Starting Radiation October 2019
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Kamboka - Yay! You are half way to the end! Hopefully your nausea is from GERD. I have that too but not from chemo.
I also hope that your side effects are kept to a minimum. I hear such a wide level of intensity of the radiation SEs. Some people make it the whole time and don't have any fatigue. Others are too tired to even drive themselves to/from the treatments from the very beginning and can't work the whole time. I started thinking about how hard our bodies are working to repair the damage from the radiation. On Friday, I thought I was coming down with a cold. I felt tired, sniffly, and thought I might've had a low-grade fever. I also have been dealing with mouth sores we think are caused by my acid reflux. My glands have been swelled up with because of those. Anyway, I wondered how susceptible we are to illnesses during radiation because our bodies are working so hard right now?
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mocame: The front desk guy at my apartment has had anal cancer so he talks to me a lot his journey. Just today, he was telling me to take natural supplements to build up my immune system since even though I had finished chemo, my body was weak. So in saying that, I think he is correct and you might have caught a bug. I hope not but we are still susceptible. The feeling that you might have a fever could be very mild fatigue. I even took my temp this weekend as I was feeling more sluggish than I had in a month.
I feel your pain with the mouth sores. Have you had them before outside of chemo? If you were having rads on your clavicle area I might think it was due to that. I am having a dry cough and the RO said today it might be because of the angle of the treatment affecting my trachea. I also had a small sore on my tongue a few days ago but it went away quickly. I thought it was from eating something toxic.
After walking home today, I thought to myself that I was dragging a bit. Maybe I do have mild fatigue but nothing like the anemia during chemo.
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I've had mouth sores since I was a kid, just not as many. I really think this is just from the reflux and my body not being able to fight them as well as it used to. This past week, I started to take my multi-vitamin every day (I haven't been because I usually eat pretty healthy) and started taking a probiotic again for the reflux. They seem to be helping. My mouth sores are going away and so far I haven't gotten any new ones. My local hospital isn't very good. I could tell you my story with them but that's another long story. Last year I was on Obamacare and they were the only hospital/drs within an hour drive that I could go to. The NP (only person I could see) told me to go off the probiotic and just eat yogurt for the reflux. I explained that I sneeze and my reflux acts up more when I eat it. She said that isn't from the yogurt and insisted I do that. Well, it's been 6 months and it hasn't gone away and I still sneeze, cough, etc. when I eat yogurt so I decided to go back on the probiotic. My reflux has been better since then. So far (knock on wood), getting more sleep and keep exercising has been working at keeping the fatigue at bay but we will see what happens in the future. I still have 3 1/2 weeks to go!
I hope you start feeling better. Did he recommend any natural supplements to take?
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mocame: I think the probiotics are a good idea. Not sure about the yogurt unless it's nature and freshly made. I have lived overseas and had 'real' yogurt so I don't like the stuff in the stores here in the USA. I'm glad that your sores are healing. That's not a fun feeling as I had them during AC.
I wanted to see a naturapath but she was fully booked. She gave me the name of someone else but they never called back and I have forgotten to call them. I was feeling really good for about 5-6 weeks and you know when we feel good we don't always think ahead.
I need to follow up. I am taking high doses of Vitamin C about 3000mg and the beet juice powder. So far, I think it's helping.I took my med that the RO gave me for reflux last night. I'll see how I do in the next few days. I hope it helps as I hate to feel nausea.
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OMG it is a real tattoo. I have 2 small, forever, spots and magic marker circles and lines. I will be prone and comfortable. So far, so good.
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petite1: Congrats on finishing your simulation. I got five tattoos and can't find three of them and the other two look like nice moles. They still do marking on occasion. I've ruined two bras with the markers so far. I keep forgetting to wear the old bras. I'm glad you won't have to do the breath holding and can be prone and comfortable. When do you start the treatments and how many?
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petite1 - Yup! Real tattoos!
They gave me 6 "freckle" tattoos. That's what my techs call them. And then 4 markers/stickers. I have 2 markers/stickers that keep coming off at least once a week. Please let us know when you start your treatments. Best wishes!Kamboka - My RO suggested using soft cotton camis instead of bras and it is working out well for me. I've even been wearing them 100% of the time...To work, home, and to bed at night. They only cost $1.68 each at Walmart so I bought a bunch of them and they are very comfortable, lightweight, and easy to take off and on during treatment. So far, even the Aquaphor isn't staining them.
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mocame: I bought some soft cotton camisoles prior to radiation. Unfortunately, the RO asked me to where a bra except at home. He was worried that I'd develop sores under my breast if I didn't support them. So far, the bras have not been uncomfortable. I also bought some cotton clothes to go under the bra in case I needed more softness. I haven't had to use them yet. Now, I wear the white camisoles under my cotton work shirts because they were really nice and had a lace front.
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Kamboka - Okay. That is understandable. Mine are on the smaller size so I don't need the support that most women probably need. I hope your meds start to help you feel better.
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Good morning, Kamboka and Mocame. They did not give me a start date, but said I would hear from someone by the end of the week. I am very small and only need a little support. I bought one of Walmarts $1.68 camisoles prior to radiation. I just step in it and pull it up. The cotton open front sport bras that come 2 in a package are doing OK, so far. One of my tats is itching this morning. I will be doing 5 times a week for 6 weeks. I will be glad when that is done.
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petite1: I know you are ready to get this started. I'm half way done (30 total) and so far no major problems. I think my nausea might have been reflux since I'm feeling better with the meds. I've been pretty religious about using my creams 3-4 times a day. It seems to be working as my skin has tanned but not itchy or irritated.
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So far so good for me. Pretty red under my arm, and around the areola, but other than that doing fine. I am sleepy all day! Only three boosts to go. Bone density test showed that I have a large, thick bone in my back so I have to go for a bone scan today to rule out cancer. Doctor said only a 5 percent chance, but I am 100 percent terrified so prayers would be appreciated. Have a great day everyone!
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Jcscbrown: You will be in my thoughts and prayers. When will you have the results? When did you last have the bone scan? Sorry for so many questions.
You are so close to being finished. How many total treatments do you have. Sounds like you have fatigue. Besides being sleepy, has that stopped you from doing what you normally do?
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petite1 - Hopefully they let you know soon. I think Kamboka and I are doing the same # of treatments as you. My last week are boosts. So far, it's been going pretty fast. I had #13/30 today.
Jcscbrown - You are almost done! Yay! I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers that it's not cancer.
Has anyone experience a short period where you felt like you were coming down with a fever? I felt fine all week and all day until I was driving to my radiation appt. I started getting fuzzy headed but when I checked-in and was in the waiting room, felt fine. When I had my gowns on and was in the 2nd waiting room and talking to another lady getting radiation, I suddenly got really hot. After a few minutes, I got cold and had goosebumps. Felt fine during treatment and when seeing my RO but it started again on the drive home and since I got home. I took my temperature periodically and it ranged from 98.3 to 99.4. Most of the time it was in normal range. I felt this way last Friday but it didn't last long and have felt fine since then until today. I guess I might be coming down with something but it just hasn't hit yet. There is a lot of sickness going around. The one tech was out sick yesterday and another one went home sick while I was there.
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Great...Now I just started with an aura and I migraine. Fun times.
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mocame: What are the technicians sick with? I hope your body has built back enough immunity to fight whatever it is. I only had those feeling when I had chemo. So many times, I had chills and goosebumps but I would take my temp and it would be normal. Last weekend, I felt like you do when you are coming down with a cold and fever but, again, my temp was normal. I just racked that up to the start of fatigue. I've felt pretty energetic again yesterday and today. The GI med the RO gave me must be helping as I've not had nausea since Monday. This week after x-rays, they marked me up pretty good. I am allergic to the stickers so manage to rub the markings off every time. I've also managed to ruin two more bras. Maybe I should just dye all my bras blue and it would work.
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I don't know what the techs had. I was just told they were sick and saw the one girl leave today. Sounds like we have had similar symptoms but I don't remember hearing anyone else talk about those symptoms on other radiation threads. Could be fatigue, I guess or just our bodies fighting the effects of the radiation.
I'm glad your nausea has been gone and hope it stays that way. After radiation is over, you need to splurge on yourself and buy all new bras! You deserve it!
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HI. Starting radiation in the morning. Will let you know how it goes.
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Wishing you the best, petite1, on your first treatment tomorrow!
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petite1: If they didn't do x-rays during your simulation, then tomorrow will be a bit longer session. The 'normal' days usually go very quickly. Look forward to your impressions.
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I survived the first day. Didn't feel a thing. It did take a little longer. I came home put on aloe and Aquaphor. Ready for round 2. My last day will be 11/21. Can't wait!
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petite1: You are on board now. I know you are glad to get started.
I've finished #18/30. All is going well.
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Petite1 - Yay! Congrats! The countdown to the end is on!
I actually have a countdown calendar where I mark off the each day of treatment.
Kamboka - Still feeling pretty good? No nausea? How is your skin doing?
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mocame: Don't you just love marking off the days on your calendar! I don't have one for radiation only but do it every day, no matter what is going on.
The RO must have been right. I've not had any nausea since taking the high dose prilosec.
I get three angles of radiation shots. I can tell where they are now since my skin has tanned in those areas. The breast is completely tan and not really pink any more. I'm taking that as a good sign. Still feeling pretty energetic.
How are you feeling? Are you tanning yet?
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Marking off those days makes me realize how quickly it is going!
So glad to hear you are still feeling great and you are tan too! I am lightly pink and you can see the exact space that I am having radiation. I have two angles and it looks like a rectangle...Like, just a little smaller than the size of 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper across my chest. No tan here, though.
With my skin tone, I might not tan. We will see! After yesterday, I was concerned about fatigue and not feeling well today. Well, I was a little more tired this morning but otherwise I feel perfectly fine today. Weird. Maybe this is the way it's going to be...Some days I will feel great and other days I might not. I've had a couple of radiation patients tell me that I seem to have a lot of energy yet. I guess that's a good thing!
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mocame: It is amazing that we both are feeling fairly well. I was expecting severe fatigue on week two since my luck has been bad with all the side effects of everything else. Glad we both have made it this far with few, if any side effects. I'm hoping that your tiredness is from something normal and not radiation. Wouldn't it be grand if we both finished up without fatigue!
Staying pink is okay as long as it doesn't go red and irritated. I have the three distinct areas: collarbone/neck, under arm, breast. I'm keeping everything lathered with creams and oils so maybe that is helping.
Is this affecting your nighttime sleep? I find myself ready to go to bed at 8:30. I go at 9:00 or 9:30 and then toss and turn for an hour or so before drifting off to sleep. Maybe, that's my tiredness but not sleepiness. So, I'm off to bed. Talk to you tomorrow. TGIF!
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I usually don't sleep well and I'm a light sleeper. I've been sleeping pretty good right now but I set up a specific bedtime routine. This may sound terrible but I now sleep in my daughter's room while I'm having radiation. My husband is a night owl and is usually loud when he comes to bed which wakes me up and then I have a hard time getting back to sleep. Then sometimes my son comes into our bedroom when I'm trying to get to bed and wants to talk (not a bad thing for a teenager) and my cat always wants to be near me when I go to bed. These things tend to keep me up at night or get to bed late. During rads, I told them I'm changing things and I'm sleeping in my daughter's room and when the door is shut, it means I'm in bed...Do not disturb.
I've also been getting up at 4:40AM to exercise and get to work early since I now start early so I can leave and get to my radiation appt. At nighttime, I start getting ready for bed at 8:30 and I'm in bed about 9:00. This gives me time to relax and slow down and I usually can fall asleep pretty quickly then. If I rush around before bedtime, I tend to be too keyed up and thinking too much. I told my family this is only temporary. I just need to make sure I'm taking care of myself and getting plenty of undisturbed rest. Wishing everyone a good treatment day and little to no SEs! Another week done!
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Hi, mocame. Yes, I it posted on the refrigerator. The count down is on. I finally have the geno results, Prosigna, and I am High Risk with a score of 61. Much to think about.
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mysticalcity-sorry I am not getting notifications of the posts and replies! Anyway, I'm finished now-I had simulation on a Friday, the following Tuesday I started the radiation and there were 16 sessions of it. So I ended on a Tuesday and rang the bell. I have fair skin, but it does not tan or burn easily, so am having a few SE's but not a lot. Some minor itching, redness. Poor old nip will never win a beauty contest! It was overall wearing in that you were reminded every day (except the weekends) that you were in treatment for cancer. Hard to to deal with every day...
But I'm glad it's over and will try to get my notifications fixed. Oh, besides the spray Aquaphor during the day, and the greasy Aquaphor at night, I also added an OTC 1% hydro-cortisone cream for itching. It helps a lot. Doc said if it got worse he would prescribe a stronger steroid. He will be monitoring for lung damage, cough, etc. in the future checkups since this was a left breast tumor.
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mocame: I think you have to do what you need to do. It's a great idea to use the spare room since there are so many potential distractions. Getting rest is really important now, which is why I'm so sad that it takes me so long to drift off to sleep. I also get up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the bathroom. I used to fall right asleep until taxol and shortly thereafter I started on CPAP (which is not helping yet). When I wake up naturally at 5 something, I do a little work, then rest some more but it makes for a long day. Previously, I would wake up at 745 and walk to work by 900. The Gabapentin makes me not want to get up.
petite1: I don't know of Prosignia. What are the ranges? I had Oncotype with a range of 1-100. I am 45. Since your number is high, will they go back and start chemo? Chemo is usually done before radiation, I thought.
suzyqflowers: Congratulations on ringing the bell! We don't have a bell so I will have to bring candy or cupcakes to the team and myself to celebrate. So far, I've not had the itching or irritation. I went from pink to a nice tan but hope I don't go to burned.
I have a prescription steroid cream that they had me use for the first two weeks. Have you saved this thread to your favorites topics? That way, you'll know when we've posted.0
