Hi everyone,
I finished rads on royal wedding day, I have now got a red raw sore patch under my arm, and a red patch on my chest,
I have been using aqueous cream, and aloe vera gel, I am pretty miserable, and in considerable pain,
is there anything else I can use, and does anyone know how long this se lasts before it gets better,
Many thanks, best wishes all, Liz xx
Hi Liz
I have been told 3 weeks by radiotherapists and my gp has told me 6 weeks. I have another week of rads to go and I’m in agony just now so god knows how I’ll be afterwards. They told me just aquaous cream and painkillers. I know exactly how your feeling xx
Take care
Lizz
Hi Lizz,
I am putting the aloe vera gel 99.9% from Holland and Barrett on, under my arm is absolutely raw,
I really feel for you, I have finished mine, and got through them without this, it only started after I had finished,
If I were you I would get the aloe vera gel, or at least ask your rads team if it is ok to use,
I am also going to ask my gp about some dressings, I have definately read on here that you can get them, but I carnt find the thread now…
Its passed a joke, just when you think you have finished with being in pain and miserable, they throw something else at us lol,
Keep with it and all the very best to you Liz xxx
was my surgeon just trying to get me out of the door. we were talking about me carrying on drumming during rads. He said it might be sore if your clothes rub your breast. So i said i was planning on wearing a super tight sports bra to stop any movement, he said that should be fine. nobody said anything about open wounds.
hi old and lumpy,
I dont know whether you would be able to wear a tight sports bra!!! I carnt even wear a bra at the moment very sore,
not everyone has the same ses, dont worry about it too much,
I would just play it by ear and see how, and if you do re-act, most people I have met and spoken to about it have all said during treatment not too bad but after treatment when the burning and blistering, soreness etc starts,
I must admit because I am burnt under my arm the thought of throwing my arms about would be out of the question,
you may not even be treated in the same area, and also you would be much better off asking your rads team any questions not the surgeon or onc,
all the very best, take one step at a time, love Liz xxx
Not everyone’s skin breaks down, and I am led to believe they work very hard to stop skin breakdowns. Aloe vera gel is something a lot of people on here recommend, but do show it to the radiographer to make sure they’re happy with you using it.
Hi
I too like Liz cannot wear a bra just now but have bought some cami/pj tops with hidden support. I’m suffering from blisters and was given askina gel and mepilex dressings they would be gd for u OAL when drumming as they are like a padding and they do make a difference but as Chiccie said everybody is different and I have had 5 weeks out of 6 rads . Hope rads go well for you
Lizz
Oh Liz so sorry you are suffering so long 
sounds like you need to visit your GP & the practice nurse, ive no idea how long the SE go on for from what ive read here it is different from each woman.
I hope you get the help you need & soon start to feel better I can understand you feeling miserable I would too
sending you a big hug
Mekala x
OAL sounds like getting some of those gel pads for in your bra would be good when your drumming … although like few here I cant waer a bra & not even going to try until it looks & feels better sometimes if I make sudden move with my arm It takes my breath away where it catches my top
i am a double G cup and it would be realy hard not to wear a bra. Talk about the pencil test, you could hid the whole pencil box under my sagging beauties, so if i get soreness underneath it would be a problem with the boob touching the skin anyway if i went bra less.
My bra company do a rock solid sports bra with seperate cups that come quite high up the chest and its 95% cotton, something that i am sure i saw in the literature my BCN gave me. I need to go and get properly fitted because the sizing is different dependant on how immobile you want to be.
The gel dressings sound good, I might try and get some to have in stock to apply the minute soreness starts.
Another recommendation for the Holland & Barratt aloe vera gel, it’s really helped me. Mine has only really started to feel and look better this past week or so and that’s from having the last session at the end of May!
However, everyone heals at different speeds and my body had also taken a severe bashing from chemo, so I was bound to take longer than average to recover.
I second the advice about seeing your GP or practice nurse as it is miserable to deal with and I am sure they will be able to help. Did you get a leaflet with after care instructions from the hospital? I did and it had a phone number so that I could call the hospital for advice if things didn’t heal quickly. That might be worth a try as well.
Sending you a hug!
Nymeria x
LOL OAL forget the pencil with mine I can fit a flat hand between mine yet all my sisters are well endowed but im now grateful for my asprins on an ironing board, Id never have found my lump at the tiny stage it was with bigger ones so I see mine as a blessing in that sense 
OAL, don’t count on being able to wear any sort of bra after rads. I finished 12 days ago and my nipple and the crease under my boob have been very sore and are now peeling (my nipple was in the boost area). My ANC scar has also been very sore and all my skin is pink, itchy and sore. I’m using hydrocortisone now which I think is helping.
I’ve got several excellent sports bras that I wore after surgery and various other ones in no end of different styles but all I can wear at the moment is secret support camisoles from M&S. they’re got a padded non-wired bra type insert with elastic inside. They’re not quite big enough (I’m a G/GG) but their bigger sized ones have underwiring in and there’s now way on earth I could wear that.
You may well find, like most of us, that wearing anything tight is a total no-no and makes the soreness far worse. It’s been a real struggle for me not to wear a bra and I’ve really hated it, but I’d just have been too sore. Your rads team will probably recommend that you wear loose clothes and no bra (not very nice for those of us with barrage balloons out front and with a very sore nipple…!) as the more air you can get to it the better.
I’m going back to work tomorrow and I’ll be going in one of my secret support tops with a loose shirt over the top as although I can now wear my softest, loosest bra if I tuck a folded up men’s hanky under the bottom edge to keep it off my skin I doubt I could wear it for more than a few hours.
Good luck - and plaster on the gloopy stuff!
Jane xxx
looks like i am going to have to get some strong pain killers to take before gigs. I cannot drum with no bra. Didnt people use to bind their breasts with bandages after childbirth if they did not breastfeed, perahps i will have to try that.
Just thinking, some swimming costumes have hidden support that doesn’t have the tight elastic under the boob, so I’m wondering if that would be worth looking at? Might take a look, as I’ll have to get hold of something as my preferred undergarment is an underwired creature from Sainsbury (£6, fits really well!) Next stop, swimming costume aisle!
Might be worth looking at Tankini tops if you can find 1 with “support”. I wore the M & S hidden support or just a vest.
Felt strange going into the office without a bra. Luckily I’m not too large (36D) but big enough. Kept thinking everyone was looking which of course they weren’t.