June 2020 radiation group
Comments
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mac5... Yay for your finishing RT!!!! Something along those lines (related to the boosts) happened to me. The day before my final treatment, before the boosts, my RO said that she could not find the tumor bed and that she could not give me boosts. It sounds a little odd that your RO would say that... Too bad it was discussed after you were done with your treatment! Or did I misunderstand? I don't know what the protocol is for MX, sorry I cannot be of much help... Yes, the brain fog is real! But mine is gone (4 weeks post RT). Enjoy being done with RT
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callmegenie, I’m glad you are doing better with the brain fog. I think mine is a little better as well.
Congrats on finishing mac5. It feels so good to be done!
I had my one month check up and all is good. I’ll get an MRI in 3 months to check on the bone lesion on my spine. My bone scan this week showed no new mets, so I’m a happy camper
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Hi everyone,
Big congrats to those who have finished radiation recently! I have not been on the forum at all as I have had some other struggles to sustain.
Two weeks ago, my 25 year old son acted out, and then a bit again a week later. Hollering and pounding stuff-such a trigger as I grew up in an abusive household. He is doing very well now, but sometimes his therapy sessions trigger HIM, and guess who he takes it out on?(NOT his dead beat dad who has caused most of the sh*t the poor kid has gone through)
Anyway, my integrative oncologist did extensive lab work and I have terrible numbers for cholesterol, some heart disease 'stuff' and pre-diabetes. I was floored and frankly I am slightly depressed and over all of this health obsession, between the breast cancer and now worrying every second about heart disease, well I have been a mess. I have been walking almost every day and pushing through my hip pain, I ordered a small trampoline for rebounding and so that has been used a wee bit. I took several days "off" last week, from everything, supplements, eating right, etc. But I maintained my exercise. I feel overwhelmed and am back to a poor sleeping cycle(up at 4am for an hour or two).
That and wondering if my two teens will resume school in two weeks(or not) due to covid, it's just a pile of crap that I am under and not handling the best. My practitioner upped my one blood pressure med, but the first time I started it, it zombie-fied me to the point of almost falling asleep at the wheel. I did not see this health crisis coming, and I am spent. I have had a headache for ten days, had an ocular migraine two days ago(rush to the opthamologist) and don't feel the greatest since.
I continue to pray for every one of you every day and hope my June peeps are healing well! My healing is 90% I'd say, except for discoloration under my arm and pinkish booby. I am grateful that there is so much support here. You are all amazing and I am so blessed to 'know' each of you.
Love to everyone,
xx
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mac5...Congratulations on finishing!!!!! The brain fog is real! Mine is gone now.....it has been 4 weeks since I finished radiation.
cyathea...I'm glad your follow up went well and there are no signs of bone mets!! Happy Dance time!
toria1212....So much love and tons of hugs for you. I have no advice but know I am thinking of you. My 16 year old is homeschooled so we don't have the worry over what the schools are doing. There are no good answers and I feel awful for everyone trying to figure out the school year. We school year round so we started back 4 weeks ago (right after radiation ended...our entire summer break was my radiation!).
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mac5, congrats on finishing radiation! Yay for you! It sounds like mepitel film is the way to go to prevent skin breakdown. The RO didn't prescribe any boosts for me because my margins were clear, but it's my understanding that the protocol is to do boosts on the MX surgical scar because of a higher chance of recurrence there. I had asked my RO if I could do abbreviated whole breast radiation (the Canadian protocol) that's only three weeks instead of the five weeks I went, but he said no because I had a positive lymph node and my cancer was multi-focal.
cyathea, woohoo on your post radiation exam results!
toria1212, hang in there. My cholesterol went up, too. From 241 to 266. I figured it was from being so sedentary working from home so I ordered a spinning bike. I hope your son is able to find some peace. Therapy is a hard road, but eventually it pays off.
Keeping everyone in my thoughts!
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Arabianrocks, Callmegenie My radiation oncologist told me 12 weeks was the Maximum wait for radiation post surgery and chemo
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Hi everyone, I had my one-month follow-up appointment yesterday. It was a short appointment with a nurse. I asked about the new moles and she said (just like grdngrl505 did) that they were not new... they were there already but they were light colored and with radiation they turned brown. They should disappear in 6 months. If they don't, I need to see a dermatologist. I was hoping she would tell me I could stop applying cream everyday, but she said I had to for the rest of my life! Is that what they told you?
The last few days I realized that I had gone through a lot and that I had not cried in a long time, but I had not been able to cry... until last night... I cried a lot and my husband understood that I needed to have a good cry. I'm glad I did. I think I needed it.
toria1212... I'm sorry that you're going through so much. Big hug!
redhead403... Thanks for the info.
Everyone, we should all walk around with a medal on our chest (or a crown on our head). We are brave women, we are champions! So remember that! xo
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callmegenie....A good cry can be so therapeutic. I'm glad your husband understood and that you were able to have that release. I have not been told to apply lotion every day for the rest of my life, but I also haven't had my follow up yet. As it is, I apply lotion all over after I shower (which is what I have always done) and am no longer doing anything special for the microwaved boob. I do need to start the oil and massage, but keep putting it off.
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cm2020... Please let us know how your follow-up goes.
Two questions: When will we know what size our boob will be, meaning how much it will shrink, and when should we get fitted for a bra? I forgot to ask the nurse.
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callmegenie, I had my follow up with my RO today. I asked about the shrinkage and she said they don't have a good way of predicting, it could be anywhere from 6 months - 2 yrs when it happens. She advised me not to have any cosmetic procedures to even out my breasts for 2 yrs because she wouldn't want me to put myself through that and then have the treated breast change more. Someone in a FB BC group I'm in said shrinkage happened to her after 2 yrs.
My skin is overall pretty good but still a little red and dry in areas. The nipple skin still looks like an underlayer of fresh skin where it peeled and doc said that area would take the longest to normalize, probably several months. She told me to come back in 6 months, not sure why but if it means I get checked again by more doctors I guess that's fine. I have surgeon follow up in Sept, then MO in Nov, then her in Feb, it's going to be a lot of people constantly checking my boobs!
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BCat40... Thanks for the info on shrinkage. Wow, up to 2 years! I’m going to be checked by a doctor every 3 months for 2 years, then every 6 months for 3 years. I hope your nipple heals soon!
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BCat40, thanks for the update about shrinkage. I have an implant that I'm not happy with me that my surgeon said I could exchange. I wonder if the two years applies to me. I don't have follow-ups with my RO and BS until November. I wonder if it's because I had a mastectomy. Sorry to hear about your nipple. I wonder if it's taking so long to heal because you have nerve endings there still.
Checking in to see how everyone is healing?
My skin is much better. I still have a little tanning in the treatment field, but it is fading. Does anyone know how long this takes to go back to my normal skin color. My hair also started falling out a little about two weeks after I finished Tx. Has this happened to anyone else? It's not in clumps, but more strands than usual when I put my hair in a ponytail or wash my hair. It will probably get work now that I'm on tamoxifen.
Hope everyone is staying safe. Miss you all and lot of hugs!
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Interesting about shrinkage. I’ll need to keep that in mind as time progresses. I have implants so I’m very curious the impact radiation has on those. I guess only time will tell. I’m 2 weeks out and my skin is healing well. Color is almost back to normal, only a little more pick. I still have flakes of skin coming off, but overall I’m not as tender or sore. I’m now onto hormone therapy, which is causing sore joints and bones. What a rollercoaster
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I just finished July 31 & I can relate! I have freckles & moles. Skin just beginning to peel. I have found Jean's Cream to be a wonderful aid to the skin problems.
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Hi everyone-
Thank you for your kind support above. Sometimes I think my son's struggles will do me in before any of these other health issues I now face...
I was never told about shrinkage and my right breast has definitely 'shrunk' already-that could continue? They were such a nice, matched set after my lift and (slight) reduction 4 years ago ,). I am mostly well, beginning on all of my supplements last week, walking daily and mom life getting my two youngest back to school TODAY. The supplements are overwhelming and it says 'take with food' and I hate eating breakfast, and I have done badly with my diet overall lately, including the intermittent fasting that I was getting so good at.
I am still weepy but not often tired. My breast is still slight pink but I continue to use a mix of calendula and vitamine E oil(It has become my FAVORITE thing) and has also helped my armpit scar heal nicely and my legs have lost their crocodile dryness thankfully.
I visit a couple of very active breast cancer forums on Facebook(one is integrative healing) and they move rather quickly but you do connect with many, many gals and there is a lot of info there as well.
I am praying for all of us daily. I hope you all remain well!
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Toria1212 -
I would love to know more about your FB groups!
Kris
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@woohoomama87 All Breast Cancers; Integrative support Hormone Positive Breast Cancer Support
Anastrozole, Letrozole, and Exemestane...Living with Side Effects.
The integrative support one is "run" by a very knowledgeable nurse regarding supplements and holistic approach, not traditional AI's etc.
I do not take AI's anymore but still find the AI forum supportive of MY decision to choose another route.
And the hormone positive one has lots of info as well. They move FAST. Thousands of members but many women to lift up, support and love each other through this awful BC stuff.
I am Tori Jaworski on FB. Don't hesitate to friend me xx
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Awesome - thanks!
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I hope everyone is healing and doing well.
I’ve been having some asthma-like symptoms for a month (they started a month after I finished RT). I saw my PCP today and she thinks this can be related to radiation. She said that for people who had asthma as a child, RT can cause flare-ups. And other possible radiation-related causes.
Is anybody else experiencing something similar?
Be well everyone
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Callmegenie -
Glad you posted that. I haven't started radiation yet but did have asthma as a kid, so I'll be on the lookout!
Kris
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wahoomama87, you’re welcome! It would be good to bring it up with your RO. Good luck with rads
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hello, everyone! I'm in my 3rd week of radiation, and the itching has gotten so bad that it kept me awake last night. (I ended up taking a Benadryl in a half-hearted attempt to stop the itching, but I really wanted it to knock me out!) I'm getting radiation on my right breast, armpit, and supraclavicular area. My boob is getting swollen and sore, and I've been going braless sometimes when I'm at home. My breasts are on the larger side anyway, and they can get sore from not being in a bra. I'm just trying to do whatever is comfortable.
My hubby was super attentive during chemo, which coincided with the COVID19 lockdown. He was able to telework from home, so that he wouldn't bring the virus to me going back and forth to work. (They had cases there.) Now with radiation, I'm driving myself to treatments. The cancer center will still not allow visitors, and he's already taken enough time off from work because of my cancer. My husband isn't as attentive as he was in the beginning. (It's almost like he's avoiding me.) I almost think the cancer has been worse on him than it has been on me, in a way. It really freaks him out to think that he could lose me to cancer. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.
I'm supposed to go back to work at the end of October, which will give me a couple of weeks to recuperate once radiation is over. (I don't want to scratch my boob in the classroom all day!) OK. I've rambled on enough for this afternoon. Time to stir up some dinner in the kitchen for the troops...
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I ordered this for myself off of Amazon. It made me smile! 0
