A question about rad boosts please

Ritzy said:

Hey!
Traci explained it very well, as she always does. I never burnt, but, got very dark pink and was tender from the regular rads. When I got boosters, my other skin healed up pretty quick, but, I did get darker pink and more tender from them.

Since you will be getting boosters, you will soon be a Rad Grad and we will all celebrate with you.

And, even after you are done with rads, keep those creams on and be very gentle with your skin as rads are cumulative and you will continue to "cook" for awhile.

Best wishes to you and post when you are done, so, we can give you your cap and gown!

Sue

TraciInLA said:

Boosters
Hi, ladyg -

Boosters (you probably already know this) are targeted to the tumor site(s). For me, by the time I got to the boosters, I was very red and tender all over, but was burning really badly under my arms, which, thankfully, were not part of the booster field, so those areas could start to heal while I was getting boosters.

Boosters definitely allow you to start healing in the other areas they're not targeting -- and I didn't notice that they caused any worse burning than the regular radiation. Everyone is different, of course -- that was just my experience.

I'm so glad to hear you're almost done -- keep using your lotions/creams liberally and often, and soon those daily trips to radiation will be behind you!

Traci

survivorbc09 said:

The boosters are given to
The boosters are given to just the tumor site and a little surrounding tissue. I also got darker pink or red during them. The boosters are a different type of radiation than what you get with the normal radiation. But, the tumor site is where they feel any stray cancer cells might be, so, they want to really deliver as much radiation there as they can. We all vary in the number of treatments that we have. But, you can do it. Don't worry about it. Just know that soon you will be done with rads!

Good luck!

hopeful in tally said:

sisters
Although we are all "sisters" on this journey ... your post really caught my eye. I, too am a Gail and my last name starts with Mc ... and I am currently on my final 4 boosters and will be completed on Friday ... one week from the time you finished!! Congratulations Gayle ... let's keep in touch and share only GOOD results!!!

KayNYC said:

boosts
Glad to hear that you are making good progress through your rad treatment. You are almost there.
I completed my boosts on June 11. The last week of treatment was the five boosts. They were very short to administer and did not feel different from the other rad treatments except that I was lying on my back in that plaster like cast and not supine as I was during the first part of my treatment. I did get more red during boosts than with the radiation of the other parts of my breast.I did not experience more pain or discomfort. I have been using Aloe gel more often to cool the area than the first weeks of radiation txs. I use my afternoon break at work to apply the Aloe gel. That usually gets me through my work day until I get home to apply more aloe and later more Hydrophor, before bed.
I still have a red band-like area across the incision area but the rest of the breast is healing very nicely. I did not suffer with blisters but I did have peeling. I continue to use the Hydrophor and Aloe gel. I used Hydrocortisone, as recommended, when I experienced itching in the crease below the breast. That subsided in a week.
Of course, we are all different in our skin type as well as, the machines that administer our treatments.Reports from two friends who had the same treatment at two different centers, suggest that they too, progressed well through the boosts. It goes by quickly. Get ready to celebrate your rad grad.
Hugs, K