Hi Jibby
Have you started your rads yet how is it going???
Love
Lucy
Hi Lucy
So good to hear from you. I’ve not been on the site quite as often recently, sometimes I find the posts a bit unnerving.
I’ve started my rads and tomorrow (Mon) I go for number 13 out of 15. So… I’ve nearly finished! So far I’ve been ok. The only thing I’ve noticed up to now is that my left side (BC) is nearly twice the size of the other and feels firmer. I’m not pink or had any itching yet but the doctor says to expect this to begin next week and possibly to get worse for the next couple of weeks even though I will have finished rads. He has given me hydrocortisone cream. When asked, I tell him I’m using aqueous cream but in truth I’m not. It’s full of parabens which I believe, according to reports, can be harmful. Something about women with breast cancer have been found to have a higher than usual amount of parabens in the breast. I know some people will say it’s a load of tosh but we all deal with this disease in our own way. If I think I’m helping myself by not smothering myself in parabens (however deluded I may be) then so be it.
I’ve not had a mastectomy, had a lumpectomy - tumour was 17 mm, ER+, HER2+ and so I’m on Herceptin now which only ends next May. When rads finish I take Femara for 5 years. So, lots more hospital visits to come!!! How about you?
Last weekend I was quite worried. Last Friday I asked the radiographer what all the pen marks on my breast meant. It seems the bulk of the radiation is targetted at an area underneath and to the sides of the nipple. Yet, the scar and the skin indentation where the tumour was removed is about 4" above. All last weekend I was convinced they were doing the wrong area because mistakes do happen. However, on Monday the radiographer eased my mind and told me that in the past they had targetted the tumour area only, but the results had been poorer than when the whole breast was targetted. She said I would see the whole area of radiation including the scar area when the skin started to turn pink. I felt so stupid for panicking and ruining the family’s weekend with my depressed witterings!
Enough of my ramblings…how are you doing Lucy? How many rads do you have left? I remember you started before me so you should be nearing the end too. Have you made any plans for when rads finish?
Speak soon.
Love
Jibby X
Hi Jibby
I am so glad that you are doing ok…I know exactly what you mean about being on here, I too get depressed about some of the posts …I know i will probably sound nasty, but i really wish people would think before they start a post, there was one last week about Kylie, I went into there and it ended up nothing to do with Kylie and upset me a lot…I wish they would put a section just for messages on here and call it message board or something, so then you dont have to read the posts if you don’t want to…I don’t know if it is me or if things seem to have drastically changed on here…
Yes my boob is a bit sore and red and was itching, they told me it would get worse…Great!!! but I only have 8 to go and hope that it doesnt blister…I have seen people at the hospital where I go having it on their face and head and it looks raw, so I really do count myself lucky…
I know what you mean about them giving the wrong dose and worrying, I always remember that 17 year old not long ago and whilst I was having rads this week in the room the news came on about some woman catching fire under the machine for Gods sake…just what you want to hear whilst under the machine…my whole breast area has been targeted too it has a diamond shape over it where the skin has gone red and darker like sun burn so I guess it is normal proceedure as my lump was near my arm pit…
yes parabens, I did get some organic body lotion and try to use products that dont contain those now, I know what you mean about that cream it stinks to high heaven, so I can assume it isnt good for you…
apart from the above I am fine and trying to get back to normal as normal can be, just glad that ghastly chemo is over that was the pit’s…have been out and about a little but get tired with the 4.5 hour round trip to hospital…
oh well I am glad you are ok keep your chin up my love talk soon
Love as always Lucy
XXXXX