Don't have time to read all Rad threads - sorry!

blazytracy

I am done with rads...yay!....(exactly one week ago tonight)

Just wondering if burns are better off "uncovered" (other than silvadene) Right now, I am doing the vinegar soak, followed by silvadene, zeroform, gauze and ace bandage (to hold everything in place) AND in order to go to work...I do the same at night however..I am super red and about 95% of my skin has already peeled off.

I was recently reading on the breast cancer site that maybe it is best to "air the area out" to improve healing??

Any advice?? Need it fast as I just got a new (stronger!) prescription for more pain killers......and I really would just rather heal then to "kill" the pain forever.

chenheart

Congrats and Ouch!! My
Congrats and Ouch!! My radiologist said to air the affected site as much as humanly possible~ along with the ointments. I went bra-less as much as I could, and wore BIG roomy white t-shirts around the house. I feel your pain, and I hope you heal very soon!

Hugs,
Chen♥

dyaneb123

I had a bad burn right below
I had a bad burn right below my collar bone and one in my arm pit. I just put on the cream and left them uncovered and they healed quickly.Looked like heck , but healed up fast.

e_hope

ouch
congrats on finishing rad... don't have any input on your burns.. i was lucky, i only got a little brown.. i would follow the advice of your rad oncologist.. on whats best.. I would worry without the zeroform your wounds might stick to your clothes causing more damage to your skin

blazytracy

chenheart said:

Congrats and Ouch!! My
Congrats and Ouch!! My radiologist said to air the affected site as much as humanly possible~ along with the ointments. I went bra-less as much as I could, and wore BIG roomy white t-shirts around the house. I feel your pain, and I hope you heal very soon!

Hugs,
Chen♥

Thanks so much Chenheart!
You are always coming through for everyone Cheri! I think you were the very first person to respond to me when I first joined this site back in September! I wish that I could help you out more!

Thank you for the advice and I do believe you are correct. My Dr. never told me to wear an "ace bandage"! I just do that because I am going to work...and need to hold the xeroform and gauze in place - maybe when I get home I should just go shirtless after I apply the silvadene! It might get cold but big roomy t-shirts might help and be better for me...

What to do at night tho? I think the Silvadene would just soak into the t-shirt and then my sores would dry up and scab?? I don't know, I will call the Doc again tomorrow..thanks so much for the advice tho!!

Tracy

blazytracy

dyaneb123 said:

I had a bad burn right below
I had a bad burn right below my collar bone and one in my arm pit. I just put on the cream and left them uncovered and they healed quickly.Looked like heck , but healed up fast.

Hi Dyan -
What do you do if you work full-time? My burn is 8 1/2 X 13 inches!!!!!!!! It is hard to leave "uncovered"! hahahahaha...I am going to call my Doc tomorrow, it has only been a week since I have been done and they DID say that it was going to get worse before it got better.....

If there is someone that is going to be different than everybody else, it will be me of course..hahaha. Thank so much for your input!

blazytracy

e_hope said:

ouch
congrats on finishing rad... don't have any input on your burns.. i was lucky, i only got a little brown.. i would follow the advice of your rad oncologist.. on whats best.. I would worry without the zeroform your wounds might stick to your clothes causing more damage to your skin

Thanks e-hope! You are totally right!
OMG! You are totaLLY RIGHT! One night I just went to bed with nothing but the Silvadene cream on - well I have never done that again!!! Everything dried right up and started bleeding in the morning after my shower..it was very painful and awful!

CarrWilson

blazytracy said:

Thanks e-hope! You are totally right!
OMG! You are totaLLY RIGHT! One night I just went to bed with nothing but the Silvadene cream on - well I have never done that again!!! Everything dried right up and started bleeding in the morning after my shower..it was very painful and awful!

Telfa
There is a non adhesive dressing called Telfa that they use for patients with burns. You slather on the Silvadene cream, lightly place the Telfa over the affected area, then use as minimal amount as possible of paper tape (it is the most gentle to the skin). I am surprised that the nurse or MD did not instruct you, (sometimes I guess they think we already know this stuff). If you have a tape allergy there is a product called tegaderm or opsite that you can use instead. These products should be available at any drugstore, Target, Walmart wherever you would buy bandaids.

Try to avoid gauze, or any pressure that will cause the dressing to stick. I am not sure what you could wear to work, try to think loose and blousey. Most burns will stick to everything because they are oozy and adhere to whatever is in contact. At home, be open to air as much as possible. Burns really suck!

I wish you the best, and speedy healing!

- Carrie

blazytracy

CarrWilson said:

Telfa
There is a non adhesive dressing called Telfa that they use for patients with burns. You slather on the Silvadene cream, lightly place the Telfa over the affected area, then use as minimal amount as possible of paper tape (it is the most gentle to the skin). I am surprised that the nurse or MD did not instruct you, (sometimes I guess they think we already know this stuff). If you have a tape allergy there is a product called tegaderm or opsite that you can use instead. These products should be available at any drugstore, Target, Walmart wherever you would buy bandaids.

Try to avoid gauze, or any pressure that will cause the dressing to stick. I am not sure what you could wear to work, try to think loose and blousey. Most burns will stick to everything because they are oozy and adhere to whatever is in contact. At home, be open to air as much as possible. Burns really suck!

I wish you the best, and speedy healing!

- Carrie

Thanks Carrie!
Yes, I have heard of Telfa before, and for some reason, I was using gauze because that is what was sent home with me from Dr's office - so I just assumed that this is what I should be using. I will get some for sure and also am going to try to go without anything but the silvadene from the time I get home from work till I go to bed.

Thanks again Carrie, it sure is not healing fast enough that's for sure!!

Rague

WOW! Vinegar!?
Vinegar on open sores?! You're a lot stronger than I am! Even the Domeboro soaks burn a bit in the deeper burns/areas.

My Dr. wants my burns open. It is not nice as there is so much weeping/discharge that my white t-shirts are soaked in a very short time though with that much drainage nothing sticks, but I have to put plastic on the bed to keep the matress from getting soaked. There is a bit less drainage than there was and a lot of the edges are showing signs of healing but a long way to go yet. Dr. would like it if I could use Sulfadene/Silvadene instead of Aquaphor but I'm allergic to sulfa so that's out but I have been on oral antibiotics. Hopefully soon pressure dressings and anti-scar massage can start to minimize scaring.

Good luck and thoughts/prayers!

Susan

fauxma

Glad you are through the
Glad you are through the rads but big ouch to the burns. I can't really make suggestions as I didn't have this problem. But one thing I will suggest is if you have the drying out, scabbing and clothing or bandages sticking, go into the shower and let it all get wet. It will be much less painful to separate that way. Hopefully by next week, it will show improvement. I think your idea to let it air at home and cover it for work is the best way to go. Hoping it all resolves quickly.
Stef

Mama G

fauxma said:

Glad you are through the
Glad you are through the rads but big ouch to the burns. I can't really make suggestions as I didn't have this problem. But one thing I will suggest is if you have the drying out, scabbing and clothing or bandages sticking, go into the shower and let it all get wet. It will be much less painful to separate that way. Hopefully by next week, it will show improvement. I think your idea to let it air at home and cover it for work is the best way to go. Hoping it all resolves quickly.
Stef

I wish I hadn't read all this....
I'm only on #3 down and 27 to go.... Oh Lord, I hope I don't burn like that! I'm a teacher so it would be very hard to hide that!

Lots of luck to you, and please keep us posted for what happens next in your saga of the burns... God bless,
Lorraine

fauxma

Mama G said:

I wish I hadn't read all this....
I'm only on #3 down and 27 to go.... Oh Lord, I hope I don't burn like that! I'm a teacher so it would be very hard to hide that!

Lots of luck to you, and please keep us posted for what happens next in your saga of the burns... God bless,
Lorraine

Mama G
While there are some
Mama G

While there are some ladies who have had bad burns, many have not. In my case, I had only a little burning, peeled and that was pretty well it. I have had worse sunburns when I was younger. I was even able to wear my regular bras with no discomfort. Use the creams and stuff they recommend diligently and have them look at anything that concerns you. They will be checking you, but if you have questions ask them. There seems to be no magic formulas here. Some do everything they should to protect their breasts and burn and some do not. I always tanned easily when I was young and only burned a few times so maybe my skin was hardy (although I never tanned my boobs). Maybe those with fairer skin that burn have more problems. I wish that no one had these problems. The cancer is more than enough, thank you very much, without all these side effects. I will keep you in my prayers that you have smooth sailing through your rads.
Stef