Fall 2015 Rads
Comments
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KBeee - Congrats on finishing!! As for you photos, I feel your pain. Those could be of me. My dosage and number of treatments was the same. I go for #2 of 8 boosts today.
Goofyfoot - I'm so happy the Recticare helped you and may help others! I don't care how expensive it is, when the itching gets crazy it's all that keeps me from scratching.
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KBeee and Pamela, I had the same number of treatments and dosage too. My skin also looks similar. I have moist desquamation starting under my arm and all the way around the edge of my breast. The pain is unbelievable. Looks like I met all the criteria for getting a bad reaction. So glad treatments are over! Each day is a day closer to getting better!
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Has anyone used Hempz lotion for radiation? I have some and was curious.
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No bells, certificates, cakes, or recognition at my places other than the supervising oncologist saying, "You're done!"
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Me neither- it was just "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" and call your BS or stop in if anything weird occurs. I did take a cake in for my techs...
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I think everyone gets a similar dose. It has to do with how much radiation a human call have without being killed. They want to use the max possible to kill the cancer but let the human survive. Since we're all human, I would think that number would be the same.
When I was finished, I literally rang the bell and they had a certificate. I kinda thought the certificate was cheesy. It's not like I'm going to frame it and put it on the wall or anything.
I finished 2 weeks ago and am fully healed. I'm still peeling, but the skin underneath is healthy and tan.
Unfortunately I'm going back this afternoon to the same facility and meet with my MO to start AIs.
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I will have skin checks weekly with RO until healed. Techs said people on the long course generally get 45 grays or 50 grays total; daily is 1.8 or 2.0 before boosts. That extra 5 is a big deal as far as skin effects though
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Kbee- I wish I was getting weekly skin checks! What are they looking for at yours?
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no idea; I think just check if it is healing and assure no infection. I see MO next week too for my first post chemo check up. I guess going twice per week is better than 5!
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I do have to add that the very first area to peel off is starting to grow nice new skin. Other areas are still peeling off and horribly sore, but seeing a little new skin starting to grow gives hope that healing is on the horizon.
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Keys-Plez/Kbee/Ksusan: no, I can't imagine caring to frame a certificate of that sort either! Sometimes just being able to walk away is good enough, though something mildly more celebratory than the otherwise standard "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." would be nice.
Kbee: [insert supportive gerund here] that you don't add to your collection!
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Kbeee: They've been doing a bolus every other day for me. Did they do that for you every day?
For me, they're targeting the breast (or the place where it was, more accurately), axillary, and supraclavicular areas. So pretty similar!
I don't know whether I should look up the terms revolving around "desquamation" or wait until I need to?
5 down, 25 to go! And a long weekend to boot!
Take care (and happy long weekend to everyone!),
--Sherri, aka EnigmaticFox
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Sherri, They did use the bolus every day. I had 7 zaps every day and they used the bolus on 4 of those zaps. It will make a big difference getting it every other day instead
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i don't think I want to know what desquamation is...
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Well, desquamation is when you find little bits of charred you all over your tub when you shower lol. At least that's what it means to me..
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Edited to correct daily cGy dose
Hey all! I finished 16 of 16 hypo fractionated rads today! Got the certificate, and rang the very anticlimactic bell. But another chapter is finished. (hopefully).
Last week I asked how long each zap was and was told it was not measured in time, but in "metered dosage". Each measured dose of cGy's was the same for me (279.0 cGy), but there are factors that change the length of time (was told it was mili-seconds). The factors include my breathing rate (the machine will pause if I'm holding my breath too long, or if I take a huge breath), the temperature outside, and the temperature inside the room. Apparently the machine is fussy and operates at an optimum ambient temperature range--one of the reasons why the room is always so cool. Anyhow, the older (and now newer Cobalt -Gamma Knife Rad) Cobalt rads were based on time, but these txs are measured in metered doses. At least that's was I was told!
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Congratulations sweetmamaj! My planning session is Monday afternoon. My PS took the last of the sutures out and my incision is a bit red in one spot so he's having me put neosporin on it. It still is so weird to touch my "breast" and feel nothing.
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congratulations to those that finished rads! I just finished my first week. Drs have me on antibiotics for possible mastitis because swelling started before rads and they think My skin is reacting quickly to the radiation. I'm very pink and my breast has gotten very swollen and heavy and my nipple is super sensitive. They recommend that I use eucerin in the morning and after rads and use aquaphor at night.
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I had my third rad treatment today. I have 12 more to go. I wonder if I will get burns?
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KKjmk: you're on the list. As for burns? Enough to be annoying? probably. Enough to keep you from wearing a bra? Possibly, but hoping others who've been through the short version will chime in too. (I fell at the no more than mildly annoyed end of things.)
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QMC....Yeh. Getting kicked to the curb and adios is not nice. At least a group picture would have been nice.
Sweetmamaj...You talked about the machine monitoring your breathing. Did you wear some kind of gizmo for breathing? Did you have to hold your breaths? I was wondering if the machine was smart enough to figure that out. It would have reduced my "freak out" factor if they would have told me that up front.
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Congrats on finishing Sweetmamaj!
Have a nice relaxing 2(3?) day break from the Alien everyone
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Molly, thanks--I'm so glad it's over! When you go on Monday, try and get as comfortable as you can before they start the sim, because you might have to hold that position for a while. My hands got numb because they were falling backwards out of the arm rests during the sim and I was not allowed to move them. Also, they inked me 3 times (sims, 2 weeks later at the start of rads, and a week after that) because the ink "kept disappearing" despite the stickers they put over tats. So I asked if they could use a bolder color and larger dots. Response? "We don't want to make big marks for cosmetic reasons." Hello? Have you seen the incisional scars? Not to mention the derm reaction from the stickers.
Anyway, I hope the neosporin does the trick for you. I imagine it would be weird to feel nothing when touching a part of yourself. Maybe it will be easier to reconcile if you thought of your fill as something different? Like a prosthetic that helps your overall quality of life. Please don't shout at me, those of you who have had BMX or UMX w/or w/o reconstruction...I hope I did not offend, and obviously do not have your perspective. Anyway... <tiptoes quietly off into the sideline>
Ltam16, thank you! I hope the eucerin /aquaphor treatment helps. My nipple was itching like mad and the RO suggested aloe but said it was ok to use a steroid cream. She didn't give me an Rx, so I suppose any OTC one might work. I actually had an Rx at home and it was so much better! great relief!
KKjmck, yes, you will probably get burned. How intense will be determined by lots of factors that probably only time will tell. Just try and be proactive re: skin care and clothing, and let your RO know if you're having problems.
Keys-Plea, the machine had multiple beams of light that picked up on my movements and breathing. I figured out that one screen showed my breathing and the color would change from green to red when I would hold my breath or take really deep breaths. I asked if I could exhale and hold that during the zapping sounds but was told that since my CT sim was planned while I was breathing, that I could not hold my breath during the rad tx. (otherwise I think the machine would just stop and wait for me to breathe). It's weird..
I recall that someone indicated the machine picks up on breathing to help predict when to zap and it also helps to avoid zapping my lungs and heart "more than necessary". I still wanted to exhale and hold still but the techs would instruct me to breathe normally.
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Skysquirrel, Thank you! and same to you this weekend. Hope you get a nice rebound weekend.
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Today was hump day for me. Finished two weeks today two more weeks to go. RO has me taking 2 ibuprofen about 15 minutes before my treatment. That has made a big difference afterwards the last 2 days. I did not get the lightheaded feeling I was getting and a lot less fatigue. I hope it continues. My skin started to turn pink but not to bad. I was told to use aquaphor am and pm from day one. Tuesday I go for another cat scan to get set up for my boost at the end. Counting down the days now.
Sweetmamaj. Congratulations on finishing up.
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I finished my first week today. The techs are sooo nice. I just try to lie there and think about what is going on, I ask a lot of questions about what is happening and they indulge me. I try to get in and out quickly because they are down to one machine and there are several other women waiting behind me usually.
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Can you please add my name to the group. I start 10/15.
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Trvler: you're on! If you think of it, let us know how many treatments you're having, so we know when you'll finish. ("Not soon enough!" is the usual reaction.)
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Haha. Yep. I agree. I will find out Thursday how many. She said 28 but they said they will let me know for sure on the first day.
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keys I have a little box that they tape down on my chest. Something in that box recognizes if I have taken a deep enough breath. If I haven't then I don't get zapped. Takes some of the stress away
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