Radiation April 2019
Comments
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@Rosie I agree. I used Miaderm too and I know that's what helped me get thru. I too only peeled at my last rad treatment. My friend had to stop midway because it got so bad so I'm grateful that I at least got thru it. Today is a week post rads and the pain is nothing compared to what it was the first 4 days post rads. That domeboro soak really saved me.
@fritz I have left over cream I can mail you. Its miaderm. No charge. I opened it but it's still sanitary to use since it's a squeezable bottle. Let me know if u want it. I'm using something else now post radiation. Pure calendula and silvadene
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That medication has helped me be as positive as possible and I hope it will help you. If you need anything else reach out.
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Bravo Rosie!!
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I am finished! 28/28 completed and I rang the bell. I am exhausted from all the end of treatment celebrations with Hubby and kids. It will be so wonderful to sleep in tomorrow!
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Yay, Frmthahart!!!
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Sunocean, really!? You're so incredibly generous!!
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Finished the 28 regular radiation treatments today and marked up to start 5 boosts tomorrow. Pretty red but not terrible. Only peeling behind my arm where there shouldn’t be any radiation. I had a bone density test yesterday (just after radiation and just before minor eye surgery) which showed less wonderful than I expected. If I have 100% estrogen which is supposed to be bad for getting breast cancer but good for bones why are my bones not extra strong? Or better yet, why do I have breast cancer? One or the other, both are not acceptable. Worry about lifting weights in a couple of weeks
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I’m not willing to go through this again to test my theory but this time with no one’s advice I took an adult aspirin in the morning and again at bedtime. I’ve had no pain. I used aloe, miaderm and mometasome
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I had treatment #18 today of 33...15 more to go! I use clear aloe vera and Aquaphor, also hydrocortisone cream for itching. I am red, but no peeling skin. I am broke out in a rash, mostly under the breast. So far, no pain. Ready for day 33. Good luck to all.
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yay Frmahart!!!! happy you are done.
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I wonder why some people peel and blister and others do not. I have fair skin and large breast, but haven't blistered or peeled. My last boost was today -- they asked me if I wanted to ring the bell, but I didn't want to. I don't know why I didn't want to -- They gave me a radiation completion diploma -- ha ha ha -- I couldn't believe it. What should I do with it ? I just didn't think the lumpectomy or the radiation was that bad. I got sick of having to be somewhere every day for a month. I got anxious a lot of the time for no real reason. Maybe being stuck on that machine not allowed to move a muscle made me feel totally out of control and that caused the anxiety. I sure hope my cancer never returns because I don't want to do this again.
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@jessie everyone reacts differently to it. Who knows why some people peel and blister and why others dont. I've read fair skin people do better. Go figure! I didn't peel until my last one then all hell broke loose. But I never blistered thank goodness. Just peeled and it did hurt a lot 4 days post radiation.
It's like chemo, some women can even work thru it and have minor side effects and some end up in the hospital!! It sucks to not know where the coin will land. I'm happy to hear you are done! I have Kaiser and we get not certificate or ringing of the bell. Maybe keep the certificate as a reminder of how strong you are!!
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Hurray Jess! I am happy for you. I wanted to throw the bell, but I rang it obligimgly
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Just stopping by, I don't start until June, but I met with the radiation doctor yesterday. Could I please ask, are you lying there getting radiation without your shirt on and it all hanging out? I'm used to this by now, but the rad tech guy yesterday made me a little uneasy for some reason, and the doctor was a little odd as well. Just thought I'd ask, knowing might ease some of my apprehension. I get mapping Monday. One of the folks in the infusion room mentioned the tattoo hurts like heck - that was the first I'd heard or read that, is that true? Good luck to you ladies, thank you, Lisa
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Lisa, for me, I wear a hospital gown, and keep my pants and shoes on. Once on the table, I pull the gown down to expose my chest. The techs line me up, and then cover my breasts with a wet towel. This does something to help the rads... I don't remember what though. The machine targets two areas while the towel is on, then the towel is removed and the techs cover my breasts with the hospital gown for the remainder of the treatment. So I'm exposed for a portion of the treatment, but not the entire thing. From your signature, your cancer was on the left. Some ladies with cancer on the left do rads facing down, which might expose you even less. Just a guess though. My radiation center no longer does tattoos, but marks with sharpie marker covered with clear stickers.
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Fritzmylove, thank you, that helps me so much!! I really appreciate that. It really helps me to know what to expect. And I had no idea about rads facing down, thank you! I've been trying to read and get ready, thank you. I'd rather have the sharpie marker with clear stickers too, maybe they will get there one day. We are almost in the Ozarks here, probably not the best in technology. Hugs to you, thank you. Lisa
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Congrats to everyone finishing up! My last day is Tuesday, and I do plan to ring the bell, maybe just because I love hearing it when other people are done. It really makes me emotional, feeling like we are in this together somehow even though many of those other folks do not have breast cancer. Funny how you make waiting room friends...
MissouriCat/Lisa, just to provide another picture for you, I am unclothed above the waist for the entire time I'm being treated. No gown, no towels. Just air. Good thing it's not too cold in the room. I'm pretty certain, though, that if I asked, they'd be happy to provide me with a gown if it didn't interfere with the treatment.
I also have sharpie + stickers, but when I had my first boost yesterday I got some new stickers and was told I could take some of the others off. It was recommended that I be very careful in removing them because the skin is very fragile and the adhesive can be very strong. So don't just rip them off...
Hope everyone has a good, zap-free weekend!
Anne
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Hi Lisa- tattoos for me painless- quick
pin prick. Some exposure is necessary
for ct scanning and set up. however, always
my therapists quickly covered the exposed
side by pulling my blue gown over, whenever
they did pre xray , had to walk over to
monitor etc and tight before rad begin
( no need to be exposed during radiation)
so they were always respectful snd vigilant
to do this- they understand that your
privacy is still respected. I respected that
very much - and only noticed this as
i progressed thru the daily treatments.
I would never have known otherwise.
I really hope that as you move forward,
this same courtesy is applied to you.
your untreated breadt never needs to be exposed.
Please underdtand thst this is my own
experience- others may be different.
It bothered me to read thst you felt
uncomfortsble at the amount of body
expisure. Nobody should be made to
feel anxious about this. please let us know
how this unfolds
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Hello everyone, I have been a silent reader for a while now. Thanks for all the information been shared here. Aqauphor did great for me so I had very slight peel when radiation just started. Happy that I am getting only 15 cycles because the fatigue is so bad. Now my throat has been burning and so sore for three days. Did anyone else experience this soreness of the throat. What was your remedy to it.
Done with ten cycles already can’t wait to finally get the last five next week. I just hope it doesn’t get worse after. I have read that some people find it harder after the actual treatment
Keeping my fingers crosse
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I had 3 little tattoos, surprised but not that bad and not noticeable. One sticker. They offer a gown but I never bothered. I walk in, take off my blouse and shoes, put on my sunglasses and decline a warm blanket. It doesn’t take 5 minutes even though I have to do the breathe and hold several times. I felt a little strange with the male technician at first but I just chat with them. I’m sure it’s boring to them. I’ve been happy (?) with my treatments and impressed with their professionalism. But the next time I see them I hope it’s at the grocery store. Only 4 more boosts to go
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Happy Friday! We’ve made it through another week. Day 2 post rads for me and my skin is RED and itchy. Still using Miaderm and putting on Silvadene for the under arm where the skin is peeling. I put on Aquaphor at night just to keep everything moisturizer while I sleep.
Missouricatlady - Fritz and I go to the same place and she described everything to a T. I normally had the same techs in the room with me, but it’s a teaching hospital, so sometimes I’d have a student watch the proceedings (with my permission). You get used to the routine pretty quickly. If anything does feel uncomfortable, speak up. They are usually as accommodating as possible.
Piperkay - I was told to just let the stickers fall off when they are ready to come off or else you might end up peeling skin underneath it. They also said I can now put lotion on them when I’m lathering up and that will help them come unglued to the skin. I’m so used to avoiding them that I forget to do this.
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Anne, Cassie, Aadetoyin, Benji and RosieRed, you all have a good group. Thank you for the help. One of my coworkers told me the doctor has coached her son's basketball team, and he just has a poor bedside manner, which makes sense. I wish you all the best, thank you for being there. Hugs, Lisa
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lisa I got tattoos and they did not hurt. It was quick and they're tiny. Like the size of a dot.
I kept on pants and shoes and would remove my shirt and change into a hospital gown. The majority of the techs were Male and they never made me feel uncomfortable. I would just expose my right side and since I'm flat chested they used a skin like towel on top called a bolus. I guess it provides more radiation to the chest wall. My RO said the most common place for reoccurrence is chest wall so they treat that area more. Who knows. Every RO has their guidelines. I did not have an inflatable table. Those sound nice! I had a hard metal table. Overall it was easy and it went by fast. I used miaderm and aquaphor and calendula cream. I didnt peel until my last rad and now I'm 9 days post rads and feeling much better. Its amazing how fast you heal. You got this!!!
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Mine was exactly like Sunocean's except I didn't have the bolus. I had a team of 5 or 6 tech's -- some women and some men. They alternated days. The men didn't bother me at all probably because I was in a medical setting.
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I adored my rad techs -- and they were 60% male. They were totally awesome.
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Hey all- small rash developing on chest..
just to left and right of tattoo-
my radiologist says no way is
rash csused by radiation ( the portion
thst is beyond the tatoo in
“ unradiated area”...
but the same looking rash spreads across the radiated side. ... thst mskes no
sense - same rash exactly- 90% of which
is on radiated side-
not gonna argue- and the rash isnt
bugging me- i just wanted to
know if i got radiated there-
no way she says-
did sny of you experience a slight
spread of rash , redness etc
beyond the chest tattoo-0 -
ps.. i am referring to the tattoo on sternum
area- my radiation was for right
side yet 10% of rash expands in
to the supposedly “ non treated side”....
...beyond the sternum tattoo0 -
she says rash is from radiation on treated
side- and says same rash on untreated side NOT ftom radiation- even tho looks
same ....and is attached to the rest.
What am I missing here?0 -
Missouricatlady
I got about 6-8 tatoos, not painful at all.I went to a changing area put on a front closing gown. I went to the rad room and just took off half the gown. I was left breast totally exposed, some male techs didn't bother me at all. They leave the room anyway. I was in there for 10 minutes. How many rads are you getting? Get yourself the lotions others have suggested. Make sure you lotion up under your arm too, that's the only place I am really discolored....and it burned. We are with you in spirit. Good luck! I love the Ozarks so beautiful!
cassiecanada, I had an itchy rash on my chest too...I just put cream on it. I thought it was related to rads too. Happened towards the end.
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hey carpdiem- thx for reply! did your rash
expand slightly into supposedly
“ unradiated “ side ?0
