Fall 2015 Rads
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Hi all!
I'll be joining you sometime this fall. I think my surgery will be 9/23 and rads will begin after that - mid to late October? I finished chemo last week. I'm waiting for the RO to call to tell me what a radiated, post lumpectomy breast looks like.
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Welcome to the group, pennsygal.
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hi I'll be joining in, not sure start date but second consult next week so thinking the week of the 15th. Thanks for photos very helpful.
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Here's 8/30 (5 days post-radiation). Getting redder in some spots, as predicted, and starting to lighten up in others. The one spot under my armpit is peeling but the skin underneath is intact. Some pain on the scar and in the armpit, which is part of the area targeted by the boost. Skin's a bit itchy. Doing well.
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It might be time to post this again:
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Hi Maryellen, do you know how many treatments you will have?
KSusan, That photo cracks me up!!!!!
Yesterday was #3. I think they are doing 30. I will confirm that with RO today since Tuesdays are my day to see him. That means I'm 10% done... 13% in a few hours. Too bad the last 10-30% will be the worst! These early ones are easy! Hoping to not hear songs like "this girl is on fire" today!
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Meme: welcome to the group! I'll put you up on the list with a tentative start date, though that may be changed if you wish as you know more about your treatment sequence.
KSusan: thank you for the updated recovery photo....and the captioned one.
I start rads today, and not surprisingly had a VERY convoluted anxiety dream last night, involving being on a cruise which was commandeered by Somali pirates.
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Hello Ladies! I am ready to go, I start tomorrow at 11:45 on my lunch hour from work
I had a whirlwind appointment with the RO on Friday... They called and asked if I could come in that afternoon or wait until Monday, of course I said I am on my way. Then he went over everything with me. I asked about the Canadian schedule, he said he didn't want to do that because I am only 41? So I am in for the full 30 treatments. Its only 6 weeks right? We can do this! So, I went right in for my CAT scan and my jailhouse style tattoos! Holy hell did the one between the boobs hurt!!!!! I don't know what I expected, I have tattoos so I guess I thought a gun? Not getting shanked with a needle dipped in ink by some bitch. I am praying that this is my LAST needle to the boob!
The nurse gave me a tube of Aquaphor and told me to apply after treatment and before bed. And they will give me more when I run out. I thought that was nice, free lotion lol. I am still trying to read up and see what everyone else is using. Is it a definite that I am going to have skin burns? I was a little shocked at how big of an area he taped off. In my head it was just the breast.
ksusan: That pic is hilarious! Making jokes out of this is my favorite way to cope! You are beautiful!
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Skysquirrel: thanks for the update, I'll put that in your information.
No idea how oncologists decide which protocol to give whom. My age wasn't mentioned as a factor; if I have a moment with the RO I can ask him.
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I found the first 1/3 to go really slowly and the prospect of 30 sessions in the beginning seemed daunting. But once half was over it started to feel like the end is very close. I'm 2/3 way through and today will be 21/30, 5 more whole breast and 5 boosts left. Skin, all the way to lower neck, is pink but thankfully no itching or pain yet. I know the worst couple of weeks are yet to come, but I'm keeping fingers crossed that it won't be too bad.
I'm getting IMRT, but I'm not sure what the difference is between different radiation methods.
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What all are they radiating on everyone? I am getting whole breast, intramammary nodes, axillary nodes, and subclavicular nodes. I was also surprised at the size of the field. It goes from several inches below my breast all the way up to my neck. They also told me to put lotion on teh upper portion of my back.
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1 down, 17 to go. No superpowers yet. Just a stiffish arm on the side of my surgery. Go figure. I didn't need anything done to my lymph nodes for either the first or the second excision, but the second was just extensive enough that something got pissed off. Nerves? Muscles? Who knows.
I got my facility's two male techs today--I gathered the four(?) techs switch around between the two different machines. (Worth noting to anyone coming later: if having male rads techs bothers you, make sure you mention this during the intake process. For the only mildly squeamish, trust me: they're professionals. Odds are near certainty that they're there to do their job. But for anyone with a history of trauma, it could be a problem.)
(blushes) I forgot to ask what, precisely, they're irradiating on me, but I'm pretty sure my field's smaller than yours, Kbeee. No lymph node irradiation needed as I'm straight DCIS.
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At this point I'm so fed up of all the treatments that didn't even bother to ask the exact areas getting radiation (so unlike me!). But it looks like I'm getting whole breast, axillary nodes and probably subclavicular nodes (I'm pink all the way to the lower part of the neck and back of the shoulder).
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Kbeee, I got the same as ErenTo and you (except I have no intramammary anything anymore). So a big irregular rhombus, more or less. My field extends farther back on my side that you'd think (beyond the armpit), so be sure you moisturize as far toward your back as you can reach on the radiation side.
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I have to have 35 treatments :-(. I was told because of my age and the fact that I am overweight. But hey - my RO made newsweek a couple weeks ago for being one of the best around. if the man says 35...35 it is. Phooey.
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Skysquirrel: in your pocket tomorrow. You'll do. Just make sure to pack a lunch that's quickly eatable AND nutritious AND something you'll be able to choke down quickly.
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Thanks QMC 😘 fortunately I my employer is super understanding! I am free to eat lunch at my desk either before or after treatment.
I am getting nervous now. I don't think I have given this part of treatment the respect it deserves, I haven't been seriously considering what this is going to do to my body. I started the tamoxifen yesterday too. I am afraid of all the changes coming..
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Take a deep breath. Skysquirrel. Anyone who's facing their first rads. It all deserves respect. Fear? Possibly.Ask me again once I get further into the sequence! But I hope not an insurmountable fear for any of this. Let me/us know how this goes for you tomorrow? I'm betting you'll be back with a sheepish "I can't believe I was that upset." But if you're still upset, ask! Let's see if we who've gone through tis a step or wto wahead of you can come up with an explanation or a dymystification.
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I don't think its the actual procedure that is making me nervous. Its the effects that are coming a few weeks from now. But I am just going to roll with it and take it one day at a time. And continue to talk it out with you ladies
It is definitely a weird feeling to not be wearing deodorant on one side. And I guess I should have asked what they were radiating and why?? I didn't even think to ask, even when they were taping it off
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Ah, side effects! That's a hurdle for me as well, and I'm guessing for you and for a lot of people. Or why I was so glad ksusan volunteered to post her pictures. For me, it's the not knowing how bad MY side effects are going to be, only that I'm not going to like them when they happen.
Yeah, deodorant only on one side is definitely a WIERD sensation. I tried the aluminum-free Toms of Maine stick yesterday. The fact that it's a stick--I've used gel antiperspirant for years--isn't the company's fault. The perfume's a bit overpowering though! Not sure if that's because I was topless at the time, but next time I'd get the fragrance free stuff. If there is a next time.
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I asked about my daily rads dosage today...because I am a nerd. I know the dose varies person to person based on the number of treatments as well as the total amount they want to deliver. I get 200 centiGrays per day, so my total before boosts will be 5,000. They changed things up on me today. They did the four bolus ones first. Totally messed with my mind sine I had it down to a science knowing exactly how long each zap lasted, and the order of them! I had x rays first, so I am guessing switching the order made for one less adjustment. They make 3 different positioning adjustments (of the table, bolus, wedge, etc) each day during treatments.
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1 down, 29 to go! They said they were doing a couple xrays first, then they came back and said they had to tweak things and do a couple more xrays. Then a few minutes later, I was done! I just layed there with my eyes closed and I couldn't tell when they did the actual radiation.
I think the worst part of breast cancer for me is the fact that its my breast that is being exposed, touched, poked. Will I get desensitized eventually to laying in a cold room with it all hanging out? Haha, what if by the end of this I don't feel the need to wear a shirt at all? I might have to move to Canada!
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I don't know about the desensitization; I'm not there quite yet--another technician came in to fix the machine and I nervously tweaked the gown back over. But I wouldn't know when they were doing the actual irradiation if I weren't holding my breath at the time.
Glad to know it went OK, though.
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ts the holding my breath part that freaks me out. What if I forget. What f I accidentally exhale?
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(reassuringly) If you do fall into the 'breath holding' category, the technicians will prompt you. "Deep breath. Hold it..... .... .... Relax." Click. Whirr. Whizzle. Twirl. "Deep breath.... ... ... Relax,"
Or whatever their chosen phrasing is. I was kind of flipped out about it too, but I've only had to hold mine for maybe 5-8 seconds.
I don't know what they do if you exhale by mistake, but this is (soothingly) something to bring up during your sim. If yours is like mine, they do run you through the breath-holding thing then.
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At both of the practices that I visited for rads, the machine actually automatically turns off if your breath isn't in the right position. The only time I've messed up so far (13/30) is one time when the techs were making me laugh. I laughed, the machine turned off, and I just had to inhale again after the giggles subsided.
The laughing appointment was last week. This week I'm definitely more in touch with being angry and cranky. Unfortunately.
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I practiced perfectly during my sim. But I have nightmares about screwing it up :-(
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Thank you Queenmomcat for this thread !!
i get my tattoos on sept 10, but have last chemo on the 14th so first real radiation will be early october.
ksusan you are added to my hero list
i didnt like my rad onc, isnt that pathetic, like it matters what my opinion is of her, she seemed knowledgeable but she rubbed me the wrong way several times. must have been my cranky day , i like that one jellyshoes.
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Tresjolie: I think we ALL have nightmares about this, and the ones that don't think so are the ones that wake up too soon. (Someday I will tell you about my anxiety dream about Somali pirates.)
Daylily: You're welcome. And welcome to our group. (Ksusan's rather my hero too.) Keep us posted on how you're doint?
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Howdy, may I join you ladies? I started rads last week, doing 33 including boosts, so done maybe first week of october? Or second?
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