First rad today

Boppy_of_6
Boppy_of_6 Member Posts: 1,138
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Well I had my first radiation trt. today. As many of you know it was very quick and easy. Took longer to get set up and positioned than the trt. took. I have 29 more to go, Any words of wisdom on what to watch for or how long it took for any side effects to show up would be welcomed. Thank you. God Bless
(((Hugs))) Janice

Comments

  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #2
    Hi Janice! It doesn't take
    Hi Janice! It doesn't take long once they have you set up. It takes longer to undress than for the actual zapping.

    I used my creams from day one and continued even after I was done for a few weeks. My rads oncologist prescribed Biafine for any burn that I might get, and, I bought Aquaphor at the drug store, a big tub of it. It is to keep your skin moist and in good shape, which it did. I was told no creams on my skin for 4 hours prior to my treatment. So, I didn't put any on in the morning, just took my shower and left it off.

    I never burnt, but, got really dark pink and the area was tender, but, not painful. When I got the boosters at the end, the other areas almost completed cleared up. But, this is my experience. Not everyone is the same. And, I didn't get any tan mark or anything. You wouldn't know I even had rads. My rads oncologist said the rads machine they used was new and because of that, they don't leave tans on patients anymore.

    I always had a blanket on me because the room had to be so cold for the rads machine, and, I always took socks for my cold feet. lol

    I didn't start getting tired until about the 3rd week, but, I took lots of naps and that helped and went to bed earlier than normal. I noticed my skin getting pinkish about the end of the 3rd week, I think.

    I never wore a bra, as, I didn't want to irritate the area. I am not that small busted, but, with what I wore, I looked fine. Welllllllllll..great as my hubby said! lol He always hated bras on me.

    Hope I helped you somewhat. Let me know if I can help anymore. Good luck Janice


    Sue :)
  • aisling8
    aisling8 Member Posts: 1,627 Member
    #3
    Ritzy said:

    Hi Janice! It doesn't take
    Hi Janice! It doesn't take long once they have you set up. It takes longer to undress than for the actual zapping.

    I used my creams from day one and continued even after I was done for a few weeks. My rads oncologist prescribed Biafine for any burn that I might get, and, I bought Aquaphor at the drug store, a big tub of it. It is to keep your skin moist and in good shape, which it did. I was told no creams on my skin for 4 hours prior to my treatment. So, I didn't put any on in the morning, just took my shower and left it off.

    I never burnt, but, got really dark pink and the area was tender, but, not painful. When I got the boosters at the end, the other areas almost completed cleared up. But, this is my experience. Not everyone is the same. And, I didn't get any tan mark or anything. You wouldn't know I even had rads. My rads oncologist said the rads machine they used was new and because of that, they don't leave tans on patients anymore.

    I always had a blanket on me because the room had to be so cold for the rads machine, and, I always took socks for my cold feet. lol

    I didn't start getting tired until about the 3rd week, but, I took lots of naps and that helped and went to bed earlier than normal. I noticed my skin getting pinkish about the end of the 3rd week, I think.

    I never wore a bra, as, I didn't want to irritate the area. I am not that small busted, but, with what I wore, I looked fine. Welllllllllll..great as my hubby said! lol He always hated bras on me.

    Hope I helped you somewhat. Let me know if I can help anymore. Good luck Janice


    Sue :)

    I had no problems
    but, I like to preface that with I also went into rads without having had to have chemo first so I'm sure I had much more energy to begin with. But I did the creams, got pink and freckled, never burned. Wore bras, but not underwire. It's been almost two months now and I'm fairly suntanned on that side. I did get tired, but more of a fall asleep on the couch after dinner kind of tired. I slept really well during rads -- something I don't usually do.

    I wish you the best of luck,

    Victoria
  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #4
    Hey Janice
    Radiation went by pretty quick for me. Maybe because I was busy at work the time went by fast.

    I too started putting the cream on beginning the first day. My right breast area got darker (reddish) but I didn't have any blistering. I did manage to wear a special bra my sister made since I didn't want anything rubbing up against that sensitive skin.

    As far a tired, I had much more of a reaction with Chemo than Rads.

    God Bless you too. I'll be keeping you in prayer friend,

    Sylvia
  • BlownAway60
    BlownAway60 Member Posts: 851
    #5
    Ritzy said:

    Hi Janice! It doesn't take
    Hi Janice! It doesn't take long once they have you set up. It takes longer to undress than for the actual zapping.

    I used my creams from day one and continued even after I was done for a few weeks. My rads oncologist prescribed Biafine for any burn that I might get, and, I bought Aquaphor at the drug store, a big tub of it. It is to keep your skin moist and in good shape, which it did. I was told no creams on my skin for 4 hours prior to my treatment. So, I didn't put any on in the morning, just took my shower and left it off.

    I never burnt, but, got really dark pink and the area was tender, but, not painful. When I got the boosters at the end, the other areas almost completed cleared up. But, this is my experience. Not everyone is the same. And, I didn't get any tan mark or anything. You wouldn't know I even had rads. My rads oncologist said the rads machine they used was new and because of that, they don't leave tans on patients anymore.

    I always had a blanket on me because the room had to be so cold for the rads machine, and, I always took socks for my cold feet. lol

    I didn't start getting tired until about the 3rd week, but, I took lots of naps and that helped and went to bed earlier than normal. I noticed my skin getting pinkish about the end of the 3rd week, I think.

    I never wore a bra, as, I didn't want to irritate the area. I am not that small busted, but, with what I wore, I looked fine. Welllllllllll..great as my hubby said! lol He always hated bras on me.

    Hope I helped you somewhat. Let me know if I can help anymore. Good luck Janice


    Sue :)

    My treatments went a lot
    My treatments went a lot like Ritzy's except I did get a tan line but I did not burn either. Treatments were given using IMRT. I used an aloe based gel called Fruit of the Earth from day one until 2 weeks after my last treatment. I had 28 regular treatments and 5 boosters, 33 total. I was told to apply the gel 3 times a day. My treatments were in the afternoon so I put it on in the morning, after my treatments and then before I went to bed. I bought aquaphor too but never had to use it. I kept waiting for something to happen to my skin but it never did. I did the blanket and socks too and even a blanket for my arms. I wore a bra the whole time as I am rather large busted. I got a playtex bea that is sorta like a sports bra, no underwires or such, very soft cotton blend I believe, no lace or anything that could irritate my skin. I think it also has something in it to wick away moisture.

    Hugs

    Donna
  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #6
    Take your cream with you
    Take your cream with you and put it on before you get dressed again after treatment. I never burned but got more tan that I ever thought was possible. I asked them if they could do an all over thing (like a tanning salon on steriods) but they told me I couldn't afford it. Boy that was true.
    You may notice you'll get tired as treatments go on. I'm not sure if that was left over from chemo (which I still blame for everything) or the rads, but hopefully today will be representative of what you can expect.
    Let us know how it's going.

    marge
  • Tux
    Tux Member Posts: 544
    #7
    Glad you are getting
    Glad you are getting started! It will go fast--you will be done before you know it.

    Be sure you are using the creams recommended by your onc. An earlier poster said to put the cream on right after the treatment, so that way you can do cream three times a day.
    I can't really go without a bra, but I got the JUST MY SIZE cotton bras in a larger size &
    was able to wear a bra every day. Also, when the burning got bad near the end, I made squares from white flannel to put in my bra. To help with the burns, my nurse suggested Domeboro Soaks from the drugstore & that really helped. My burns were pretty bad, but I did not have to miss any sessions.

    I also had some problems with nausea, but just gritted my teeth & kept going.

    Wishing you the best...
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #8
    BlownAway60 said:

    My treatments went a lot
    My treatments went a lot like Ritzy's except I did get a tan line but I did not burn either. Treatments were given using IMRT. I used an aloe based gel called Fruit of the Earth from day one until 2 weeks after my last treatment. I had 28 regular treatments and 5 boosters, 33 total. I was told to apply the gel 3 times a day. My treatments were in the afternoon so I put it on in the morning, after my treatments and then before I went to bed. I bought aquaphor too but never had to use it. I kept waiting for something to happen to my skin but it never did. I did the blanket and socks too and even a blanket for my arms. I wore a bra the whole time as I am rather large busted. I got a playtex bea that is sorta like a sports bra, no underwires or such, very soft cotton blend I believe, no lace or anything that could irritate my skin. I think it also has something in it to wick away moisture.

    Hugs

    Donna

    My rads were like Ritzy's
    My rads were like Ritzy's too. I never burnt, but, I was really tender. I used my creams after my treatment in the afternoon and then put a lot of the aquaphor on at night. Your own rads oncologist will suggest what he wants to use, so, be sure and ask. I got really cold too and had them put a blanket on me every time and I had socks also. Just be sure and get lots of sleep and be really careful with your skin. And, you can't wear normal deodorant. You have to use a non aluminum one. Tom's of Maine is one and you can buy it in any drug store. I didn't need any as the rads killed my sweat glands pretty quick under my arm, so, I don't sweat there anymore. Good luck to you!


    Hugs, Megan
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #9
    mwallace1325 said:

    Take your cream with you
    Take your cream with you and put it on before you get dressed again after treatment. I never burned but got more tan that I ever thought was possible. I asked them if they could do an all over thing (like a tanning salon on steriods) but they told me I couldn't afford it. Boy that was true.
    You may notice you'll get tired as treatments go on. I'm not sure if that was left over from chemo (which I still blame for everything) or the rads, but hopefully today will be representative of what you can expect.
    Let us know how it's going.

    marge

    I can't add much Janice as
    I can't add much Janice as everyone has already said everything that I would.

    Good luck to you and talk to your radiation oncologist if you have any problems.


    Hugs, Leeza
  • jamiegww
    jamiegww Member Posts: 384
    #10
    Everyone's different.
    I get my last rad treatment tomorrow......Yeah! I turned pink after the first week and got a little darker with every treatment but never blistered or peeled. I feel like that area is omitting it's own heat at times but it doesn't hurt. Like everyone says, try to apply your lotion at least three times a day. I never noticed any fatigue other than getting tired of having to go to the center five days a week. Now that I'm almost finished, I think I might miss it. You'll be finished before you know it!
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #11
    Tux said:

    Glad you are getting
    Glad you are getting started! It will go fast--you will be done before you know it.

    Be sure you are using the creams recommended by your onc. An earlier poster said to put the cream on right after the treatment, so that way you can do cream three times a day.
    I can't really go without a bra, but I got the JUST MY SIZE cotton bras in a larger size &
    was able to wear a bra every day. Also, when the burning got bad near the end, I made squares from white flannel to put in my bra. To help with the burns, my nurse suggested Domeboro Soaks from the drugstore & that really helped. My burns were pretty bad, but I did not have to miss any sessions.

    I also had some problems with nausea, but just gritted my teeth & kept going.

    Wishing you the best...

    I had a bad time with chemo,
    I had a bad time with chemo, and radiation was easy. except for the everyday thing. I started with aquaphor prior to rads, and used it 3 times a day. I also applied it right after treatment too. in the dressing room. Jeanne suggested using a mans tee shirt, and I bought a few and slept in them as aquaphor is very staining. I was fortunate to have radiation when it was still coldish and went braless with a big sweatshirt as much as I could. (bilateral no reconstruction)I got a little pink bt did very well. I hope you do well and breeze through this. P.S. I am still abit tired but its been a tough year on me between the surgery , rads, and chemo. but getting better all the time.
  • faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy
    faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy Member Posts: 319 Member
    #12
    jamiegww said:

    Everyone's different.
    I get my last rad treatment tomorrow......Yeah! I turned pink after the first week and got a little darker with every treatment but never blistered or peeled. I feel like that area is omitting it's own heat at times but it doesn't hurt. Like everyone says, try to apply your lotion at least three times a day. I never noticed any fatigue other than getting tired of having to go to the center five days a week. Now that I'm almost finished, I think I might miss it. You'll be finished before you know it!

    Thank you, ladies
    socks: check
    blanket: check
    Tom's of Maine: check
    Aquaphor: check

    I have set up tomorrow, that was suppose to have happened 2 weeks ago. One of the metal markers that was suppose to stay on me didn't and I have had my daughter making her mark under my right arm pit for a few weeks now.

    I'm ready...I hope.

    Thank you all for sharing and easing my mind about this next stretch on what feels like a Thelma and Louise-ish road trip.
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #13
    faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy said:

    Thank you, ladies
    socks: check
    blanket: check
    Tom's of Maine: check
    Aquaphor: check

    I have set up tomorrow, that was suppose to have happened 2 weeks ago. One of the metal markers that was suppose to stay on me didn't and I have had my daughter making her mark under my right arm pit for a few weeks now.

    I'm ready...I hope.

    Thank you all for sharing and easing my mind about this next stretch on what feels like a Thelma and Louise-ish road trip.

    LOL Faith! Good luck with
    LOL Faith! Good luck with your rads too! I can't think of anything to add to what everyone else wrote. They are quick! Try to make a fun day out of it if you can sometimes. Go shopping, or, lunch or something. It will help break the monotony of just having rads 5 days a week.


    Lex♥
  • Boppy_of_6
    Boppy_of_6 Member Posts: 1,138
    #14
    Megan M said:

    My rads were like Ritzy's
    My rads were like Ritzy's too. I never burnt, but, I was really tender. I used my creams after my treatment in the afternoon and then put a lot of the aquaphor on at night. Your own rads oncologist will suggest what he wants to use, so, be sure and ask. I got really cold too and had them put a blanket on me every time and I had socks also. Just be sure and get lots of sleep and be really careful with your skin. And, you can't wear normal deodorant. You have to use a non aluminum one. Tom's of Maine is one and you can buy it in any drug store. I didn't need any as the rads killed my sweat glands pretty quick under my arm, so, I don't sweat there anymore. Good luck to you!


    Hugs, Megan

    Thank you all I knew I would
    Thank you all I knew I would get some great info and advice. I have some cream they gave me at center and the aquaphor. I found the deodorant. I am all marked up too! Only 28 more to go and I will be done. I have not gotten cold yet but it is really hot here right now. I think I will put socks on my bag though just in case. Thank you all again God Bless
    (((Hugs))) Janice
  • Boppy_of_6
    Boppy_of_6 Member Posts: 1,138
    #15
    jamiegww said:

    Everyone's different.
    I get my last rad treatment tomorrow......Yeah! I turned pink after the first week and got a little darker with every treatment but never blistered or peeled. I feel like that area is omitting it's own heat at times but it doesn't hurt. Like everyone says, try to apply your lotion at least three times a day. I never noticed any fatigue other than getting tired of having to go to the center five days a week. Now that I'm almost finished, I think I might miss it. You'll be finished before you know it!

    Congratulations Jamie on
    Congratulations Jamie on having just 1 more trt. God Bless
    (((Hugs))) Janice
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #16
    Boppy_of_6 said:

    Thank you all I knew I would
    Thank you all I knew I would get some great info and advice. I have some cream they gave me at center and the aquaphor. I found the deodorant. I am all marked up too! Only 28 more to go and I will be done. I have not gotten cold yet but it is really hot here right now. I think I will put socks on my bag though just in case. Thank you all again God Bless
    (((Hugs))) Janice

    I needed the socks too. I
    I needed the socks too. I froze in the room. Good luck with rads!
  • susie09
    susie09 Member Posts: 2,930
    #17
    jamiegww said:

    Everyone's different.
    I get my last rad treatment tomorrow......Yeah! I turned pink after the first week and got a little darker with every treatment but never blistered or peeled. I feel like that area is omitting it's own heat at times but it doesn't hurt. Like everyone says, try to apply your lotion at least three times a day. I never noticed any fatigue other than getting tired of having to go to the center five days a week. Now that I'm almost finished, I think I might miss it. You'll be finished before you know it!

    Such good advice and info
    Such good advice and info from everyone here! Wishing you good luck with rads and I hope they fly by for you!
  • Lighthouse_7
    Lighthouse_7 Member Posts: 1,566 Member
    #18
    Boppy_of_6 said:

    Thank you all I knew I would
    Thank you all I knew I would get some great info and advice. I have some cream they gave me at center and the aquaphor. I found the deodorant. I am all marked up too! Only 28 more to go and I will be done. I have not gotten cold yet but it is really hot here right now. I think I will put socks on my bag though just in case. Thank you all again God Bless
    (((Hugs))) Janice

    No deoderant
    is what they told me and I said WHAT! But I did what they said and used only Dove Unscented soap. Also said No Bra, but I had to, very large saggy boobs! YUK but I bought bras without underwire and usually had to put white hankies under each seam on each boob to keep irritation down.
    Best tip, cream, cream cream.
    Good luck!
    Wanda
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #19
    jamiegww said:

    Everyone's different.
    I get my last rad treatment tomorrow......Yeah! I turned pink after the first week and got a little darker with every treatment but never blistered or peeled. I feel like that area is omitting it's own heat at times but it doesn't hurt. Like everyone says, try to apply your lotion at least three times a day. I never noticed any fatigue other than getting tired of having to go to the center five days a week. Now that I'm almost finished, I think I might miss it. You'll be finished before you know it!

    Congrats on your only having
    Congrats on your only having one more Jamie!

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