Radiation April 2019
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cassiecanada Yup it did, it was red and irtchy. That's why I thought it was related to the rads.
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thanks C!..not to belabour this ,
but if its not from rads, and looks like
same rash on rad side...whats it from?
did you ever get a thought on this?0 -
Was it the tech or the radiologist who told you the rash is not from the radiation? I believe the radiologist looks at computer images of the your daily treatment. On the day of my first treatment the radiologist showed me on the computer the images of that days radiation treatment -- it shows exactly where the radiation goes. I've gotten daily insurance statements with the radiologist billing for reading x-rays daily. Just for confirmation you may want to ask your radiologist to show you those images. It made me feel much better that my heart and lungs were safe.
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I got 2 pin size tattoos, they did not hurt at all. Started peeling under my arm on the 20th treatment, a bit raw and red but just a slight stinging when I move my arm. Winding down, 2 regular and 5 boosts. Ready to be done with this phase....
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Hi Ladies, I am 11 days post rads. I think I peaked around 3 days later. I had a bad reaction (in my opinion), but now I feel like I moulting. I can see pink, healthy skin underneath.
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Isn't it amazing how fast it gets better once it's done getting worse??
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Today is my last day of 16 hypofractionated partial breast rads. I was phobic, terrified of radiation, of the Frankenstein, eery aspect of it , of the rays shooting in, though, on some intellectual level, I knew I should think of them as my protector. It has actually been easy enough. I am pink and a bit burning below my collarbone, on upperchest but all else is fine..Now I’m worried about the next 2-5 weeks and whether there will be blistering and peeling and whether real fatigue will set in.. Also going on vacation June 5-15 and would like to delay starting Arimidex until then, which, given my anxiety gene, I am also terrified of. Want to thank all of you for encouragement, for helping me accept and get through radiation and for all the helpful suggestions of creams and Miaderm and such. I knew nothing of any of this
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Hay Keywestfan, today is my last day too! I had 16 regular treatments, and will have had 4 boosts. I'm glad your skin is still intact, as mine is, although I am quite red under my arm and around the areola. On Friday the RO told me once I'm done to start using vitamin E oil, coconut oil or shea butter to start soothing all those areas. I'm going to continue using the Auqaphor for a while, too, to keep it all hydrated. This will all be so much easier without all those nasty stickers getting in the way!
No bad fatigue for me, although the last week or so I've been happy to lay my head down for a short nap soon after the treatment. But I suppose that could change, too, as you say.
With all the talk of delayed side effects, or peaking after the end of treatment, I can't help but thinking of a cooking analogy: take the cake out of the oven just before it looks done because it'll continue to cook for a while on the rack. That's us!
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Congrats keywestfan and piperkay!!!
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bravo to finishing!
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Congrats keywestfan and piperkay! 5 boosts starting tomorrow, excited to be close to the end!
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Keywestfan and piper kay --- I'm two weeks past the full breast (16 day) part and no peeling or sores. I took a 5 day break before the boost and Thursday will be one week since that part - still no peeling or sores. I also have continued the aquaphor at night. I do still get kind of tired in the late afternoons. Keywestfan --- I also have that horrible anxiety gene and I'm terrified of that upcoming pill we have to take. Make sure to get a Dexa before you start so that you can monitor the Osteoporosis side effect. Looks like we got through the radiation pretty well.
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So do we really have to go back the RO after we are done. I don't really want to. What's the point? Oh, you look great. Bye. What's the point? Ready to move on.
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Carpe, I did my appt by phone, as I left the area...
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Carpe --- yep, I think I have to go back every couple of months for a while. Wonder what the radiologist is looking for?
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Thanks, everyone. What a relief! I rang the bell, said good bye to the amazing staff, and rode off into the sunset! Then had a wonderful celebration dinner with my hubby - with a glass of champagne! - and started ridding myself of those stickers which all of a sudden didn't want to come off anymore!
Will continue to use the Aquaphor for a couple of weeks based on comments here and my RO, adding in the vitamin E oil to help soothe the savage breast. Lol! But I do think I've come out of this pretty well, considering, though we'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.
As for seeing the RO again, I've got a follow up appt with her next month, and maybe we'll have another appt after that, but the MO said that some ROs like to manage the imaging schedule for a while. Just depends on the doc. I think my MO is more hands on (she likes to say that she is a micromanager) than my RO or BS, and I like her the best, so I'm going to let her handle as much of my continuing care as she will do.
Good luck to those of you still going... Soon you will have your days back too!
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Boost 1 of 5 done today, didn't realize they had to re-map for the boosts so a 45 minute appt. Saw the RO today, he said skin looks pretty good but again I heard the words "it will get worse before it gets better" YIKES! Of all things my colitis flared up, he said radiation causes inflammation so autoimmune conditions may get triggered. Seriously, could it have waited 5 days? So off to the lab for blood and stool tests, Uggggg. Bright side, 4 more boosts and this phase will be done!
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Hang in there Itshandled, it may get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. I finished 16/4 2 weeks ago. My boob was/is a mess, but the healing is rapid once it’s starts.
I sometimes wonder if we’re using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut. Treatment is rough. I’m back at work but at half capacity. It’s all I’ve got right now. Brain fuZz and exhaustion combined.
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Freebee, I've said before that the only times I've felt bad through this whole thing were due to the treatment, not the disease. You used a good analogy about the sledgehammer and peanut, similar to one I've used in other contexts: a bazooka to kill a fly. Still, I believe it has been necessary and am not going to second guess myself.
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Finished, graduated, done with 33. Red and a little peeling but I think I got off pretty easy
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Congrats, Benji69!
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Congrats Benji69! I am right behind you, Hugs!
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Freebee, yes it will get better! Boob is red but armpit is the worst so far, peeling and raw but manageable. "sledgehammer to crack a peanut" LOL
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Hi Ladies,
I’m a few weeks out from my last treatment. My last post basically said that I got through radiation pretty much unscathed. Easy peasy. That was before my last treatment, at which point I was told that the skin would continue to worsen for another two weeks. I think I looked at the team with a somewhat confused face when they said that ... like how bad could it really get? Well, my nipple pretty much turned into something that looked like a burnt marshmallow, but since my nipple is still numb from surgery I didn’t even feel it. My breast continued to redden and the top layer of skin under my arm is gone and i have no more hair there BUT again, very little real pain. Clearing up now so all good.
Good luck!
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My skin is still healing -- I'm 2 weeks out from whole breast and one week out from boosts. So far so good. However, I get really tired in the afternoons. Wonder how long that will last. It's very inconvenient. Also, because I freckled in areas and was told that will probably never go away I'll forever have two separate looking breast -- one freckled and one spotless. Weird.
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Jess - I am exhausted. I could fall asleep right now.
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I’m on 25/33 and I passed out on the couch this afternoon. The fatigue is crazy!
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Fritzmylove and Freebee I am 3 weeks post rads and I am exhausted every night after work. I have a new sunburn that is brighter than any burn of my life after 4 hours under a cloudy sky! Applied sunscreen before work knowing I would be outside. Grr
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Happy Friday! I’m 9 days post rads and my skin is just peeling away. First to go was under my arm and that looks almost completely normal. Now under my TE and my chest are starting to peel and I’m pink underneath. And I hear ya about fatigue. I need a power nap or else I cannot function in the afternoon.
Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
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Thanks everyone -- Good to know I'm not the only one with ongoing fatigue. I never have been able to take a nap because it reminds me of being sick -- but I sure do go to bed earlier every night and I sleep really, really hard. When my surgeon gave me the choice of lumpectomy or mastectomy she may have forgotten to tell me what radiation is like.
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