Rads, Raw potato's and lymphedemia and friends

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rjjj
rjjj Member Posts: 1,822 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello sisters. Just got back to Billings for a long, lonely week, I am half-way done though. I am starting to get pretty red from the radiation so the Doc. told me today to get a script from my primary DR. for cortizone cream 2% because insurance would pay for it that way or i could get 1%OTC. From there i went on to see my lymphedmia specialist, who said my hand/arm measured inches less now. and she wants to wait and see if I will need anything, my rib-cage is still swollen however..but not much she can do until after i am finished with rads although she did show me wraps that are fitted with bra and all. They were actually kinda pretty and looked like a t-shirt. I do have another apt. with her after my daughter Jamie gets here (around the 24th)so she can help me wrap it. so everythings looking up a little.

Oh Yeah...some of you might remember when I told you about rubbing a raw potato on radiation burns, well i completely spaced it out until my DR. said a woman had used this and it worked really well..it helps draw the burn out? guess i'll try it when i find a raw potato!

I had emotional weekend at home, the first news I heard was that one of my friends in Terry had lung cancer and another has breast cancer..i was to emotional to even talk to them yet. I know i will, but let it sink in to them and their own families first. Man, i hate that CA word! it just pisses me off! then i become emotional and depressed..remembering my own diagnosis. I pray every night for a cure for all of us. I love you all, jackie

Comments

  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
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    Raw
    Hi, Jackie, I think this whole bc thing can leave us raw emotionally. I hope you are feeling better. You are halfway through radiation, and the worst is behind you.

    Thank you for the tip on the raw potato. I will probably need one soon enough as I have fair skin. And I will get an aloe plant, remembering not to water it too much!

    You are always in our prayers and thoughts, sister Jackie of MT. We'd love for you and Jamie to take a road trip our way, any time.

    Love, Moopy
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
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    Jackie, So sorry about the
    Jackie, So sorry about the news of your friends. This C word really S----. Maybe one day are prayers will be answered in the way of a cure for all.
  • Christmas Girl
    Christmas Girl Member Posts: 3,682 Member
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    Greetings, dear Jackie!
    Thanks for this update. Yes, many things seem to be looking up, even if just a little.

    Am truly sorry, though, for your particularly emotional weekend. Especially for the news of your friends.

    Take good care of yourself.

    Kind regards, Susan
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
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    Sorry Jackie about your
    Sorry Jackie about your friends. I'm hoping it was caught early. In the meantime, I'm glad you're half way through and am wishing you the best. Remember the beacon of light is always shining. I hope you are starting to see the light. Hugs, Lili
  • Aortus
    Aortus Member Posts: 967
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    Hang in there!
    Jackie, I seem to recall you once saying that when you were diagnosed so many people in Terry didn't even know how to behave around you. I know the temptation will be there for you to be a resource to your two friends, all the more so because you know how scary and how lonely it can get to be newly-diagnosed in such a small town. And I am sure you will be a resource for them, too... once you have taken care of yourself first. You are such a loving and caring person that I worry you might get caught up in your friends' troubles even before you cross the finish line with your own treatments. Please, please, please promise you will make sure you are completely recovered from your own journey before you go helping anyone else along theirs, ok?

    Love,
    Joe
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
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    Hi Jackie!!!
    I miss you around here. You aren't on that much! But, you will be back with us more, very soon. I can't believe you are halfway thru rads. How many do you have to have? And, I used the hydrocortizone prescription for the radiation dermatitis, which is red, itchy bumps. You will know if you get them. lol I hope you don't. They are worse than the burn. The prescription is stronger than the otc, so, it works better. For my burn, I got a prescription for Biafine. It worked the best for me and it was all that my radiation oncologist allowed. However, lol, I did use some aloe vera, straight from the plant too. And, it also helped Jackie. I also used the aquaphor at night only because it is so greasy and messy. I smeared that stuff all over the radiated area and still have been somewhat, even though I am done. And, my skin is great! It's like baby's skin! I have more "stuff", lol, if you need more medicines. Just let me know. lol

    On a more serious note, I am so sorry for your friends Jackie. How awful for you to be going thru this and to find that 2 of your friends are diagnosed with the C too. I am so sorry. But, take care of yourself first! You can only do so much Jackie and you need to focus on your own treatment.

    Well, keep us updated! And, keep those creams on!!!!!!!!!!! lol
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
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    Aortus said:

    Hang in there!
    Jackie, I seem to recall you once saying that when you were diagnosed so many people in Terry didn't even know how to behave around you. I know the temptation will be there for you to be a resource to your two friends, all the more so because you know how scary and how lonely it can get to be newly-diagnosed in such a small town. And I am sure you will be a resource for them, too... once you have taken care of yourself first. You are such a loving and caring person that I worry you might get caught up in your friends' troubles even before you cross the finish line with your own treatments. Please, please, please promise you will make sure you are completely recovered from your own journey before you go helping anyone else along theirs, ok?

    Love,
    Joe

    Raw Potato"s
    Is rad burns like a sun burn? I have fair skin and burn easy and quick. I will have to do rads at some point here. I have used vinegar to draw out the heat from the sun, would this work on rad burns ?
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
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    Kat11 said:

    Raw Potato"s
    Is rad burns like a sun burn? I have fair skin and burn easy and quick. I will have to do rads at some point here. I have used vinegar to draw out the heat from the sun, would this work on rad burns ?

    Hey Kat
    Rads burn is kind of like a sunburn, but, worse actually. Now, don't let that scare you! Promise? You will get thru them just fine! They are different because they also affect the inside of you. I always explained it as a lil nuclear bomb going off in your bod everyday. After my treatments were over, the area was still a lil pink and still felt warm to the touch for a few weeks. I would NOT use anything on your skin unless your radiation oncologist says OK! You have to be very careful with your skin Kat during rads. They will give you all of this information when you go for your consultation. When do you start? The only thing, outside of what my radiation oncologist told me to use, was the aloe vera plant. And, I knew it would do no harm. You will be fine! And, if you burn, they can give you creams to help. Hugs, Jeanne
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
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    That long lonely week
    Hi Jackie, I had to travel away from home for rads, too (in my case Boise)and it is hard to be away. Where are you staying? Does your medical center have services for integrative medicine like yoga and meditation? Those services helped me get through the week and get to know some people. It's still not like being home with family, friends, and garden, but it helps. Take good care of yourself. Rads are harder on you than you think in terms of fatigue. So rest, rest, rest. Love, Lynn
  • rjjj
    rjjj Member Posts: 1,822 Member
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    Aortus said:

    Hang in there!
    Jackie, I seem to recall you once saying that when you were diagnosed so many people in Terry didn't even know how to behave around you. I know the temptation will be there for you to be a resource to your two friends, all the more so because you know how scary and how lonely it can get to be newly-diagnosed in such a small town. And I am sure you will be a resource for them, too... once you have taken care of yourself first. You are such a loving and caring person that I worry you might get caught up in your friends' troubles even before you cross the finish line with your own treatments. Please, please, please promise you will make sure you are completely recovered from your own journey before you go helping anyone else along theirs, ok?

    Love,
    Joe

    thanks Joe
    I feel guilty but i am still going through my own **** so.. you are right.i am ashamed but right now i can't take any more..just trying to get myself though it all. thanks for understanding. jackie
  • rjjj
    rjjj Member Posts: 1,822 Member
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    THANKS ALL
    i have used this i will ask. I AM LOOKING FOR A RAW POTATO.
  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Hi Jackie.......
    It's great to hear from you. I'm very sorry about your friends, and I also hope that a cure will be found in my lifetime. There are too many wonderful people out there who are affected by cancer!

    Yay! Halfway done! The light at the end of the tunner is shining brightly!

    I'm afraid that I haven't had time to post much on here lately, but I'm very happy that I took a couple of minutes to check on here & see your post! I think about you often, and look forward to your posts to let us know what's going on.

    Hugs,

    CR
  • JoMama54
    JoMama54 Member Posts: 78
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    CR1954 said:

    Hi Jackie.......
    It's great to hear from you. I'm very sorry about your friends, and I also hope that a cure will be found in my lifetime. There are too many wonderful people out there who are affected by cancer!

    Yay! Halfway done! The light at the end of the tunner is shining brightly!

    I'm afraid that I haven't had time to post much on here lately, but I'm very happy that I took a couple of minutes to check on here & see your post! I think about you often, and look forward to your posts to let us know what's going on.

    Hugs,

    CR

    Good Luck Jackie!
    I could help with plenty of raw potatoes from Idaho. LOL

    Hugs to you................JoMama
  • Aortus
    Aortus Member Posts: 967
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    Let's try this again, dearest Jackie
    I feel guilty but i am still going through my own **** so.. you are right.i am ashamed but right now i can't take any more..just trying to get myself though it all. thanks for understanding. jackie

    Of course you are still going through your own ****, Jackie. It's what you have to do. You can't be there for anybody else unless you are there for yourself first. In other words, you have first dibs on yourself. Bob and the kids and the Tootster have second dibs, but that's okay, because they love you so much and they understand what is at stake. We here at the board come in right after them - category 2A, if you will. Everybody and everything else is in a very distant third place.

    Before you even ask, this is exactly how Moopy and I see it in our own life. I figure I've got at least another 30 years to redeem all the Good Husband points I've been racking up.

    I also know it's really hurting you not to be out helping people the way you are meant to do. Lots of people go into your line of work as a CNA, but few people are blessed with the ability and the personality to excel the way that you excel. You will have literally decades of putting your unique g-i-f-t-s to good use. Think of all of the good work you have already done here on the board, educating and lifting others up. You will be doing that, too, for many years - both on the board and in your real life.

    You just have to be patient. So do all the people who you will go on to help in the future. Remember you can't help them until you're all there yourself.

    You have nothing to be ashamed of, and everything to be proud of. Fighting the beast and winning. Always being there for your fellow sisters in pink. Remaining 100% Jackie in the face of everything.

    We are ALL very proud of you, Jackie, for making this crappy club nobody wants to belong to a whole lot more welcoming and helpful. And finally, if this little talk doesn't do it, I am going to sick Moopy on you. And believe me, none of us wants that to happen!

    Love,
    Joe
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
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    Oh no, not Moopy!!
    Umm, Jackie, I think I just read a post that said something about Moopy coming after you!! You would do well to listen to Aortus.....
    So, on that note, I'm going to say "yeah...what he said!" :) Pammy
  • rjjj
    rjjj Member Posts: 1,822 Member
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    Aortus said:

    Let's try this again, dearest Jackie
    I feel guilty but i am still going through my own **** so.. you are right.i am ashamed but right now i can't take any more..just trying to get myself though it all. thanks for understanding. jackie

    Of course you are still going through your own ****, Jackie. It's what you have to do. You can't be there for anybody else unless you are there for yourself first. In other words, you have first dibs on yourself. Bob and the kids and the Tootster have second dibs, but that's okay, because they love you so much and they understand what is at stake. We here at the board come in right after them - category 2A, if you will. Everybody and everything else is in a very distant third place.

    Before you even ask, this is exactly how Moopy and I see it in our own life. I figure I've got at least another 30 years to redeem all the Good Husband points I've been racking up.

    I also know it's really hurting you not to be out helping people the way you are meant to do. Lots of people go into your line of work as a CNA, but few people are blessed with the ability and the personality to excel the way that you excel. You will have literally decades of putting your unique g-i-f-t-s to good use. Think of all of the good work you have already done here on the board, educating and lifting others up. You will be doing that, too, for many years - both on the board and in your real life.

    You just have to be patient. So do all the people who you will go on to help in the future. Remember you can't help them until you're all there yourself.

    You have nothing to be ashamed of, and everything to be proud of. Fighting the beast and winning. Always being there for your fellow sisters in pink. Remaining 100% Jackie in the face of everything.

    We are ALL very proud of you, Jackie, for making this crappy club nobody wants to belong to a whole lot more welcoming and helpful. And finally, if this little talk doesn't do it, I am going to sick Moopy on you. And believe me, none of us wants that to happen!

    Love,
    Joe

    Thanks i needed that!
    ahhh....i get the lecture from our sweet prof. O.K. MR. Joseph, i get it. and you don't have to threaten me with "the Moopster" she already beat you to it!!! LOL! last night in fact...but she is more like your sweet little kitten than the tiger you would like me to think she is.

    But seriously, you are both right. we need to take care of ourselves first and sometimes that is hard for me to do (having been a care-giver my whole life) but being here with all of you is.... something for me. I am lonely here alone in Billings but, I turn on the computer and VOILA!!! I have my second family all waiting for me. That is a blessing hard to descibe.

    love to you and Moopy,
    jackie
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
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    Aortus said:

    Let's try this again, dearest Jackie
    I feel guilty but i am still going through my own **** so.. you are right.i am ashamed but right now i can't take any more..just trying to get myself though it all. thanks for understanding. jackie

    Of course you are still going through your own ****, Jackie. It's what you have to do. You can't be there for anybody else unless you are there for yourself first. In other words, you have first dibs on yourself. Bob and the kids and the Tootster have second dibs, but that's okay, because they love you so much and they understand what is at stake. We here at the board come in right after them - category 2A, if you will. Everybody and everything else is in a very distant third place.

    Before you even ask, this is exactly how Moopy and I see it in our own life. I figure I've got at least another 30 years to redeem all the Good Husband points I've been racking up.

    I also know it's really hurting you not to be out helping people the way you are meant to do. Lots of people go into your line of work as a CNA, but few people are blessed with the ability and the personality to excel the way that you excel. You will have literally decades of putting your unique g-i-f-t-s to good use. Think of all of the good work you have already done here on the board, educating and lifting others up. You will be doing that, too, for many years - both on the board and in your real life.

    You just have to be patient. So do all the people who you will go on to help in the future. Remember you can't help them until you're all there yourself.

    You have nothing to be ashamed of, and everything to be proud of. Fighting the beast and winning. Always being there for your fellow sisters in pink. Remaining 100% Jackie in the face of everything.

    We are ALL very proud of you, Jackie, for making this crappy club nobody wants to belong to a whole lot more welcoming and helpful. And finally, if this little talk doesn't do it, I am going to sick Moopy on you. And believe me, none of us wants that to happen!

    Love,
    Joe

    Joe, you are right! ( darn, i did type that, didn't i? lol )
    None of us want to belong to this club! :( But, here we are and I truly

    thank God for finding it and for having such wonderful friends as you, Moopy and Jackie to

    help me thru this journey. This is my second ride with it, and, it will be my LAST, as I am

    cured now!

    Love, Jeanne
  • jgridley
    jgridley Member Posts: 169
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    Jackie, I am so sorry to
    Jackie, I am so sorry to hear about your friends. The C word is a horrific word to hear. But the american cancer society states that by the year 2015, they are hoping that know one
    has to hear that word again. Lets all pray and cross our fingers that we don't.
    As the potato, wished I would have known that when I was going through rads.

    They gave me Radagel, and I used good ole vitamin E. Just don't use it a half an hour before you go. By using the vitamin E, I prevented my breast from drying like our skin normally does.

    Julie
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
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    jgridley said:

    Jackie, I am so sorry to
    Jackie, I am so sorry to hear about your friends. The C word is a horrific word to hear. But the american cancer society states that by the year 2015, they are hoping that know one
    has to hear that word again. Lets all pray and cross our fingers that we don't.
    As the potato, wished I would have known that when I was going through rads.

    They gave me Radagel, and I used good ole vitamin E. Just don't use it a half an hour before you go. By using the vitamin E, I prevented my breast from drying like our skin normally does.

    Julie

    I was told by my radiation
    I was told by my radiation oncologist to not use anything 4 hours prior

    to the treatment. It will interfere with it Jackie. Check with your doctor to see how he

    feels about that. Hugs, Jeanne
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
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    Good news and bad news
    Sweet Jackie, I am very glad that you are half-way through with rads. It sounds like you're doing OK with it so far. Because of the frequency of the treatments, they do go by very quickly. Before you know it, you'll be back at home with your hubby and Toots. And we'll be very grateful to have you back, too.

    So sorry to hear about your friends. That truly sucks. But Joe is right, no guilt. I know you will reach out when you are able to. But please take care of yourself first. This is what you would recommend to any of us, right? Well, take your own advice! We all have our friends and family to support us, but in a way, we all chart our own course. Be well. I can't wait to celebrate with you on your LAST day of rads.

    Mimi