Ladies
Good luck to you all today with your rads, hoping that the weather has improved and that your journey to and from the hospital will be better, no machine breakdowns today hopefully.
Helena xxx
Had my seventh of fifteen at 8.30 this morning. I’m having a bit of breathlessness and think the treatment may have triggered my asthma. Don’t know if anyone else has had this? The breast care physio has given me some breathing exercises to stretch the lung out on my left hand side and the asthma nurse has checked my chest -which is fine.
I think I’m very lucky to be being treated at the new Guys cancer centre as there are masses of machines and they are all brand new. I didn’t wait at all today or yesterday although later in the day has been rather different.
warm wishes and hugs to everyone having rads in March.
Liz xx
Hi ladies
im new to this site and been reading all your messages and tips, which are really helpful and reassuring. I have a planning meeting next Tuesday for my radiotherapy, so the next step. Good luck ladies with your ongoing treatments.
X x
Thanks Helena. I’m checking in on Facebook each time I go to the cancer centre. This way my friends know what’s happening and I get lots of support. I think it’s good to let people understand what a journey it is and that lots of people go through it.
Hi haven’t posted for a while, hope everyone is getting on and things are going well for you all. 19/20 done , last booster, finish tomorrow, I have felt ok throughout, and managed to work through. Have a red boob, much darker underarm, itchy and a bit spotty ! apparently I’m putting to much moisturiser on!! Using Doublebase gel and foam padding to stop the friction. as sore underarm and boob, but have to wear bra at work- not a good look if I didn’t!! Strange, but a little nervous about finishing and not having people checking me every day. Last couple of months have been a blur, as I’m sure they are for everyone- looking forward to not actually thinking about cancer everyday, and getting on with normal ?. Good luck everyone x
Thank you ladies, ?reading these posts since I found you in November, they have been invaluable and got me through the rough bits, the funny bits and given me a quiet relief that we are not alone. Although non of us wanted to be here, there is comforting support from some amazing people, who understand completely, some conversations you can’t seem to have with your family and friends, get answered with a deep understanding of what we are going through “Ladybowler” there for everone? I hope you realise the impact you have?Thank you and I wish all you lovely people the very best x love and best wishes Jackie x
I started my fifteen session radiotherapy on Monday 19th March. Everything is ok at the moment, although the seroma I had seems to have become harder and a bit sore already.
Hi everyone
8 of 15 done today!
Still posting on Facebook every day. Checking into the Guy’s Cancer Centre and then telling people which number I am at now. I think it really helps me make some sense of the journey and not feel so alone. it helps to connect here too. A lot of my friends have also had breast cancer and I hope it has enabled them to join in the conversation rather than enduring things in silence.
I’m beginning to be a bit stiff and sore now. Doing the exercises. Bought some fresh turmeric and ginger today and made myself a turmeric latte - it’s supposed to help. Mainly stained my fingers yellow - although it was rather nice - goodness knows what it’s done to my insides! They serve a Turmeric Steamer at the Cancer Centre in the cafe. Supposed to be full of antitox things and good against cancer - not sure I believe any of that. Anyone else tried it?
Liz
Hello everyone
I’ll be joining some of you through the rads journey. My first of 15 sessions starts 27th March. It seems ages since my surgery on 12th Dec. That said, I had a bit of a set back with seroma and haematoma but this has cleared now. I’ve been taking letrozole for 5 weeks with no SE to speak of.
Actually I’m looking forward to the treatment, maybe I’m a bit weird! But what this means for me is that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer :smileyhappy: I do feel that inbetween the wait I could have gone back to work but also realise I needed this time to concentrate on my healing. I’m also enjoying being at home doing things that I haven’t had the time to do especially lots of baking :smileylol: It’s one hell of a journey!
Love and hugs xx
Hi ladies. I’m completely fed up today. Rads number 9 of 20 and they were running an hour late. So got stuck in traffic getting home and then find I had missed a phone call from the genetics councillor by half an hour and she is now on leave until 3 April. I’ve been chasing my results for the last 2 weeks as I had the blood test nearly 4 months ago ?. Hope all you ladies are having a better day x
Hi everyone, came across this forum today. So good to hear you are not alone ? I’m on session 15 of 20 today. Get an extra day off with bank holiday Monday - whoop whoop! Which is great as quite honestly I could rip my skin off right now it is so itchy (thank goodness for hydrocortisone cream and aloe vera!) I get tired by the end of each week too and quite nauseous and have a bloody cold now on top ?? but generally recover over the weekend so things not too bad.
Hope you all have a good weekend. Have a great Easter! ?? ?
Emma x
Thanks for the advice Helena! Yeah I’m constantly thirsty, so will keep trying to drink more ?
cheers x
Hello everyone
I am about to start rads. I just need to share my frustration and unhappiness at the treatment I have received from Boots Chemists. My GP ordered R1 and R2 for my radiotherapy treatment over 10 days ago and despite two visits to my local Boots they still hasn’t arrived. After waiting almost an hour today I established with the help of one of the pharmacy assistants that the products are available but the Accounts department at Boots simply hasn’t paid for them and the supplier won’t release them until they get the payment. The pharmacy assistant was wonderful but it took her over an hour to establish what had happened back at the area office. I am just so upset that I could have been treated in this way when I need these products now urgently for radiotherapy that starts next week. I’ve decided to cancel the order from Boots and go to another chemist, whom I saw today and who assured me he could get these products within two days. This just shows you that large organisations just couldn’t care less about their customers.
Sorry about this rant but this situation really stressed me out when I am concerned about my reaction to rads anyway. I’m allergic to Aloe vera and get horrible nettles and insect stings so I am concerned I may get burns. Not getting these creams on time really put the lid on it.
F
I am so sorry you have had an upsetting experience. My gp didn’t prescribe any creams at all and I just used diprabase and radiance gel which I bought online. How many sessions are you having? Must people cope well with the treatments and very few suffer adverse effects to.ghdir skin. I hope this us the way it goes for you. Try not to worry I’m sure you will feel much better about it all once they start. Sending you hugs ??
I completed my 15 on Easter Monday. Each member of the team came out individually to congratulate me. Ive been using double base gel throughout. I bought a tube which I took with me to each treatment and put on after the treatment and before I got dressed! I bought a tub of aloe Vera gel but it just made me feel sticky and my clothes stuck to it so I only used it twice. When I had my review the nurse gave me some nu-gel for some spots of reaction. You squeeze it on and it is supposed to promote healing. I tend to find it flakes off and then irritates my breast - which is pinkish and a bit sore but not too bad. I’m now four days since the last treatment and wonder what the next ten days holds. However, it hasn’t been too bad and it does seem that creams differ according to your individual skin type. The oncologist recommended double base gel and it certainly worked for me. You can get it without a prescription from chemists although some assistants don’t always know you can just buy it.
Good of luck to everyone in their onward journey.
Liz x
It sounds daft I know but I read on one of the forums about using cabbage leaves inside your bra to protect the nipple and enable it to heal. People said they’d tried it in desperation and it worked. I guess it would have to be one of those smooth cabbages rather than a savoy! Apparently it’s cooling too. My nipple is sore and I was googling for tips and this came up! My partner gets very sore where her stoma bag rubs and I use duoderm which is a very thin colloid sheet. It’s brilliant for broken and weeping skin. You can get it on prescription or buy it on amazon.
I start my rads on the 16th.
I love the cabbage leaf idea! Even if it doesn’t work, it should make my hubby laugh!
We live 50 miles away from our rads hospital (Exeter), so have decided to take advantage of cheap accommodation at this time of year and have booked a caravan in the area to minimise travel time. I’ve already got severe CFS so didn’t want to travel every day.
Good luck everyone! ?
Just wanted today I’ve been abroad twice since being on sick leave. They will also owe you your annual leave days whilst you are sick. So go for it if you feel up to it!?
To say!
Probably best to check Twisitie, my treatment fell at the end of the financial year, so I did lose remaining annual leave entitlement. I did check on this.
I can’t see why going away for a few days would be a problem in the interests of recovery etc, but booked holiday for a period of time could be an issue if it had to be explained.
ann x