Starting Radiation October 2019
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Woohoo! Congratulations, Petite1! That's great news!
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I am doing the happy dance.
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petite1: Great News!!! What a relief. How is the skin?
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hooray petite1!!!
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Good morning, Ladies. I have a small dark area just under the collar bone and the new skin around the scar and armpit has turned pink. Some breast pain today.
Kamboka and mocame, How are you doing?
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Skin is good. Just mostly a light tan with some patches that match my normal skin color. Slow progress!
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I'm paying more attention to my 'adhesive burns' than the radiated side. I'm happy to say that the radiated side is doing really well. I'm still using my oils 2-3 times a day. My five week check up with the RO is Monday. The burns from the adhesive are itchy. I have some prescription cortisone creasm that I'm alternating iwth antibiotic ointment.
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Good morning. The skin on my nipple is coming off and the underarm scar has a small area of dead skin. I continue to put the creams and lotions on twice a day. We are slowly healing.
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Met with my RO's PA yesterday for my one month radiation follow-up. I really liked him! I wish I had him for all my doctors! He sat and explained so much information. He answered questions (before I asked) about things I have been asking my doctors and their nurses and never really got answers to. I even found out through him that they are staggering all of my doctor appointments so that I will see a doctor every so often during the year to keep on track of how I am doing physically, with side effects, check for any abnormalities, etc. Nobody told me that before! He said my skin looks good. Even though my skin looks fine, I have one area under my arm that is still a little itchy. He said to keep putting hydrocortisone cream on it. He also told me that any changes that happen to my reconstructed breast should happen in the next 6 months. So basically the way it is after 6 months is the way it is going to stay. He gave me advice on how to keep lotioning once or twice a day to keep the area soft because I will definitely need surgery in the future to exchange the ruptured implant. Also said that for the next year, to put sunscreen on my breast, not just if going to be on the beach or in the water but underneath clothes if going to be in the sun. He said some people still get sunburn through their clothes if in warm sunny places. He spent time with me, answered my questions, and was an open book discussing everything, not just the radiation part. Great visit!
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mocame, I am glad your follow up went well. Mine is Thursday with RO and MO.
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mocame: I'm so glad you had a good health practitioner that explains things. You are so right in asking why they can't all be that way. I, too, learned a lot from my second opinion doctor the other week. I hadn't thought about putting sun screen on even under the clothing. I'm at my mom's in TN now and will be heading to FL for Christmas. I guess i'll have to buy some sunscreen. Sorry you are still getting itchy. I really think my concoction of coconut oil and calendula oil has been so helpful. My only problem was my own doing in jerking off the tape.
Today I flew to mom's and I just noticed that I'm so swollen. My ankles are like elephant legs. I've not had problems with swelling since a short time in June around my hospitalization. I think the letrozole is not helping along with the air travel.
petite1: I hope your follow up goes well. I have my MO follow up at the end of January. My radiation NP asked me when I was seeing the surgeon and I said they didn't say they needed to see me again. She recommends that I do see them. I think my breast surgeon did a fabulous job but she was not personable and didn't spend much time at all talking to me. In fact, I was the one that lobbied for my PT/OT consult for potential lymphedema.
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kamboka, The follow up went well. I have started Arimidex. Hope you have a Merry Christmas down here in Florida. My 98 year old mom is in St. Petersburg. I live about 2 hours north.
mocambe, Happy Holidays.
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Petite1 - So jealous that you live in Florida. I hate the cold and temperatures the past 2 mornings have been in the teens! Brr! I'm taking Arimidex too. I hope you do well on it and have no side effects. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Kamboka - Merry Christmas to you!
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The white snow outside my home is pretty but I don't see my salt working to melt any of it from the driveway! Very slippery and dangerous. Had first 'New baseline' mammogram today, six months after this ordeal, not anywhere as painful as I expected, grateful for that! They only checked my cancer breast, didn't know that was the protocol. I was very grumpy cause I was scared of pain. Sorry nurse! I was a bad patient. They are so forgiving and nice, so professional yet understanding.
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It's unseasonably warm here in TN for the next week. It's supposed to be 63 on Christmas day. In FL, it's expected to be 78. I'll take either.
Togethertolearn: My second opinion MO said that she doesn't let a year go by without the unaffected breast getting a mammogram. My current MO was thinking my next mammogram would be six months after radiation which is May. The second opinion said it should be in late January when I was first diagnoses and the last time my unaffected breast was scanned.
I'll be anxious to hear how you two do on the Arimidex. My MO said that letrozole is very similar to either Arimidex or the other AI (I forget the name now). If I don't do well on letrozole, she'll try me on the one that is most different. So far, these hot flashes are not fun. My mom keeps her house so very hot and I'm so uncomfortable. She keeps wondering why I'm not wearing a coat. I can't get cool.
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I hear you about the hot flashes. It kicked in after taking it a week and a half. I'm usually a very cold person so it's weird to be very warm at times in the winter. I'm usually bundled up in 3 layers and last night I was wrapping Christmas presents and it was a occasional change of clothing. Wrap, wrap, wrap...off goes the sweater and just wearing a cami...wrap, wrap...on goes the sweater...wrap, wrap, wrap...off goes the sweater...And so on. Not too many other SEs except that I'm a little moodier and things tend to set me off quicker than normal. I'm also losing a little more hair than normal. I had lost some hair during radiation and then it was thickening back up a little bit until I went on Arimidex. I'm taking biotin to help with that.
63 and 78 degrees sounds amazing! I was just glad we are to get into the 40's this week. It's been very cold here...more like it usually is in January.
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mocame: LOL about your wardrobe movements. I know the feeling. At night I'm constantly putting the covers on and taking them off. I'm not getting any sleep--too busy with the covers.
I've not noticed any moody swings but it might be because I'm on an anti-depressant for my neuropathy. It might be modulating the mood. My mom is on oral chemo drugs for leukemia. She has very thin and wiry hair now. 0 -
Togethertolearn: I have to have a baseline post surgical, post radiation mamo. I am not looking forward to that.
mocame and Kamboka: I am not sure if I am having any hot flashes or not. It has been crazy. My mom died on the 22nd and I have been dealing with my feelings, her home, attorney, funeral home, notifications. I don't know if I am coming or going.
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I'm so sorry petite1
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Petite1 - I'm so sorry! It's tough enough dealing with your treatment but then having to deal with the death of a loved and it happening around the holidays. That is very hard.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers!
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petite1: I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I know it's so tough trying to get through these occasions, even in the best of times--you are dealing with your own illness and the holidays. If I recall correctly, you got to spend some time with your mom a little bit ago. I'm glad you were able to do that. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
I hope that you will not have the hot flashes. Mine have gotten worse since the weather was warm where I've been this holiday. I'll ask my MO for something when I see her at the end of January. I know those taking tamoxifen are given Effexor. Maybe that can help me.
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Kamboka & mocame, Thank you. It is tough. I have to remember that I am still healing and adjusting to the hormonal treatment. I accomplished a lot, worked hard and I nearly fell asleep on the interstate last night. it is a 2 hour drive. Being goal oriented, I push until it is done. She lived in her house for 61 years and there is a lot of stuff to go through. Little things like the smell of her perfume, turn me into a tear bucket. Today is a doctor day, but I was up at 6:30 working on papers the Attorney's office sent for probate. My breast and underarm still have some pain. I have been able to wear one of my old bras, twice. My wound is at the upper far left and it extends nearly to the underarm. It is a little below the underarm wound. I don't think the hot flashes are any different from the occasional ones I have. I do seem to have some hair loss, but that could be from the thyroid changes.
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Petite1 - I too just go and go to get done but then I end up paying for it later, so please take care of yourself.
The hot flashes have increased. I had 4 this morning within 3 hours. They are usually worse at night but I've been eating a little more sugar during the holidays so maybe that is why they increased. Not sure. My hair loss has stabilized but I've been taking biotin so I don't know if that has helped. I just had my second injection of Zoladex on Friday. What a difference a different nurse makes! This nurse was quick and had me recline when she did it. It didn't hurt much and I hardly noticed it afterwards.
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petite1: I know it is very stressful with all the things you need to do. Please try to take care of yourself as well. Too bad the skin is not completely healed. So far, I've been lucky with the skin.
mocame: Sorry about the flashes. It's been better for me since I've come home from the holiday and can keep my temperature low. I'm so not looking forward to years and years of flashes. Heck, regular menopause goes quicker.
I'm wishing you both, along with Togethertolearn and any others that have been on this thread, a very happy New Year! Let's all hope and pray for the best 2020 that we can have.
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Happy New Year to All.
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Happy New Year to everyone!
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Wishing us a Healthy New Year.
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I know it's 2020 and I"m happy to have made it here but wanted to do a quick vent.
I've been on the letrozole for six weeks now. My insomnia is getting worse. Between the CPAP (started using about four months ago) recirculating hot air in my nose and the hot flashes, I don't think I'll ever get to sleep. Last night, I had to stop using the CPAP and pull out my 'cooling' towel that most folks use in the summer. My PCP refuses to give me any more Ambien since I got the sleep apnea diagnosis. I only took about 30/year just to get a few hours of sleep. My normal pattern is to wake up 4-5 times a night to go to the bathroom. Before letrozole and CPAP, at least I could go straight to sleep when I laid down. Now, it's 1-2 hours just laying there. Is this what I have to look forward to for the next 10 years?
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Kamboka - Ugh! That's frustrating and exhausting. Have you tried melatonin? That's what I use when I can't fall asleep.
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Kamboka, that's frustrating. My hot flashes haven't really increased. I do sleep with a fan on in all seasons. My husband puts off a lot of heat, so most of the time, I move into another room.
I went for my annual skin check and she wanted to freeze a place on my affected side. I am afraid of developing lymphedema and refused. She ordered a topical chemotherapy and I am afraid of that, too. Any advice?
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