hi, i’d like to join all you girls as i’m new to this site.
I’ve had grade 2 IDC, then 2 shavings as margins not clear, also 2 nodes removed. waiting for letter about starting my rads, after reading some comments not looking forward to it.
Any helpful info
sunset xx
Hi all,
I finished rads in March last year but am butting in about the bit that mentions the skin on your back. Like others have said, if you are zapped from the front, the exit is in effect your shoulder blade area and I was warned by the onc and rads people that this could also get a bit red and itchy. I did get it towards the end of 15 doses but nowhere near as much as on my front/shoulder and underarm. The itchiness was the worst bit especially as I couldn’t reach it.
Hope this is of help for something to watch out for so you can put cream on early if needed.
Good luck to all, Liz
Hello Everyone and welcome Sunset,
I have had my first 3 sessions this week, the machine was closed for 2 days this week for its annual service so I have had a short reprieve. Only 22 to go ! I’m the first “customer” so no waiting around so far and all the girls/ladies are nice and friendly.
I already feel tired and sicky from the Tamoxifen so I;m sure by the last week I will be dozing off standing up !
Sunset - what treatment have you had so far ? and how are you feeling ? Whereabouts in the UK are you, I live in the Scottish Highlands on the west coast, beautiful scenery but a long way from the hospital In Inverness !
keep in touch and have a great relaxing Sunday.
Love Janet xx
Hi Everyone
9 done 6 more to go. All ok so far. Bit pink and feels like I have been kicked (dull sort of ache)but nothing major.
Worse part has been this weeks journeys. Was picked up at 7.30 or 8.30 every day and got home again after 2pm. My Red cross driver had to go 26 miles in opposite direction to the hospital to fetch some-one else with me in the car. In all that heat as well I was a real Zombie when I got home! Still hopefully will have shorter trips this week as I have got a differnt driver.
Janet Glad to hear all is going ok for you and you have not had any delays. I know what you mean about falling asleep standing up!
Sunset Sorry you had to join us but welcome anyway. Dont worry about the rads they really are nothing too bad and soon over anyway. Make sure you use the Aqueous cream as I am sure it must help. I started it as soon as I had my planning appt.
Have a good day all of you, back to it tomrow!!
Love Wendy x
Wendy, I hope you don’t have such long days this week. All that hanging around and travelling must be very tiring.
Janet, hope you manage to cope ok - you’ve got quite a marathon on your hands. I was feeling so bad on tamoxifen that last week my onc told me to take a 2 week break. The fatigue was the worst of it. I haven’t taken any for over a week now and feel much better. Still a bit tired, but I think that’s the effect of the rads now.
The throat is very strange now. Swallowing is decidedly sluggish, so I’ve been eating porridge and soup all weekend.
Looking forward to the last one on Wed. Have a good week all.
Hi guys,
Have been reading the posts and dreaming of Scottish Highlands!!! What an amazing place to live!
I had an Ok week with rads until friday when I got into an uncomfortable position and the machine played up. Was in for longer and got abit anxious. On some of the other days I was in and out before my real time. Brilliant!
The big thing for me is the tiredness. About 1ish I just seem to slump. I’ve been on Tamoxifen for about 8 weeks and had started getting tiredness and aches with that…but now seems to be much worse. I keep telling myself that at the end of this coming week, I’ll be half way through and it doesn’t seem so long!
Love all,
Gxx
hi everyone,
Thanks for the welcome. I’ve had no treatment yet apart from lump removed then 2 shaving, been on Arimidex for 1 month, 4yrs nd 11 months to go, only getting hot flushes so far.
I’m from Gloucester but rads will we done at Cheltenham about 10 miles away, so not to bad. Last saw Miss Vesty my consultant last wk so still waiting for my appt to come
.
I’ll get some cream 2morro should i start using it now or wait till I start my traetment.
Sunset
Hi Sunset,
I’m originally from Gloucester, now in Oxford. Small world!
I think you can wait for the treatment to start if you want, but i did start using it before because it was good for surgery area anyway.
Gx
Hi All
I too am new to all this and it’s been good to read all your experiences. I was diagnosed in March, lumpectomy in April (no spread into lymphs thankfully ) and now start radio on 10th June. I’ve got the aqeous cream and the Aloe vera in readiness but can’t find a ‘support’ vest to wear instead of a bra (everyone says you get too sore to wear a bra). I’m not exactly small(!!) and M&S don’t do non-bra vests in my size - anyone got any suggestions where to get one?
thanks
Tenny
Hi all,
Cooking soon,dont know when. I will find out next week.
Tenny, I have a similar problem although only one real one.
Matalan have some vests with a bit to put your comfi in. They
are not as nice as marks but probably do the job.
For info, diag dec multi focal , mastecomy jan - had spread to lymphs 19/24 so chemo now finished , rads next and hormone for me.
All the best
Linda
Thanks for the info Linda - I’ll trot along to Matalan to see what they have in the ‘vest’ section!
Good luck to all of you out there either waiting for, or starting the cooking sessions - my start has now been delayed till Thursday!
Tenny
xx
Hi guys,
I have now been cooking for 2 weeks and have been wearing bra so far. Just starting to look a bit red…so am wondering if it will start getting sore soon. Anyone else sore yet?
Re: vests. I’m going to get something from the special catalogues they gave me as had mast. have you tired M&S online? They sometimes have more sizes.
Gx
Well I’m cooked! Last treatment yesterday and apart from being pink the skin is fine. I was told to avoid wearing a bra whenever possible throught treatement, which I did until last weekend, when I felt I needed the support more. I am wearing a bigger size, so it’s not tight. (M&S cotton maternity bras) I found support vests had tight elastic around the body, so were no better than bras. The area I found most vulnerable is underneath the boob.
For those of you yet to start, the treatment was fine. On time every day except one and very quick.
Hello everyone. I only started cooking 2 days ago and am already struggling with the monotony and whole process so not sure how I am going to get through 6 weeks of it. I am reading some of your posts and know I should be feeling so lucky that my journey time is just 15 minutes each way by bus and can walk the distance in just over half an hour but I keep thinking, only 2 down and 28 to go. How do you get through 6 whole weeks? I am in my 7th month post diagnosis, lumpectomy and ANC; IVF cycle and chemo and just want my life to go back to normal. Being off work for so long probably doesn’t help but boy I am so over having breast cancer!! I know, chin up and remain positive which I have been doing the whole way through. This next part is just a bit draining and I still have 2 years of Tamoxifen (which I am yet to start) to go.
On a much happier note though, I am doing the 10k race for life (I hope I have the energy to run) on 5th July and have raised over £3,000 for Cancer Research which is an amazing result. Is anyone else on here really into their fitness? I have managed to continue with gym and running through most of my treatment and wonder if RT will effect this going forward as I’m only on day 3 today and still feel o.k.?? Thanks everyone, Sbrill
Hi: Hope you don’t mind me butting into your thread! I finished my 15 rads mid Jan and found a fantastic cream from Neals Yard Pharmacy - if not one near you I think you can get it on line. It is a burns cream containing aloe, urtica (made from nettles would you believe?) and lavendar. I used it during the last week and thereafter as I didn’t find the aqueous stuff too good. All I can say is that it worked for me - took away the soreness and pinkness in about 3 days - is about £6 for a tube.
might be worth a try.
Julia
Sbrill, I only had 3 weeks rads, but found the time went really quickly. You do get into a routine. It’s sort of like going to work - a necessary evil;-) I thankfully didn’t have chemo, but tomorrow it is 6 months since dx. I had 9 weeks between dx and surgery, due to the need for MRI and further biopsy etc. Then rads 14 weeks after surgery. For me the waitingfor results/treatment in all this has seemed interminable, so 3 weeks rads was fine.
I’m doing the 5k race for life on 19 July and have been doing as much exercise and I could during this whole time. I have to say that for me, the worst thing has been the tamoxifen. I know a lot of people have absolutely no problem with it, but 2 weeks ago my onc told me to stop taking it temporarily because of all the SE’s I was having. The worst one was extreme fatigue, so I got to the point when I couldn’t exercise at all. One week off the tamoxifen and I was running again, whilst doing rads, so it is do-able. Well done on raising all that cash - I won’t get near that, but every little helps eh?
Thanks Salopets. It’s great to hear that you were able to run during RT. I must say that I am worried about starting Tamoxifen I must just believe that I will be one of the lucky ones who can tolerate it well. Best of luck for your 5k on the 19th. Where are you doing it? I’m doing the London one. And yes whatever you raise is fantastic considering where we all would have probably been had we contracted this illness 30 years ago. Take care
Sbrill
I’m doing the run in Worthing. Well, hopefully running:) I hope you’re ok on the tamoxifen. Lots of people seem to have no problems at all with it. Pot luck I guess.
Keep running.
Sal x
Hi huys,
half way through rads…yeah!!!
Very impressed with you running - lots of luck!!
I’m on Tamoxifen and have felt like crap. Tired and evil, plus lots of aches and pains. Might be the herceptin too I guess…or early menopause…but everyone is different!!!
Happy weekends all!
Gxx
Hi Everyone,
Back home after my 2nd week of Rads, 8 down - 17 to go !
Feeling OK just tired and sicky, but I think thats the Tamoxifen aswell but all copeable with.
Hope we all enjoy a relaxing, sunny weekend.
Love Jan x