Fall 2015 Rads
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Great news bluedog!
queenmomcat, it pretty much looks like I used sunscreen on one side and baby oil on the other. I have been taking a picture each week. The progression is interesting.
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Bluedog: (fanfare of trumpets) Glad your sentinel node came back negative. Any idea when you're going to start? I've put you down tentatively for October 19th, though that's easy enough to change. And do take it at least kind of easy--you're probably riding high on fumes of anesthesia--though that said, I'm the one that tottered out into my garden and made a woozy stab at weeding the afternoon of mine.
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Nicely sung, Kbeee! Yay for milestones!
I had my first of 20 today. Went fine. Extra pink at my incision scar. Yesterday was tough -- had dry run. Got nauseous all day. I think from the 40 minutes pressing on stenum & vagus nerve with my face stuck in a little hole. The on the belly position is good protection for my lungs, but a little hard to take for long periods. Treatments are much shorter, so today was better. Tomorrow they are going to put a little "hot flash" fan in tge hole so there is more air flow.
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QMC. They need me to be done getting fills before rads. I'm going every week. If for some reason I'm not ready they will move my rads back.
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Horsegirl: ugh--that hadn't occurred to me about the pressure on one's stomach! Thank you for mentioning it, for anyone coming up behind who may be in the prone position. And fans are a good idea. (squinting to envision the table and equipment) Not much space under the table for airflow around your face, I imagine, between the table hoist and the mechanism for the irradiation head and imaging equipment.
Georgie: that does make sense about finishing the fills before starting radiation. I gathered from my RO that there's a window of several weeks in which we may start rads, so needing an extra week or five to finish fills isn't a cause for panic.
Kbee: baby oil (shudders) I'm never going to look at Aquaphor in the same way again. I've surreptitiously been snipping arms off my aloe plant--no skin breaks yet.
My general note du jour: I've noticed that I've feeling hot and sweaty generally after my rads, not just on the treated area. It's a bit warm, for mid-September in Michigan, but not enough to leave me feeling this sticky. Otherwise I'm doing well enough, except for that square of "baby oil" patch. i'm a bit red and abraded in a couple of spots, but I think that's my bra rubbing--one where the strap buts against my shoulder when I reach across and another where the side seam of my bra cup ends.
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Thanks, all. Feeling . . . . really . . . . tired.0
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bluedog: (hums a lullaby)
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I have been taking pictures every week and keeping daily notes to document changes and time frames for those who come after me. I will not post whole breast or axilla pictures which actually look worse (just because i know anyone can see them), but here is a G rated picture of my clavicle area. Today is day 15. The area does not look bad yet... Just a sunburn. I will try to post a weekly picture so others know what to expect... Understanding that everyone is different, and everyone's treatment protocol is different. We often see pictures at the end which really help, but I thought it might help to know what to expect in earlier weeks.
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I started on the 15th.
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Horsegirl: I am doing prone too and the pressure on my sternum hurts and makes me nauseated as well, especially if I have not eaten for a while. And it is very hard to breathe - I have the U-shaped pillow turned with the opening on the side so that I can get air better - when it is pointing down, my chin closes off all air as it rests on the table. My face is literally facing down because I cannot turn my neck to the side. Is the fan going to be a tiny battery-powered fan resting on the table next to the face cushion opening ? I realize there are different prone table ensembles - mine looks much like this with the hand grips further up and the table extending longer for legs. All of the pieces can be lifted and moved:
I have treatment 9 of 18 today, on 9/18 ! I am a numbers geek so I think that is pretty cool.
No pinkness, no fatigue so far but I think I can see tiny red dots now - but they aren't anything I can feel.
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Kbeee that is so helpful!! You are 4 treatments ahead of me I think, so I have been following you closely to see what is coming! That is one of the hardest parts for me, not knowing how bad its going to get. I tried pressing my RO about it and he said there is no way to tell. He said it doesn't relate to skin color, age, health. Some people just react harder than others.
12/33 in a couple hours. Noticing some irritation in the arm pit (could be the hair though) and my areola is super sensitive and always tightened. Like I am nursing.
How is everyone dealing with fatigue? Mine hasn't been too bad except when I have a ton to do! Yesterday I had to leave work early, I was just overwhelmed. I was already tired and knew I still had to go to parent teacher conferences, run to the store and then make dinner. I just needed an earlier start to the evening marathon.
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KBeeee: thank you for the picture of your rads effects--mine looks similar in that the pinkness shades in intensity from breast to top of field, and outer to inner edge, though mine stops about a hand's-width below my clavicle. Something about amount of tissue over bone, perhaps? Debating about posting pictures of mine, if only for comparison between the long and short protocols.
Goofyfoot: thank you for posting the picture of the table setup. (blushes) I was envisioning there being a hole through the face rest, as with massage tables.
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Posted this in Summer Rads, but here's 3 weeks post-radiation (28 + 5 boosts).
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Ksusan: congratulations on the improvement! Is the darkness in your (clears throat circumspectly) axillary area an aftereffect of rads? or a shadow? And thank you for coming here to post your update picture as well.
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Ksusan, looks like you are healing up nicely! Thank you for sharing your journey with us
Did you ever feel like it was unbearable?0 -
Number 12 done today so I've passed the 1/3 mark. Super tired, Fridays seem to really hit me. Thank goodness for weekends.
Back to my previous cravings comments. I'm so glad I fed them. The cravings subsided after a couple of days of eating lots of veggies and oranges but I continued to eat that way all week. I honestly think I felt better this week fatigue wise. Last week I was wiped out by Wednesday and this week I felt pretty good until yesterday afternoon. I think I need to pay attention to my diet while I'm going through this. It wasn't something I was giving any thought to until the cravings hit me over the head!
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
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Queenmomcat, I take pictures every Thursday; every 5 treatments. Most of the pix on my phone show the whole area. I took this one to try to keep it to something I would not care if a coworker, etc saw it. Mind goes up to my clavicle because they are doing supraclavicular nodes.
My fatigue is not bad during the day, but by evening, I am ready for bed... Just like chemo! My biggest annoyances are sore throat and nausea. I do not know why I have nausea, but I have started digging into my Zofran supply
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Kbeee: not sure where the nausea comes from either, but you're not alone in that. I've only got 'disinterest in food'--almost certainly stress rather than rads--but a couple of other people have mentioned active nausea.
And definitely bedtime's getting earlier for me as well, though I didn't go through chemo first.
Pamela: not surprised about the connection between nutrition and fatigue, though I haven't a citation to prove anything. Are you keeping up with the 'vegetables and oranges' diet?
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That's mostly shadow. It's a little pink/tan with some superficial darkness that's rubbing off. I had one uncomfortable night post-radiation when my armpit skin felt tight and sore. Otherwise, it was a bit itchy, a little achy at times, and mostly a non-issue.
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queenmomcat - I've stuck with it this week. My solution last weekend was a giant pot of vegetable soup with all kinds of veggies including greens and I made another Wed when I ran out. And I'm still eating the oranges. While I may not keep up with the soup I plan to eat all the fresh veggies I can and add in some different fruits. Unless different cravings kick in, then I'll go with them! I think my body must be burning through all the nutrients it has stored or can get. I normally like and eat veggies and fruit but not to this extreme.
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Pamela: giant pot of vegetable soup is a grand idea--eat as much or as little as you want at any given time, vary the flavor a bit with a squeeze of lemon or shake of cayenne (or whatever suits your fancy.)
Now you've got me contemplating vegetables. Roasting a chicken on a bed of root vegetables got my husband into eating veggies too, and even made a hit with my sister's kids (11 and 10) The chicken juices and whatever you've rubbed on it drip down and flavor the vegetables underneath. But that's a trifle starchy, for them as are concerned about such things. Braised chicken thighs on a bed of swiss chard flavored with balsamic vinegar, another fall-ish dish for anyone looking for greens.
Anything else floating around out there in cyberland? especially since it sounds like rads can have an effect on our appetite, even if we're not technically having any appetite centers zapped.
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Hi I'm joining the hot ladies group. My appointment for scans and marking is October 12th. I will have 33 treatments total. Left chest and nodes up to my neck. I met RO today. Very nice, energetic woman.
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Molly: and welcome indeed to the Hot Ladies group. [amused comment about our levels of heat/grilling redacted] I'll tentatively put you down for the 14th, though that's subject to change--just let me know.
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Hey Ladies! Just finished 18 of 28 whole chest wall rads today- yeesh. Then, 5 boosts, so won't that be fun! Kbeee- I laughed when I saw your picture- your chest looks identical to mine down to the port scar. Fatigue seemed to lift this week, and no breaks in my skin yet, although my armpit is really dark/black. Getting a little more sore, swollen, with little pinpoint dot rash. I get a bolus every time, and you can definitely tell where it lays- my supraclavicular area isn't near as rough looking. Mostly using the lotion my RO gave me, with emu oil and burts bees- although it was too cold in my house for the Emu oil to come out yesterday, so I stuck with cetaphil.
Next Monday, I'm getting a little surgery on my prophylactic side- found a freaky lump under my scar near my sternum. Now, I think its a leftover suture, but I still want it gone, because dammit, my surgeon said he's 95% certain its not cancer and that's not good enough for me. So it will be interesting to see how having a wound so close to my radiated area will go. 10 more. just 10 more. Then a week of boosts.
Its so good to read everyone's experiences here- keep hanging in there!
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Littleblue: in your pocket for that surgery! And your Netflix account too. Glad to know the fatigue's lifting a bit for you, and gladder that you came back to tell us about that; it always seems to be doom and gloom, so nice to hear when things go...manageably.
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Thanks queenmom! I'm just so tired of being afraid all the time, like all of us....
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little blue, my underarm looks like yours sounds, and my bolus area is clear as well. My axilla is the only sore area. What's your daily dose?
Welcome Molly!
Headed to a wedding this weekend. Have another in 2 weeks. I am sure I'll have quite the look. No more wig, hideous short hair, and a geometrically decorated chest
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PPinpoint rash, blackening skin under arm, general redness esp in scar...18 blasts in
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For all us hot ladies out there..
Also, I truly believe that we are beautiful and sexy no matter what. So I hope this gives you all a laugh right now..
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wiggle, wiggle, wiggle! Haha, too funny! You go, hot ladies!
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