ONLY 1 MORE CHEMO THEN RADIATION

PattyB5533

Hello Ladies, haven't posted in awhile, Taxotere has really kicked my butt. They said the taxotere would be easier then the adriamycin/cytoxin. Not for me. I can finally see light at the end of tunnel. I have an appointment with the radiatin oncologist this friday.( a whole new set of problems?) I have been reading the old posts, I have the purple nails, no loss of sensation though. My hair is growing, the kids are calling me fuzzy wuzzy. So what can I expect with radiation? Patty B

BOWMAN57

Radiation issues
Been there done that. Radiation was the least invasive or scary thing I went through. Nine chemo, adriamycin, cytoxin and taxotere 3 each. Two lumpctomys (didn't get enough the first time) and 35 radiation treatements. Sunburn type symptoms by # 20. Some soreness around the nipple and the last 5 are "boosters", a little more irritation but compared to what we've already been through, it was a breeze.

chenheart

Rads
Compared to chemo, Rads was the proverbial walk in the park! I scheduled the rads for first thing in the morning, and was able to go to work after that. Fortunately, I did home care for a pre-alzheimers person, and could go bra-less ( recommended) and was able to "goop" myself with Aquaphor ointment, and wear big, floppy T-shirts.

Your skin will be tender, and the "burn" is cumulative...you may not notice a thing externally for 2 weeks or more. But here's the best advice I can give: Do NOT use perfumed soaps, body wash or anything with fragrance on your affected side! Get a natural sponge, and Aveeno body wash. Saturate the sponge with water, add the Aveeno to the sponge and squeeze it over the radiated side...never, ever, ever rub your skin!!!!

If your skin gets itchy ( which mine did)...ask your Dr for a prescription for hydrocortison creme, the OTC brands are not strong enough. And, for the record, it takes longer to get undressed than the actual daily rads take~ and it doesn't hurt!!! Congrats on finishing chemo and getting to this next stage toward Life After Cancer !!!

Hugs,
Claudia

PattyB5533

chenheart said:

Rads
Compared to chemo, Rads was the proverbial walk in the park! I scheduled the rads for first thing in the morning, and was able to go to work after that. Fortunately, I did home care for a pre-alzheimers person, and could go bra-less ( recommended) and was able to "goop" myself with Aquaphor ointment, and wear big, floppy T-shirts.

Your skin will be tender, and the "burn" is cumulative...you may not notice a thing externally for 2 weeks or more. But here's the best advice I can give: Do NOT use perfumed soaps, body wash or anything with fragrance on your affected side! Get a natural sponge, and Aveeno body wash. Saturate the sponge with water, add the Aveeno to the sponge and squeeze it over the radiated side...never, ever, ever rub your skin!!!!

If your skin gets itchy ( which mine did)...ask your Dr for a prescription for hydrocortison creme, the OTC brands are not strong enough. And, for the record, it takes longer to get undressed than the actual daily rads take~ and it doesn't hurt!!! Congrats on finishing chemo and getting to this next stage toward Life After Cancer !!!

Hugs,
Claudia

Thanks, I appreciate the
Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I work at the hospital so we are trying to get me a 3;45 time slot, so I can go after work. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Patty B

tommie1960

i have just had two of eight
i have just had two of eight chemo 4 a drug and 4 of the t drug then follow with radiation too but so far no side affects but i suspect they're coming. good luck with yur radition i also hear it is easier than the t drug chemo

dbs1673

fresh view
Hi Patty. Having just finished my radiation yesterday (YEAH) I obviously have a fresh perspective on this. I experienced the tyical skin reaction...tan to red, to dryness, peeling, itchy and sore. It didn't come on over night and I don't expect it to leave over night. Every other day I had what was called a bollus treatment. Fancy way of saying they put a warm moist towel on my chest during the treatment. This pulled the radiation closer to the surface of the skin and while it seems as if it would protect your skin it actually has the opposit effect. The best thing I took for the itching was Claritan. My Dr preferred to not do the script hydrocortizone cream as my skin was already getting very thin. The script creams often have steroids in them and would be harder on the skin. That covers most of the stuff they tell you about.

What they didn't tell you..if you're fortunate you will meet someone who comes to treatment at the same time you do and form this new connection. I met a wonderful man having to deal with throat cancer. I had a great team of radition therapists who made my mornings as pleasant as could be in my "breakfast club". We shared stories about our families, jobs, music, haircuts, etc. The number of treatments feels never ending. That's where my fatigue came in...I was so tired of the whole ordeal and process. I woke every morning to go to rads before work. Sometimes I felt like I should leave my house in the hospital gown and that could save the time changing right away. I got to know the patterns of the gowns, the sound of the fan running through the machine, the humm of the radiation as it ran through the machine,how many seconds until the next beep, the neon green arrows and markers, I even got to know all the drop numbers they needed. I had 28 plus another 7 boost treatments. I hit my period of depression about 1/2 way through again feeling this would never end. Yesterday was my happy tears day. I know that in time I'll come to forget all those intricate details. What I know I'll never forget are the wonderful compassionate people I met even though it was cancer that made our paths come together. What I'll also never forget is that I've now done everything humanly possible to be cancer free. Today may be the first time that I can consider myself a survivor.

What can you expect?...That you are a survivor too!

Joycelouise

dbs1673 said:

fresh view
Hi Patty. Having just finished my radiation yesterday (YEAH) I obviously have a fresh perspective on this. I experienced the tyical skin reaction...tan to red, to dryness, peeling, itchy and sore. It didn't come on over night and I don't expect it to leave over night. Every other day I had what was called a bollus treatment. Fancy way of saying they put a warm moist towel on my chest during the treatment. This pulled the radiation closer to the surface of the skin and while it seems as if it would protect your skin it actually has the opposit effect. The best thing I took for the itching was Claritan. My Dr preferred to not do the script hydrocortizone cream as my skin was already getting very thin. The script creams often have steroids in them and would be harder on the skin. That covers most of the stuff they tell you about.

What they didn't tell you..if you're fortunate you will meet someone who comes to treatment at the same time you do and form this new connection. I met a wonderful man having to deal with throat cancer. I had a great team of radition therapists who made my mornings as pleasant as could be in my "breakfast club". We shared stories about our families, jobs, music, haircuts, etc. The number of treatments feels never ending. That's where my fatigue came in...I was so tired of the whole ordeal and process. I woke every morning to go to rads before work. Sometimes I felt like I should leave my house in the hospital gown and that could save the time changing right away. I got to know the patterns of the gowns, the sound of the fan running through the machine, the humm of the radiation as it ran through the machine,how many seconds until the next beep, the neon green arrows and markers, I even got to know all the drop numbers they needed. I had 28 plus another 7 boost treatments. I hit my period of depression about 1/2 way through again feeling this would never end. Yesterday was my happy tears day. I know that in time I'll come to forget all those intricate details. What I know I'll never forget are the wonderful compassionate people I met even though it was cancer that made our paths come together. What I'll also never forget is that I've now done everything humanly possible to be cancer free. Today may be the first time that I can consider myself a survivor.

What can you expect?...That you are a survivor too!

DBS Congratulations for
DBS Congratulations for finishing! Yahoo! You described an experience that was very similar to mine. The friends, the memorization of the whirs and clicks. Actually, radiation was a positive experience for me. I still have the mardi gras beads they gave me on the last day hanging above my dresser. Thanks for writing such a beautiful post. Now, don't you need to go out to dinner and celebrate? love and bon apetit, Joyce

mmontero38

dbs1673 said:

fresh view
Hi Patty. Having just finished my radiation yesterday (YEAH) I obviously have a fresh perspective on this. I experienced the tyical skin reaction...tan to red, to dryness, peeling, itchy and sore. It didn't come on over night and I don't expect it to leave over night. Every other day I had what was called a bollus treatment. Fancy way of saying they put a warm moist towel on my chest during the treatment. This pulled the radiation closer to the surface of the skin and while it seems as if it would protect your skin it actually has the opposit effect. The best thing I took for the itching was Claritan. My Dr preferred to not do the script hydrocortizone cream as my skin was already getting very thin. The script creams often have steroids in them and would be harder on the skin. That covers most of the stuff they tell you about.

What they didn't tell you..if you're fortunate you will meet someone who comes to treatment at the same time you do and form this new connection. I met a wonderful man having to deal with throat cancer. I had a great team of radition therapists who made my mornings as pleasant as could be in my "breakfast club". We shared stories about our families, jobs, music, haircuts, etc. The number of treatments feels never ending. That's where my fatigue came in...I was so tired of the whole ordeal and process. I woke every morning to go to rads before work. Sometimes I felt like I should leave my house in the hospital gown and that could save the time changing right away. I got to know the patterns of the gowns, the sound of the fan running through the machine, the humm of the radiation as it ran through the machine,how many seconds until the next beep, the neon green arrows and markers, I even got to know all the drop numbers they needed. I had 28 plus another 7 boost treatments. I hit my period of depression about 1/2 way through again feeling this would never end. Yesterday was my happy tears day. I know that in time I'll come to forget all those intricate details. What I know I'll never forget are the wonderful compassionate people I met even though it was cancer that made our paths come together. What I'll also never forget is that I've now done everything humanly possible to be cancer free. Today may be the first time that I can consider myself a survivor.

What can you expect?...That you are a survivor too!

Congrats on finishing. What
Congrats on finishing. What a wonderful post. I guess that with time we will all forgot the intricate details but not the friends we made. Hugs, Lili

PattyB5533

mmontero38 said:

Congrats on finishing. What
Congrats on finishing. What a wonderful post. I guess that with time we will all forgot the intricate details but not the friends we made. Hugs, Lili

radiation
Well I had my first visit and exam with the oncologist. i,m going to get 33 treatments, they are definately doing chest wall and axillary region, but she is going to discuss my case with the TEAM. they possibly are going to do the upper lymph node area also. My tumor grew from 2 cm to a tennis ball in 9 days, it was in the left upper area of my rt. breast. I have an aggressive ca called sarcoma. They are concerned about the upper region where the tumour was. She wants to wait a few weeks after my last chemo on 10-21 before we begin. I just can't wait until this is over and I start getting my energy back. Right now I'm a cancer FIGHTER, soon a SURVIVOR. Thank You GOD BLESS Patty B

Joycelouise

PattyB5533 said:

radiation
Well I had my first visit and exam with the oncologist. i,m going to get 33 treatments, they are definately doing chest wall and axillary region, but she is going to discuss my case with the TEAM. they possibly are going to do the upper lymph node area also. My tumor grew from 2 cm to a tennis ball in 9 days, it was in the left upper area of my rt. breast. I have an aggressive ca called sarcoma. They are concerned about the upper region where the tumour was. She wants to wait a few weeks after my last chemo on 10-21 before we begin. I just can't wait until this is over and I start getting my energy back. Right now I'm a cancer FIGHTER, soon a SURVIVOR. Thank You GOD BLESS Patty B

You were a survivor the
You were a survivor the moment you were diagnosed. I considered myself cancer free right after my mas. Now, I will continue to fight to continue to be a survivor. But you have definitely earned your pink ribbon already! I didn't feel a reduction in my energy healing during rads. After finishing chemo its pretty much done as far as suffering is my experience. I wish you an easy ride, sister survivor! love, Joyce

KathiM

Joycelouise said:

You were a survivor the
You were a survivor the moment you were diagnosed. I considered myself cancer free right after my mas. Now, I will continue to fight to continue to be a survivor. But you have definitely earned your pink ribbon already! I didn't feel a reduction in my energy healing during rads. After finishing chemo its pretty much done as far as suffering is my experience. I wish you an easy ride, sister survivor! love, Joyce

Yup, that's the official title!
Even the ACS says that....a survivor you be from the day of diagnosis!

Rads for me were easy, I managed the burns with this:

I carried a tube of Aquaphor with me to my daily session. Before redressing after treatment, I applied a liberal coat to my chest site (left side for me...). Then, after I got home from work, I applied Silvadeen (this is a perscription burn cream...I didn't need it till the last 1 1/2 weeks of rads). In the morning, I would shower it off (you can't wear Silvadeen for rads, it makes the radiation guys real mad, and it can affect treatment...). Then I applied regular body cream (otherwise, I shrunk up like a prune...but that's me for my whole life...lol).

Remember to keep hydrated.

BIG hugs and congrats!!!!!!!!!

Hugs, Kathi

PattyB5533

KathiM said:

Yup, that's the official title!
Even the ACS says that....a survivor you be from the day of diagnosis!

Rads for me were easy, I managed the burns with this:

I carried a tube of Aquaphor with me to my daily session. Before redressing after treatment, I applied a liberal coat to my chest site (left side for me...). Then, after I got home from work, I applied Silvadeen (this is a perscription burn cream...I didn't need it till the last 1 1/2 weeks of rads). In the morning, I would shower it off (you can't wear Silvadeen for rads, it makes the radiation guys real mad, and it can affect treatment...). Then I applied regular body cream (otherwise, I shrunk up like a prune...but that's me for my whole life...lol).

Remember to keep hydrated.

BIG hugs and congrats!!!!!!!!!

Hugs, Kathi

OK I AM A SURVIVOR. Just
OK I AM A SURVIVOR. Just one more chemmo next week. Thanks to the sisterhood for helping me get through things. Patty B