to be quite honest, i dont know. Everybody seems to do different things. Actually it might be interesting to see what the help line say. I will ring them up tomorrw morning. and start a new thread with what they tell me
My sis told me to put the aloe on in the morning and straight after rads and also I put it on before bed. I used the 99% stuff and they were selling it in a large pump action tub in H&B. I’ve got really sensitive skin and apart from an itchy bit under the boob which I also smothered in gel, my skin stayed intact. I trusted my sister’s years of experience in plastic surgery before she became a BCN, I hate to admit that she’s usually right about these things!! I did fine the aqueous good for washing so used it for the purpose it’s recommended for in the formulary x
This thread is really interesting, i should start rads in a few weeks so it’ll be handy to know exactly what i should be using & what not to use etc. With Diprobase could we not get that on prescription? My mum gets it on prescription due to her age but would that be the same as cancer pt’s get free prescriptions as well. Just thinking every little helps where the pennies are concerned. x
Arghh!!! I’ve been using aqueous cream cause that’s what the radiologists recommended??
Confused now??
Donna xx
Donna, I know how you feel! If it wasn’t for my sister I wouldn’t have questioned the aqueous cream. My sisters colleagues who are all BCN’s also recommended aloe Vera. I suppose there’s nothing to lose from using both which is what I did! Xx
I too now just use the aqueous for washing. I got rather itchy skin after 8 rads using aqueous. Then I used Penny Brohn Radiance skin gel (brill, but £ve) and dr.organic aloe vera gel (sold at H&B) generously every hour or so after my treatments, and my skin is no longer so itchy!
Had 15 rads so far and feel comfortable. The gels take away the heat, swelling, redness and itching. Even the radiotherapy nurse said they were ok.
The reason why they can’t advocate anything other than aqueous or E45 is that there have been no clinical trails done on other products. Plus some people might not buy pure 99% aloe vera gel by mistake. So it is safer for them to recommend the aqueous and E45.
Fluffie, I have also started itching after 5 rads wonder if it is the aqueous, think I might need to change to something different. I have also been using it to wash.
Need to shop for something different I think
Thank you everyone
Donna x
Somewhere on this forum a few weeks ago someone posted that a hospital had done trials with Aloe vera and found it to be far superior to E45 or aqueus cream but the E45 was a ‘god deal’ for the hospital and they continued to recommend it due to financial reasons.
I hate E45 as I used it for exzema and it made it worse. 'Nuf said.
Not read through all the post on here but don’t like aqueous and only used “pure” aloe vera during rads - my reason? my son has very bad eczema to the point of wet wrapping and the aqueous made his condition worse - nuff said
yup.
fluffie that would make sense, I am sure on one of these threads they said you could only use alo vera if you brought it in to show them first. not everybody lives near a holland and barret, and not everybody is au fait with shopping on line.
I was told I could not use bio oil during treatment but someone on here recommended it. so i thought i would give it a go pre treatment to get my skin in condition—I love it!!! i have only ever used conditioners in old days when i sunbathed, but just a light smearing has changed the condition of my skin overnight!! might only be this miraculous on old skin. This might at last after 65 years have got me into some sort of skin care routine. perhaps I am glad i got cancer after all( warning!only peaple who read the straw pole thread will understand that joke)
I’ve bought h&b aloe99% because of what I read here, show to radioologist at hospital and she said it was ok. I wouldn’t use aqueous any way hate it when had echma as child and diprobase makes me sore after a while. Don’t start rad for 2 more weeks so have no proof it works for me but it’s my plan. I’m 49,
I got mine from the Nutricentre within the big Tesco stores…
I was told at the end of my RT that in Scandinavia Aloe Vera is given to patients undergoing treatment by the hospitals! I used the aqueous at the end of my RT and by then it was too late. My skin broke down horribly and got infected. I was in a LOT of pain with it. I would use the Aloe definitely to avoid this!!!
horrified last night to feel my affected breast was really hot and red - only had 2 rads to date !! so i slapped on the aloe vera as NOT reccomended by my radioligist , soooooo soothing but i am a little concerned , if my skin is starting to go red after just 2 rads does that mean by the end of them ( 17 ) i will be burnt raw ?
Hi Trish1968
I’d keep up with the AV Gel, draw the blinds, curtains whatever and go topless as much as you can. Several people on various rads threads have mentioned that this helps.
Just remember to cover up when the doorbell rings!
My skin went red after the first session and within a few more sessions I had a definite area of “tanned” skin to tell me where the rads were treating(had 25) Then I had 5 boosters at the end which created another area within the original area- much darker and redder.
Last of “normal rads” was on 29th of June and that area is almost back to normal but the “booster” area is still quite red- last booster on 6th of July.
Good Luck with it all.
Hi Trish1968
Don’t panic - I did when I went very pink and tender after only 2 or 3 rads sessions, but then it settled down and never got any worse. I didn’t get any of the blistering or peeling that many get, so hopefully you’ll be as lucky as I was. As others have said, allow the air to it to help it stay cooler whenever you can.
Sarah x
Hi,
Use the Aloe after you have showered in the morning, use it again immediately after your rads and let it dry before you get dressed. Use it again before bed. It moisturises so you do not need creams. I used only simple shower gel and patted my skin dry around the rads area. Keep using the Aloe for at least 2 weeks after the rads as the burns can come out later.
I am very fair and did not burn except for a tiny patch. My fault as I did not keep using the gel for long enough after the rads. This because no-one seemed to know how to use it at the time. My hospital had not heard of it being used but did not try to stop me. They were amazed that I did not burn.
It does take a long time to change the experts minds on anything.
Everyone said to use B oil for scars but frankly the Aloe was better, especially the Aloe with Bee Propolis. Who was mentioning honey before?
Be aware that there is a very small minority of people who are unable to use Aloe.
Good luck to you all.
E
thank you ladies for your advice , last night was just myself and my partner in so after my shower i slapped on the gel and sat topless , was a strange feeling i must admit , i dont wear bra`s unless i am going out and generally in strappy tops , i feel slightly sunburnt but am totally reassured by your words , thank you for taking the time to reply to me xxx
Just wanted to echo an earlier post - my radio team dole out the aqueous cream but when I said I’d been prep’ing with H&B 99.9% aloe they didn’t tell me I couldn’t use it but they can’t recommend it because there didn’t appear to be any trials.
I’ve had 17 out of 23 zaps so far and haven’t had any probs (fingers crossed) so will continue to use the H&B gel.
What I also wanted to share is my radio team recommended not wearing a bra (throughout the course of treatment + approx 2 weeks) if it leaves marks or dents in the skin. Mine are by no means tight but possibly my posture lends to a slight groove. The restriction to the skin can apparently either make you sore or make any soreness worse.
I bought a few of the £2 ‘camisoles with support’ from Primark to avoid indents but with not paying much, I don’t mind if the black ink transfers to the cami. If you haven’t started rads yet - they do draw on you every time, so don’t wear your best bra/cami’s!