tips from reading the summer thread? I have been trying to read up on different deodorant options, lotions, shirts etc. 0 -
1 down 29 or so to go. That piece of gel for the bolus is HUGE! I did not think it would be so big for some reason (like wishful thinking)! Glad to have one down.
0 -
Yes, the summer thread was wonderful for just that reason--how to prepare, what to expect, and perhaps most importantly, what to ask! When in doubt, ask your oncologists--everyone's different.
For me, it helped to see the machine they'd be using. Also, I'm an avid though not terribly fast swimmer, so knew to mention that to the RO. I ended up taking a 'wait and see' tack for the clothing, but got some Aquaphor; my RO gave me some samples and I didn't find it too objectionable. Still working on the deodorant issue.
0 -
Please let me know if it would be helpful for me to post a photo of the linear accelerator, or my torso, here.
0 -
Well, I think it would be helpful to have pictures of both here as well, if you're comfortable posting a picture of yourself. Demystifying the unknown, again. (haven't worked up the nerve for myself, though there is, as of yet, little to show in re. rads)
0 -
Sim marks and stickers:
Torso after sim at start of radiation. Note sim sticker dermatitis (stickers were on for 8 days).
The linear accelerator, with molded head/arm form (hand grips are behind my head):
At 26/28 whole-breast treatments. The camera shows the field as redder than it actually was:
At 26/28 showing small blisters/areas that will peel, all of them at sim sticker dermatitis sites:
Boost sim: Boost area (final 5 treatments [29-33]) outlined. This photo shows the skin color better--pinky/tan, for the most part. Blisters have flattened:
At 31/33 treatments:
I had my last treatment on 8/25. I'll post a 1-week-out photo on around 9/1.
I had main field bolus every other day for the whole breast treatments, and every day for the boosts. As you can tell, I did a BMX with no reconstruction.
I had only a little redness on my back. The photo above is at the projected peak of radiation skin effects for the whole area treatments. 9/1-9/4 is the projected peak for the boost area. The area marked above as "area of radiated dermatitis" is the only area where I've had any peeling, and it's been dry with unbroken skin underneath ("dry desquamation"). The "area of tiny blisters" is the only area that blistered, and it resolved rapidly. Several spots of hyperpigmentation (between my drain scars and the boost field) are where I had sim stickers. As far as I'm concerned, they should not have happened--I reported increased dermatitis from adhesives and showed my RO the scar from under 24 hours of hypoallergenic tape (you can see where the replacement bandage was in the first photo, and see the scarring as a discolored vertical line at my left shoulder beside my port incisions). I could have been tattooed earlier, and therefore I consider these hyperpigmented areas and the peel/blister spots to be entirely iatrogenic and entirely avoidable.
0 -
(applause) Thank you! Interested in the difference between your sim setup and mine--I've only the four tattoos and no stickers or tape (thankfully. I had more of a reaction to the tape than my biopsy) I don't know if that's a difference between facilities or treatments, as i had only a unilateral partial mastectomy
0 -
It's probably a combination of our situation + protocols available + RO preferences + capability of each facility. I had 6 tattoos.
0 -
Hello to all my Fall Rad sisters!
Just staggering over here after a short but dizzying ride on the Chemo Carnival during June-August. Hope I never get handed a ticket to that little fun-go-round again
I keep hearing that rads is a walk in the park compared to chemo. Hoping it's true!! If someone had told me 3 months ago, I'd be looking forward to getting my boob fried I'd have thought they were nuts! But whatever!
I get my simulation on September 28, rads to start a week or so later. My RO is going to give me the Canadian protocol. Yay for Canada. Land of maple syrup, hockey, and 4-week radiation therapy.
Wishing everyone the best as they embark on their journey!
0 -
Wildflower: Welcome to the group, and hurrah indeed for all the things we've imported from Canada. Sigh. I'd rather be a hockey player.
Ksusan: you're right, that life's complicated. I'm sure the oncologists do base all this on a range of criteria.
0 -
I have 4 tattoos...but during my sim they held my boob up,with painters tape so skn did not touch skin. I also have tohold my breath during treatment since its left side...no pressure..
0 -
Nope,no pressure at all!
Painter's tape, huh? (scratches head, shrugs) All I got was a strip of what i think of as 'ricky tickie stickies' along my incision scar, and where the tats are now--those little stickers with a pinhead of metal that I got at various points during mammograms.
0 -
Yup...painters tape. And a loud speaker that kept saying...breathe in...hold...hold...breathe out....
0 -
Loudspeaker here too--I think that's a given. But at least I didn't have any annoying music. And the waiting area's got a couple of really comfy armchairs and a little conservatory-type area.
0 -
Thanks ksusan! I think the unknown is the scariest part of everything for me, it helps so much to get a little visual. Plus to hear from someone on the other side who is doing great!
My oncologist ran late last night which made me have to reschedule with my RO for today. You are all way ahead of me, I haven't had sim yet, hoping to start this all next week. I really just want to get rolling. Why does it seem like they aren't in as big of a hurry as I am??? Good news from the oncologist last night though! Very low oncotype score, no chemo, just rads and tamoxofen.
0 -
Grest news about the Oncotype, sky squirrel. I am jumping into rads 2 weeks after chemo. I am hoping to keep the fatigue truck as long as possible! Hope you can get in with the RO soon
0 -
Sky: your appointment with your RO is today, right? Do feel free to check in here when you feel up for it, if only for the moral support! And hurrah for a low oncotype score!
0 -
Wow KBeee! Only a 2 week break? You are one tough lady! lol, I probably would have done the same thing. I would rather just keep it rolling and get it all done.
0 -
I only have a two week break...
0
