I completed my last of 33 RT sessions on Wednesday. Up until the last couple of weeks my boob was doing ok and I was getting through the E45 like mad. Then a tiny break in the skin appeared under the boob. The break got bigger and since completion I have another strip of boob that is ultra raw and the area above is alarmingly red and tender. I had 5 ‘boost’ sessions on the lower part of the boob, where the tumour was - so that area was truely zapped.
The ‘skin nurse’ as she introduced herself, didn’t inspire me with enormous confidence… but she gave me ‘Proflavin’ to dab on the broken skin.
I am already in constant pain in my chemo arm - long story there… so this added agony means I can sleep in patches and am dosed to the max on painkillers.
My nipple is peeling like crazy and a large patch towards the armpit to, but this is ok with E45 so far.
Is Proflavin the right thing to use??? Is there something better???
I think I’ll try to to get to see my GP 2moro, but as I’ve found in the past, the best experts are you guys on here!
All advice very welcome. This pain is driving me insane.
I too burned badly at the end of rads ,it was so extensive that it was a nightmare keeping dressings on. The rads dept gave me what looked like sanitary towels and aqueous cream. It made me feel so horrid having all that stuck to my boob.I eventually got Actiform Cool gel sheets from my GP ,they were heaven! Nice cool gel in sheets that clings to your skin ,they are designed to heal burns.Worth a try.
HTH
Dot
xxx
I had 32 sessions and skin broke and was given Mepilex dressings, they can be hard to get off the NHS but i would buy some any chemist can order them, they are very thin foam and it was amazing how they made my skin feel. Don’t forget your skin will continue to ‘cook’ for up to 14 days after your last Rads session.
if you are going to the GP tomorrow ask to have a perscription the sheets can be got on perscription. If skin broken don’t use any type of emulsion cream like e45
I’ll second Mepilex - my armpit skinned itself and I had large raw under boob areas which were agony - the Mepilex was the only thing I found that helped.
hi
when I finished my 31 rads last july my skin was raw and I could not bear any clothing touching it.Rad nurses gave me mepilex squares,but first treated the area with a gel called nu-gel.I got supplies of both from my surgery and used for 2 weeks following the end of treatment.bliss!
I am still using moisturiser to the area treated, as the skin is still very dry.
Thank you so much girls. I’ve just maxed myself on painkillers and a bottle of wine and hopefully will sleep now. I rang the hospital and will attend the critical assessment unit in the morning. VERY useful to have your tips re dressings and creams.
These last few months Id’ve been lost without the incredible support I’ve found here.
You girls are so lucky to have had an understanding BC Nurse all I got when my skin split was the advice to ‘bite the bullet’ and ’ stuff a clean cotten hankie under my boob to keep it dry’ !! hey ho guess it was my bad luck eh
Hi,
You poor woman,I know exactly what you are saying.
I had a VERY sore,red and angry boob last summer.
It was driving me bananas,couldnt sleep,couldnt dress without feeling like I just wanted to scream at the heavens but you know what really did the trick for me? I used Johnsons baby wipes with aloe vera.
Sounds daft maybe but a wipe,used VERY carefully or youll pull skin off,felt nice and cool and really soothed everything right down.It took a few days before it was noticeable but it saved my sanity!!haha!
I would even fold one under my breast inside my bra,just to have it cushioned and soothed.
Please try it.It did work for me.
By the way,I still have discolouration on the underside of my boob but fine otherwise.
Good luck,let me know how it goes.
Elaine,Liverpool
MEPILEX and PROFLAVIN!!!
That’s what I will tell everyone to make sure they are prescribed. The breast care nurse who gave me my first box of Mepilex told me that she had in the past been reprimanded for handing them out so readily! But THEY WORK!!! I got replacement prescriptions for them from my GP.
There’s a knack to using the Mepilex pads - you need to cut them down a bit. Make sure enough comes below your bra line and this totally prevents rubbing.
Throughout my RT and even now, I’ve been using Balneum to wash - it’s what severe excema sufferers use and is wonderful at rehydrating. Free from nasty chemicals, it is perfect.
Dab the Proflavin all over the raw flesh - it only stings the teeniest bit - I promise!
Cover area with Mepilex pad, cut to size.
You’ll need to wear a bra night and day to keep the pad in place. It ‘sticks’ to your skin, but only lightly, so the bra is necessary.
Slap on the E45 all over the remaining exposed skin.
When changing dressing, first wash the area with a wad of cotton wool dipped in warm water with Balneum. Very gently wipe away the excess dead skin. DON’T OVERDO IT! Pat dry completely before applying Proflavin.
aww, sorry ou are going through this, too. My skin was the same when i did rads last March/April 2010,
I also had pads from the hospital for the peeling/skinned/cracked skin. I was bright red like a lobster! I was told to use aqueous cream not e45,
hope you feel easier soon
eva
I think I must have been lucky in the past (also not as many as 31). I was advised to try to expose the bare skin to air, but not sun, obviously, for at least a few minutes every day. Just after the boosters at the end of mine, I lost a patch of underarm skin and was advised to use cortisone cream, which I only needed for a couple of days. Then I used aloe as well, since we had some aloe gel.
well done you ladies that had loads of sessions. ive only had 14 with 6 to go. .
today i have got a really sore nipple it looks really odd, wrinkled, quite scared me actually. i used the aqueous cream and it seemed to help. i feel like ive been holding it all day!!
i had a boob reduction 2 years ago, the nipple is removed and re-stitched on, so its very tender anyway.
During my RT in March I had a sore nipple; the Rads nurses gave me a pack of gel patches to wear (leave in fridge for an hour first) & this worked a treat.
After treatment my nipple peeled badly and was even more sore; I was given diprobase cream which again worked quite well & also advised to use aqueous as a soap substitute in the shower.
I did at times use Aloe Vera on boob as a whole; when I did I used to relax on my bed and leave it open to the air.
Hope not so sore today & have you now come to end of treatment; remember to carry on with cream etc. I’m still using mine now 7 weeks after RT finished as nipple still peeling a little but no longer sore.
A quick question - did any of you have RT to the axilla as well as to the breast area? I see a few comments re skin loss from the axilla but no mention of actual RT to that area.
Thanks for all the useful information I have gained from reading this thread.
I had 35 sessions, and at the end was just a patchwork of mepilex - boob, collarbone, neck and armpit. The mepilex is brilliant though - highly recommended.