Anyone getting ready to start Radiation in Fall 2016?
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Hi All:
Finished 23 today out of 30 today including 5 boosts but I have to take the rest of the week off due to some skin breakdown in the crease/ folds under my breast. I'm a little frustrated because they saw me getting red and experiencing burning pain a week ago but they weren't very proactive in providing products--just gave me some lidocaine to numb it. I was just given the Cool Magic hydrogel sheet dressing today to use along with taking off the rest of this week. It seems if I had these to use a week ago, an interruption might have been prevented. Oh well. I hear they are healing so I'll hope for the best. Is it over yet? lol
Hope everyone is doing well.
Marcella
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Marcella, I'll second that...is it over yet? Today was only #6 for me, I have a long way to go. I'm doing okay as far as rads are concerned, but my lupus skin rash flare up is getting worse. And, of course, one of the worst patches of skin rash is on my radiated boob. *sigh* I can't get in to see my lupus doc until Monday.
I hope everyone is doing well too.
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I start rads today! (Wed.). I'm all set, did my sim, got my tattoos, ready to be radiated. I have to confess I'm a bit nervous about it. The whole snorkel thing is kinda claustrophobic. I read that dehydration is one of the side effects of rads. Anybody experiencing that? I had enough of that with chemo soI'd like to try and avoid it this time. Wondering if I'll be heading back in for IV fluids again....
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Myra, I'm on day 8, it's really nothing to worry about! I'm not a fan of the snorkel either, but I've gotten use to it. I think I may have had some dehydration last week, I was a little nauseous for two evenings a few hours after treatment, this week I've upped my water intake a bit and I've been fine. I'm just now starting to get a tiny bit pink. Good luck!! Sending hugs!!
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i see my RO next Thursday... what is the 'snorkel'?
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The snorkel is a breathing apparatus that some of us with left sided rads use, it's supposed to help protect the heart during radiation. I posted a photo of it earlier in this thread.
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I am left sided and have heart issues and lung too... sounds like fun.... not!
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I'm getting radiation also this fall, around the end of September 2016. Yahhh. Fun. Already went through neoadjuvant chemo. lumpectomy, now onto to Radiation, dear god, then, lord, thennnnnnn, possibly 5 years of hormone therapy.
I can't figure out what to do. Radiation feels like it's kind of ickier. But I'll have changes of texture to the breast, what does that mean? I can guess, but I don't want to think about getting my boob Chernoybled.0 -
They don't have the 'snorkel' in Spokane! Yahhhh. but i still have the lung and heart issues.. i came out of surgery with my bronchitis acting up and don't want to think about any other things that might pop up.. OK Sept., i hope it's this month, or it's going to be first of next month.. that would make me an oct...
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Jitz, Radiation doesn't always change the texture of the breast nor does it always cause redness or blisters. It didn't for me. I don't exactly know why. My RO gave me a 7 oz jar of "Now Solutions" pure lanolin with the instructions to slather it on twice a day to keep the skin hydrated- best if done immediately after a shower. If that was what did the trick, I'm grateful for the advice and am passing it on. I would assume that other things such as type and strength of rads, number of sessions, type of machine, etc. would be more important but it sure is worth a try. I had 16 sessions. I did have skin sensitivty and irritation and for a few weeks after, and just a hint of pink towards the end. Also, you may want to dedicate an old shirt to sleep in - I put the lanolin on really thick at night and it soaked into my shirt. Rads first thing in the morning. I showered before but it is really hard to get off completely with soap and water. I was always a bit sticky when I showed up but the technicians (wonderful people) assured me they were used to sticky and to never scrub or use harsh soaps. I completed treatment Aug.1st. I can still feel it if I put pressure on the area. I'm hoping there will be no side effect that pops up long after the treatment. Best of luck to you.
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1st one done! It wasn't that bad at all. I especially appreciated the mood lighting. Ambient lights around the ceiling that cycled colors slowly. Very soothing. Apparently I can pick my own color combos. Today was pink to purple to blue. Nice distraction.
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Today was #7 for me. I woke up tired, and tired of driving back and forth daily. Came home and took a long nap. We have hotel reservations for next week and I'm thinking it might be a good thing. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
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I did number 19/30 today. This week my skin has started to turn a bit pink and my armpit a bit sensitive, but other than that I can't say I have any serious problems to deal with. No fatigue for me, I just try to keep myself very very hydrated, eat well and walk.
Hope everyone goes as well as I do.
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Had third treatment. So far so good. It makes me really thirsty and I've had a metallic taste in my mouth for three days, but otherwise uneventful. Today, after treatment was over, techs came in and wanted to recheck some measurements then said it was only off by half...they didn't explain themselves, but I guess something got radiated that wasn't supposed to.
Myra, I have a beautiful blue sky with clouds and cherry blossom trees to gaze at while doing my treatment. They also seem to be a fan of classic rock. Yesterday was Hotel California and today Paint it Black. Although, I think I would enjoy your set up more. Sounds fun.
Hope everyone is doing well! We're almost done :-)
Sabrina
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Number 17 for me today. Red and itchy! And I'm so over stinky armpit! Nervous sweat is so much worse too. Best of luck girls! Can't wait til it's all behind us.
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Sabrina, hi!
That's so funny you noticed the music genre--I did too! A combination of classic rock and oldies. I wonder if that's standard because the patients aren't super young. I listen to Rhianna too, you know... : )
My favorite was when my treatment began and Martha & the Vandellas " Heat Wave" began to play! I laid there and laughed. I bet the techs thought I was losing it....haha.
Good luck with treatment to you and to the rest of us "Hotties"!
Marcella
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Blahndie, have they given you any advice on itching? I've been putting a non-metallic deodorant on after my daily rad treatment.I use regular for the unaffected side.
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LoveMyVizsla, all they've said so far is aquaphor. I see RO tues so I'll ask if I can use anything else. What brand deodorant do you use. I've tried Tom's but it's not working.
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Getting ready to start tomorrow! If the surgeon releases me, which I think he probably will. The color from the reaction is finally fading.
I didn't drink enough water today - already thirsty. I am going to try to fix that at least a little before the rads start.
And I'm going to STRONGLY advocate being allowed to swim! I've been waiting over six weeks, and today was absolutely beautiful!
I like the idea of cycling colored lights. That would be cool.
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This is what I bought. I got it from headcovers.com. https://www.alra.com/products/non-metallic-deodora...
It smells nice and luckily it isn't very hot here so it doesn't have to work too hard.
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I finally got the call to start rads next week. Monday will be a final marking and if time, first treatment.
I was told not to use oils on the treatment area, but the Miaderm was OK. So, I have stopped using my body oil until after rads are over.
Stocking up on prunes, melatonin, and cucumbers!
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SerenitySTAT, Goodluck to you! Stay HYDRATED too. I learned that lesson the hard way.
LoveMyVizsla, my rad tech told me not to use ANY deodorant for the remainder of treatment. She says I'm really irritated and only halfway through, so I'll just make it worse. SUCKS!
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Blahndie, try patting some corn starch in your pit. It will help absorb moisture and might help with odor too. My pit isn't being radiated, so it is fine.
My side is fine, not even pink. Today was #9. But, the rest has been engulfed by my lupus rash and looks bad. I think rads are making the rash worse. I'll see my dermatologist and then RO on Monday to hear what they have to say. I'm going to take prednisone the next two days to help with the itching.
Have a great weekend everyone
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Blahndie - Thanks! I had a hard time drinking enough during chemo. I plan on making cucumber water for its cooling effect.
LoveMyVizsla - Hope your rash improves soon.
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Started today.
I think the worst part is they played talk radio and I had to listen to political wrangling over the upcoming election. :P
I had a nasty taste in my mouth soon after - like a waterfall of metal in my mouth all at once. But of course that's not something I'm much concerned with. I was able to eat anyway. We are going to stay with Sharpie marks and tape, so at least I don't have tattooes to worry about.
I'm still a little bothered that they have mentioned zip about skin care, and of course put me off when I asked about lymphedema prevention. The only instruction I have is aluminum-free deodorant and don't wash their lines off. I've always preferred prevention to treatment - isn't that what we are really doing with rads? I'm glad I have the forum, in any case.
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LoveMyVizsla, sorry to hear about the rash.
I hope it improves soon and you get some relief. 0 -
This is copied from another thread on fatigue after radiation:
Sep 13, 2016 10:26AM Fallleaves wrote:
This may sounds weird, but try and eat 7 prunes a day, if you can. There have been a lot of recent studies showing dried plums (prunes), can protect against the side effects of radiation exposure. They are protective of bone and may even be able to rebuild it. Radiation treatment often causes fatigue due to the increase of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-2, TNFalpha) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC398891...
The prunes can counteract that inflammation, and 50g (about 7 prunes) was found to be effective. http://www.fasebj.org/content/30/1_Supplement/1174...
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Here's a link to Falleaves' research on melatonin. A few studies showing benefit of melatonin use during rads
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/73/topics/848085
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Hi Lovemyvizla:
I hope your Lupus doctor can provide some help with your rash. No fun to deal with an autoimmune disease and breast cancer simulatenously. I'm in remission from Graves Disease and hope this episode of BC doesn't provoke a relapse. I think there are a lot of us out there who have autoimmune disease either now or by history and then have BC. Just our luck, right? : (
Wishing you relief very soon...
Marcella
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Yep, if it's not one thing, it's TWO!
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