Radiation December 2018
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Merry Christmas everyone! I worked night shift last night and will tonight.....also scheduled for Wed and Thursday night's but this fatigue is kicking my a$......kept falling asleep every time I sat down to do something and I usually don't have a problem staying up all night...
I'm sure I can call one of my docs or NP's and get a fax sent to excuse me from work, I just feel bad doing it. But this fatigue is crushing, hubby had to help me get dressed .....
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Ghostie,
It’s ok to need a break. Hope you get someone else to cover for you.
Rest time. Rad fatigue is real
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Ghostie- Oh the fatigue is so real. I work 3p-3a and it is absolutely kicking my ass. Night shift isn’t easy on the body anyway. I hope you can take some time and rest. Sending gentle hugs. I was actually surprised at exactly how exhausted I feel since starting rads and being back at work.
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Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's back to rads we go ...
It's dreary to think about going back this afternoon after four days off, but the only way to be done for good is to keep checking them off. We can do this!
Dani and Ghostie and other tired people ... yes, the fatigue. We had our family Christmas dinner last night and I was fighting an urge to lay my head on the table. On the other hand, I was at the end of a four-day break from rads and could tell I wasn't as wiped out as I've been on treatment days, so that gives me hope my energy may come back in a reasonable amount of time once this is done.
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Hi there everyone! I'm two weeks out from my last tx and the fatigue is lifting! So is the achy soreness in my breast. Keep pushing forward, the end is in sight!
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Anybody carrying over into January want to start a January rads thread?
"Radiation January 2019" in forum Radiation Therapy
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Radiation dress that was given to me by a friend of a friend who got it during her treatments.
I can't shrink the picture! I don't wear it/ bring it every time but it's nice and soft and easy to get on and off. Hospital said someone donated 100 of them from Garnet Hill company, in different sizes and colors.
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Library girl, I love that... I love the level of care and thoughtfulness involved.
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So, I came home from radiation yesterday morning and then slept the rest of the day until supper! This fatigue is no joke. I thought I would just read and take it easy. Nope. I was completely out. It was crazy how tired I was. But, the rest did me good. I'm doing much better today!
Tomorrow I get to see my doctor for the first time since starting. Not really sure what to expect at the visit. I'm not pink yet, but I'm already sore. It's weird. I am hoping I don't actually get pink until the very end-if I do at all. I'm moisturizing like crazy with aloe and aquafore. My miaderm should arrive today, so I'll be adding that in too.
Librarygirl- I love the dress!
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I'd have frozen in that dress. The front-wrap robes where I had treatment were heavy cotton with loose below-the-elbow sleeves, so very comfortable, and the wrap was quite generous. I only needed a heated blanket once. The technicians would open the robe to check the alignment and refresh the marks, then cover me up again right away. On a few occasions, the robes hadn't been delivered yet (I had early-morning sessions) and we had to wear the typical hospital gowns, ick.
My red collarbone has faded to normal after exactly two weeks! The skin is still a little leathery feeling, so I'm switching to Eucerin to soften it. The breast is fading a little, but it got five extra zaps so it's on a slower schedule. The zings seem a little better yesterday and today, but I've also been lazy as hell since Christmas. 🙂
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One week after rads - life is looking pretty good.
The fatigue is starting to lift!!! I am able to get my daily exercise, humble as it is. I am able to hold my lunch sandwich without putting it down in between bites. Still need to rest a lot. Poor husband continues to do both his housework and mine for the most part.
Skin is itchy, am using cortaid with aloe at times. Still keeping up 3x a day with miaderm and one of those is miaderm-L with lidocaine. I am taking 2 or 3 tylenol a day, seems to help reduce the general discomfort. Fewer zingers but sometimes strong.
Redness is beginning to fade to brown except underarm is very red. Texture is sandpapery only on the treated breast, and I think that's starting to heal as the new skin replaces the old. I'm sleeping better maybe just knowing that the hard part is behind me (haha we won't think about AI just yet). Let's say "active treatment" is over. Hooray!
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What a gorgeous dress lplibrarygirl - makes it feel more like you’re off to the spa instead of radiation treatment. I love it!
On fatigue - I’m more tired working in the office again than when I was working from home but going to radiation so I don’t know who/what to blame. But I could use a nap today!
On healing - hit my 2 week post rads mark yesterday and am excited to use my normal lotion again but still putting Aquaphor on, I think it makes me feel a bit “safer” right now. Nipple is no longer two toned yay (sorry if TMI) and scratches are healed, the one blister is a distant memory. I even did an arm strength toning workout yesterday during my lunch break! Am feeling it today. Breast is smoother but still itchy, especially by the lumpectomy scar. Wearing normal bras again.
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Congrats to everyone that has finished. I only have 3 more treatments left and very excited about that. My last one will be 01/02/2019. My boob is very angry right now, extremely red, it's actually a deep dark red and very sensitive, it's almost like a rash on top of a really bad sunburn. It's more annoying than anything, the last couple of nights I have taken Tramadol and it does seem to help. I wish the best to everyone and those still going through treatment, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
My fatigue seems to hit me out of the blue and it's usually in the evening, which is good. My treatments are first thing in the morning then head to work for 8 hours. I get on my exercise bike when I get home for about 20 minutes or so and that seems to help. I just keep telling myself, by this time next week I will be done with radiation. YAY!
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
Oh, love the cat in the sweater!
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I'm about to start the boost portion of my treatment. I was nervous because my skin got so red so fast but at least so far it hasn't gotten any worse than hot redness. Still enjoying my break from bras. I feel like the end is kind of in sight now and I'm feeling very good about having gone through with this treatment.
My cousin's partner has had both Western and Chinese medical education. They were visiting from out of town and he made me a ginger tea with carmelized sugar for the heartburn and I'm excited to try it.
The end is in sight!
Thanks and so much 💙💙 for everyone here. I can't say how much this forum helps me find my balance through this.
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So close, DeeBB and Salamandra!
Keep us posted on how you're doing.
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Salamandra - WOW, so close to the finish! Good luck finishing with the boosts, I will have 5 boosts at the end as well. The end is definitely in sight!! Also hope the tea works for your heartburn, it sounds yummy. And who says you need to go back to bras after rads!!
DeeBB- 3 treatments to go!!!!! So excited for you. I am impressed with your routine of getting in the exercise everyday. I keep saying I am going to yoga but it has yet to actually happen:) I hope your SE lift quickly after treatment stops.
Library girl- The dress looks so comfy, thank you for sharing the picture. Alice, the robes at your center really do sound luxurious, just regular gowns at mine.
Pebbles, egregious, Alice, Wised, and all those that have finished. Thank you so much for sharing how the healing process is going. It helps so much, and I appreciate all of you.
Anyone have to do a make up day on saturday due to the holiday? My appointment will be early compared to my regular afternoon appointment and I work till 3am the night before. Hope they don't mind my bedhead when I drag myself in. LOL
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So much for taking any nights off due to fatigue. Since we have been slammed with almost blizzard conditions I have had to stay at work. Note from doc made no difference...... on night 4.......sighs.......I'm exhausted, hungry (eating from a vending machine for a couple days really sucks) missing my hubby, my cats and my heating pad! Haha!
Hopefully the plows get out in the morning so I can get home. Snow is suppose to stop overnight but winds will continue. Have a few nights off after tonight and will not be answering my phone!
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Oh Ghostie, what a nightmare! Definitely turn your phone off as soon as you get home and sleep as much as you can!
Seconding the thanks for Pebbles, egregious, Alice, and Wised for the long-term perspective. It helps to know there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Dani, I'll be going in on Saturday too. I first thought I'd ask for an earlier time in order to be done earlier, but now Im glad it won't be until my usual late-afternoon appointment. I'm going to turn off the alarm and the phone tonight and just sleep until I can't any more on Saturday morning.
Salamandra, that tea sounds yummy, heartburn or no.
DeeDeeT, the fatigue has been kicking me too over the past couple days. I was feeling pretty good on Wednesday after the four-day holiday break, and then I had to to back to treatment and it was like my body, which had been lulled into believing it was done, gave up in despair. I pretty much spent the next 24 hours either on the couch or in bed except for "working" (and I use that term loosely, considering what a zombie I was) or meals. It's the worst I'd felt since radiation started. I'm feeling a bit more back to myself this morning, but am planning to lay pretty low this weekend.
Librarygirl, that dress is beautiful! We wear standard hospital gowns, but an organization donated beautiful white bathrobes to wear over them in the waiting room. Not sure what I'll do with it once this is over; it's such a nice robe, but it's also going to be a reminder, and I don't really need it at home.
I had my first tumor-area-only boost yesterday, after 16 whole-breast sessions. 3 more to go, and then New Years Eve should be my last one! I'm hoping to make it to a party that evening because I'll want to celebreate, but will definitely not be staying up until midnight. My skin looks pretty pink but not terrible, and the breast feels heavy and sore but not unbearable. The nipple feels awful; I can't stand the slightest friction, and even taking off or putting on a bra makes me flinch. I've been coating small gauze pads with Aquaphor and applying them to the nipple before putting my Coobie bra back on, and that has helped with the dryness and maybe some of the extreme tenderness. The Coobie bras seem to provide just the right level of support without being too tight, and they absorb any friction from clothes, so I've even started sleeping in them.
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I'm soooo tired and I don't want to get up and drag myself across town on a rainy day for radiation!!!!
Ugh. Needed a whine. Thank you. I've had great friends coming through town and visiting this week and it's been lovely but also thrown off my routines and exhausted me. It's annoying how much healthier I felt with UNtreated cancer...
Ghostie, that sucks! I'm so angry for you. I hope you can make it through and get some great rest on the other side.
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Salamandra, hang in there sister! We are at the finish line! Let's get lunch again next week. Enjoy the weekend and not having to go all the way to upper east side! I sure will. Tonight I shall watch black mirror with friends, looking forward to it! Cheers 😘
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Ghostie- uggg so sorry about the crappy weather and being stuck at work! I hope you get home soon and can crawl into bed and only get up for bathroom break and snacks!
Purplecat- New Year’s Eve will definitely be a great celebration for you! You are almost there. I like the idea of sleeping until you can’t sleep anymore, I am going to make that my plan for tomorrow! I will park myself on the couch and watch movies/ read/ sleep. Sounds like a perfect wild Saturday
Salamanders- Whine all you need to, I hope you can find a time to sleep until you can’t sleep anymore this weekend, you deserve a good rest
I am off to the plastic surgeon today for a check up on my “Barbie boob”!
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Just wanted to share some good news...I got 2 calls from the medical center this morning. The first was from the orthopedic oncology department saying they don't think my shoulder problem is an onco issue so I will not need to be seen by an ocologist. They are referring me to a shoulder expert instead. Relief! I was so worried when they first called to set up an appointment with the onco. I knew my RO wanted me to see someone from ortho but she never mentioned a worry about more cancer. That first call two days ago really frightened me and I shared my fear and a few tears that slipped out with my rad techs. They said they it was probably because ortho got a referral, saw I was a BC patient and just automatically sent it to ortho onco. The techs also called my RO and she dropped everything and came immediately to my radiation treatment room to reassure me that she did not think I had more cancer, it was just a regular referral. Today's call said the ortho onco agreed with my RO that it was not a cancer concern.
The second call was from Familial Cancer and gave me the results of the genetic testing. The genetic counselor had noticed an aunt had two cancers and one was ocular melanoma, which is rare and has a direct link to one of the BRCA genes. So I have been stressing for 3 weeks waiting for the results. They are negative (though we know that means negative for the 40+ known genes that can now be tested.) Anyway, I am relieved for my brother and his kids, my children and grandchildren and my cousins, one who had BC at age 40. It also means I don't need more surgery. I have much to be thankful for and I hope the roller coaster ride is almost over. Two more boosts and I am done.
Hoping everyone else gets lots of good news in 2019.
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Finally made it home work! We have 10 inches of new snow that's blowing all over....That on top of very icy roads and visibility of 1/4 mile made for a damn long drive home....
Currently curled up on the couch with the aforementioned heating pad and 3 of 5 cats. Hubby promised to help with supper and that will be all I do for today!
We all need good news in 2019......we have all made it this far, everything has to get better from here.......
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Wishing for good news for everyone in 2019. Happy New Year!
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Hi everyone, something that I didn't share earlier is that I recently lost my 19 year old cat. He was my soul cat... Anyway, my son who is a State highway patrol man called to say he rescued a car from the engine of his friend's truck. Meet Calliope.
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Wised; He is a beauty!
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Hello Calliope! What a lovely creature.
Ghostie, glad to hear you are home at last. Wishing you lots of sweet rest and mugfuls of hot chocolate with the little marshmallows.
LPLlibrary, glad to hear that your shoulder is not a cancer issue. I think doctors don't get the level of anxiety we have when something else starts hurting. We think cancer, but they don't realize that's what we're thinking.
Dani, hope all goes well at the surgeon checkup.
Wishing everyone a pleasant and pain-free day!
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