Fall 2015 Rads
Comments
-
Anyone ever use Glaxal Base? That is what my RO told me to get before my treatments
0 -
My nurse gave me some saline solution to use as a soak with gauze pads when my skin breaks. She kept telling me to call when the skin broke and she would tell me what to use and how to treat it. I told her the other day I wanted to get the supplies and know what to do ahead of time incase the skin broke overnight or this weekend. I live in a rural area and have at least a ten minute drive to any stores. Twenty minute drive to a 24 hour CVS. Glad I have everything now if needed.
0 -
little blue, they should give a prescription for Silvidene . That is soothing and helps to prevent infection. I got a prescription for it on Monday. I only use it on the peeling areas. The Mepilex dressings help a ton too
0 -
My son had a 2nd degree burn and was prescribed silverdine for him and he healed beautifully and was in no pain. So, I know it works wonders! Didn't know to use it in our circumstance. Thanks for the heads up. At least now I know I've got my guns ready. Skin still holding up at #7.
0 -
Don't forget to keep moisturizing the area on the back of our shoulder (if your beam went through). Although mine only flushed the faintest of pinks at the time, I'm noticing that the skin is tighter there.
0 -
Ksusan, mine is peeling. My techs warned me about that and I am glad; I would have had no idea to moisturizer there!!!!
0 -
Yup I have a brown spotty itchy patch at the top of my shoulder blade too...
0 -
Tresjoli, I second the bra extender suggestion. They sell them at JoAnn Fabrics really cheaply, if you can find one near you? Not sure where you are, but there's a store in West Roxbury? There's also a JoAnn Fabrics on rte 9 in Natick, and they definitely have the bra extenders.
I picked up one there myself, on a suggestion from a nurse. I'd realized I'd gained about 12 pounds during chemo, all my bras were too tight, and I didn't want to have to buy new ridiculously expensive mastectomy bras when I hope to lose the weight later!
I'm actually going to an appointment today to look into soft camisoles, instead of bras, hoping that it will ease or prevent discomfort. I hope that ends up working...
Today is my imaging "dry run" appointment, and I'll go for 1/30 on Monday. Going to be hard not to think about that this weekend...
Take care,
--Sherri, aka EnigmaticFox
0 -
Hi all...interesting what counts as good news these days. Got the oncotype result I was hoping for (low risk, score of 13) which means I start radiation on Wed 10/7. Looking forward to joining this club. Looking forward even more to being in the "cancer in the rear-view mirror" club...
Happy Fall, everyone...
0 -
Upstater: congratulations, in a manner of speaking, on being able to move directly to rads. I've put you on the list--do you know how many you're getting?
Kbee: I'm now the proud owner of some 3"x4" 'adhesive pads' to cover what is now my lone "annoyed" spot. Not the foam pads your RO suggested, but it'll do for me. Thank you for mentioning it!
0 -
3 whole breast and 8 boosts to go
KBee, we look similar. Here's a photo from today. As you can see, I'm starting to peel (that's peeling skin, not a dirty underarm!) and the skin under my arm is weirdly wrinkled. Fortunately, nothing has split. The RO seems surprised that it hasn't. I find it odd that the one place that hasn't turned beet red is around my scar where they removed the lump. It's top right in the photo. My cancer was at 12 o'clock a few inches above my nipple. Hopefully that is where the boosts will be aimed and the rest can start to heal.
0 -
For everyone starting the silverdine, if you start to get little red spots anywhere on you, it may be the creme. 12 days after starting silverdine, I got red spots on my ankles all of a sudden. Took about another week to find out it was an allergic reaction. It's been about a week and a half now and the spots are on my feet, ankles, hands, and arms. Thank goodness they don't itch. They say it'll take awhile for it to go away. Evidently, I'm allergic to sulphur. On the plus side, sixteen days post rads and my chest looks pretty good!
0 -
Pamela, we do look similar!!!! I am peeling like that too. Skin looks like it wants to split under the arm, and has split a little below the implant/breast. My scar where my most recent tumor was also is not as dark as some other areas... Just like yours. I am getting boosts there now... Today was the first. We'll see how they look in a week or so!!!!! The finish line is in sight ... We're almost there!
Speaking of finish lines, I am running race for the cure tomorrow. It may be a slow run, but I do hope to run it. I hope my skin survives, and I sure hope people are not offended by my arm out to the side ... I look like I am trying to elbow people when I walk or run
0 -
Love my RO!! 😍😍 Spent way more time with me than my BS or MO. I'm to do the Canadian protocol in the prone position. Radiation to breast only. I feel incredibly fortunate to have a relatively easy course. It's a total of 20 treatments, 15 whole breast and 5 boosts, I think. I'll get the details more firmly cemented in my brain when I go for my sim next week. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. I know so much more and fear so much less than I would have without you.
0 -
Kbee: I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few other women also running with their elbows out to the side.
0 -
It's 33 treatments. Done the Friday before Thanksgiving.
0 -
Bluedog: I think that's the easier protocol, if only for the fact that you. do. not. have. to. go in. NEARLY as long. Possibly also easier on the skin?
Upstater: better than the Friday after Thanksgiving, though if hosting big family gatherings are the norm for you, you might want to consider farming out some tasks. Starting with cleanup! (or whatever you hate most)
0 -
I have been posting weekly pictures. Maybe a few others want to do the same. Lots of different protocols. Though some of us get pretty burned, I know a lot of people locally who have ended up just a bit pink. Seeing various versions helps to know what to expect. I know seeing Ksusan's pictures, including healing helped me to know what to expect.
Everyone enjoy your weekend; nice to have a couple days free from the zapper.
I did not know they use the bolus with the boosts. That was an unpleasant surprise!!!!
0 -
fletcher, clarify with your doc whether it is an allergy to sulphur of sulfa. There are sulfa drugs in Silvadine. It's the antibiotic. I mention that so you make sure all docs know you are allergic to sulfa (if that's what it is) so you are not prescribed it for infections. It is a commen antibiotic.
0 -
Hello all. Wheee...have a treatment plan! Will start rads in a couple of weeks, start Goserlin next week. I might be an elbows out sweaty witch just in time for Halloween. Have tried to think positive on the rads til now, but seeing all of your pics and hearing your stories makes me feel like a bit more caution is in order, though hopefully my protocol ( 28 treatments so that I can have BMX post) is gentler...
0 -
Zinny..I didn't have near the reaction that some of the others had. Maybe I'll post some pics later. I don't know if it was just me or if my after rad aftercare routine worked for me. I had 28 TX and am now 7 days post rad.
0 -
I had 16 accelerated whole breast treatments and 2 boosts in the prone position. I have not had it too bad being 2 days post-completion, except for the itchy rash down the center. On the final day of treatment I saw my RadOnc and he said "you know it will get worse next week, right ?" but he also said he just saw a woman who had accelerated treatments one-week-out and she was no worse.
When he asked if I had any questions, I asked how soon until I am fully healed and he said "one month." Then I had him totally befuddled when I asked how long until I could expose it to a tanning bed, and after telling me how horrible that was to do, and especially someone with blue eyes, he said "six months". I said, yes, but it can't cause breast cancer, right - and he said no. I'm not saying that I am going to go back to tanning, I am just saying that perhaps I did not have as bad a reaction because I had been frequently using a tanning bed prior to my diagnosis and so that maybe my skin had adapted. However, tanning burns the outer layers of skin, and radiation causes the skin to stop being replaced once it dies (or something close to that) so it may have nothing to do with it.
This picture is of me after 15 of 16 accelerated whole breast treatments. As I said in an earlier post, I did not realize I was being zapped on the non-cancerous breast, or down the middle, so I was not treating it with the biafine cream. The rest of the right breast is fine - maybe slightly more tanned than the left but I can't even see the demarcation of where I was zapped and where I was not. I have a diamond-shaped radiation "tan" and they carefully pull the left breast out of the way each time, and I lie on it, but some of it is still exposed as they try to get the area of the right breast that is required.
.jpg?1443873377)
And this picture is a zoom-in of the rash, after 16 whole and 1 boost treatment:
0 -
I have a new favorite cream!!!! My RO told me to try Recticare. It's for hemorrhoids but he says you can use it anywhere. It has 5% lidocaine, the most of any otc product. To compare, CVS Aftersun has .5%. It not only stops the pain, it stops the itching.
The down side is that it's expensive, $30 US. But you use it sparingly. If you go to the product website you can get a coupon. I also had a 20% coupon from CVS that helped.
0 -
I don't want to scare anyone with my burns. The women that get their treatments before and after me were not getting burned. They were just red like a mild sunburn. Everyone reacts differently. I have two more boosts to go. The burn continues down the side of my breast and underneath. The area underneath is very bad.
0 -
Oh my goodness, meezers3!
0 -
Oh my goodness, Meezers, you poor thing. That made me weak in the knees. I hope you heal quickly and get passed this. Many hugs.
Five days of rads and I'm not even pink. That's a good sign, right?
And remember when I said it smelled funny? I was right - my incision is infected. The funny thing was that I saw my breast surgeon before my radiation and told her I thought my breast was weepy and smelled funny; she looked at it and said 'No, looks fine, just stop putting any cream on it for a few days.' Then I went to radiation (literally ten minutes later) and the technician told me that there was a smell coming from the incision and it looked infected to her. After Rads I saw the RO who told me it was infected. WTF Breast surgeon? So I'm on heavy duty abx and cream over the weekend and they'll check it Monday morning to see if I can continue with rads. They wouldn't stop after 5 because of an infection, would they? Give me infection-fighting vibes so I can keep going on Monday!
0 -
Oh meezers, no wonder you've been in so much pain! I hope it heals quickly. Gentle hug for you!
0 -
ouch Meezers, that is hoiiible!!!! Get some Mepilex dressings. They help a lot!!!!! There are ones with no adhesive; I hold them in place with a tank top.
Everyone's reactions are different. My techs said most people doing the longer protocol get 18 grays per day as their dose. When they need to be more aggressive, they use 20 grays per day. That makes a big difference, as does bolus, total dose, area covered and individual reaction. Most women I see get pink/red, peel a little, and generally don't have too much discomfort. I hope lots with those reaction post pictures too because I think it is helpful to see a wide range of reactions
0 -
I would post my (skin) reactions, a week out from rads, to reassure those starting, but (alas) no camera just now. But for those about to start/in the first couple of weeks, rest assured that my skin's intact, and I'm still capable of wearing my normal bras, abrasive seams and all, for most of the day.
0 -
Oh my gosh meezers, how painful looking. I am whining about my itching, and stretching pain when I lie down any way except on my back, but I have not had anything like that. Not sure how many days of treatment you had.
The thought of having to go back for more radiation with that much redness is horrible. Maybe since the burns usually do not appear until the accelerated protocol is almost finished, I would think no matter how bad it is in the end, it is preferable to not have to go back for another two weeks once the burns and rash set it.
I asked for the accelerated plan, and I asked for the prone position, after researching which facilities offered both, so anyone who has not started yet, I would ask about these as well. At least ask why you are not a candidate for them. There are factors that go into whether or not you can be prone, but the research for the accelerated program has shown it is just as effective as the 30+ day protocols. I think ROs are hesitant to change. And you have to be comfortable with the decision as well of course.
Gentle hugs meezers. I hope you heal quickly !
0
