Hi I have just had second session of radiotherapy and already have redness to breast and underarm. Only having breast radiotherapy. Will I likely to go on to have severe radiotherapy dermatitis?
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Welcome to the forum . Are you having 5 day radiotherapy ? I had it over 15 sessions but I did get redness and heat after the first session .I had some breakdown of the skin under my boob by week 3 but it quickly resolved .
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Hiya, yes just the five. Swelling to my breast and more numbness to my arm after just 2. I’m not looking forward to the next few weeks.
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I was surprised how quickly I got a reaction ( I also had swelling ) . It did settle down quite quickly after treatment finished though .Fingers crossed your side effects settle quickly .
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Thank you. Me too, I think I have looked at too many horror stories with ulceration and necrosis.
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I think that is very worse case scenario ,most people just have redness and heat to deal with and maybe some itching and slight skin breakdown that is easily dealt with .
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Dear Tilly,
Well done for getting this far with your treatment. I agree with what Jill has advised you, also have a word with the radiologist before your next treatment. I was given some cream which contained honey. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of it different creams can cause redness as well so it’s a bit of a trial and error at the moment what to use.
Wishing you well going forward, with lots of happiness
Much love Tili 
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Thank you. They didn’t seem concerned today.
I can’t fault how quickly surgery and radiotherapy has been arranged but any information has been from a leaflet.
I don’t really have any faith in my ‘key worker’ Breast care nurse.
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Hi i had 5 sessions of radiotherapy which finished 6 weeks ago. I had some redness and heat and swelling after the first few sessions and i really panicked but i got through it. I was told that the treatment peaks after 2 weeks and that everything should settle after then but 4 weeks after mine ended i got a large area of sore red skin like a bad sunburn on the opposite side of my breast and into the skin fold underneath. i used aveeno twice a day and a cotton sock in my bra as a barrier. i had to wear a bra 24 hours a day for a bit but finally since the weekend it’s begun to heal. It was quite sore for a while though and affected my sleep. I guess we are all different with how we react to the treatment. Good luck
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I’ve had 6 out of 15 sessions if rads to my left chest wall following mastectomy and chemo. I’ve not had any sore skin yet, but I developed cording to my left arm. I have a visit to physio booked some time.
Interesting what @ck72 has experienced. Yesterday, after #5 I started to feel a little tender in my outer rib below my right breast. It feels more like my rib rather tgan skin. I only feel it when pressure is applied.
Thank you for the reply. It’s the uncertainty that really bothers me. If I know what is going to happen I can work through it. This is like another horrible surprise everyday. I also feel guilty that I’m whinging when all I hear is how lucky I’ve been. Lucky is definitely not what I feel.
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Hi Tilly, the one thing I wished they had told me at the beginning is the fact that soreness can happen weeks after the RT has finished!! So be warned!! I had 2 areas (on chest and underarm) that appeared about a week later. It wasn’t too painful, just unsightly. Bit like mild sunburn. Good luck xxx
Thank you for the advice… I’m done with nasty surprises for the time being. I’ve put on an extra bra this afternoon and been out on my horse for a ride with my friend so not quite as much of a grouch as I’ve been the last two days x
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I used MooGoo cream specially for oncology patients and had absolutely no skin problems. They do a special offer if you have cancer. Cant praise it enough! Good luck xx