Hi Lorraine
Sounds like your hospital could do with introducing a new car parking system, it’s adding unnecessary stress to an already stressful situation.
Christie Hospital has a designated car park for radiotherapy patients, which is rarely full since most people are in and out fairly quickly. The only irritating aspect is the minimum charge of £1.50 for four hours.
Sarah x
Hi Sarah
You’re right about the parking, it’s just not enough for all the patients, I feel like complaining but it doesn’t seem right somehow as they are all so kind and trying to make me better.
We too have to pay £1.50 for the benefit, even though we are issued a parking permit (usually £2 an hour) but it is far too stressful sitting there in the parking queue and worrying will be late, so hubby is coming along for the ride and takes the car to the local Tescos and comes back for me when i’m “cooked”. Real pain as i’m usually son independent but can’t be helped.
Lorraine x
Hi ladies when do rads begin i had mx 2weeks ago how much recouporation time do they give you im having mine at clatterbridge thanks elaine
Hi Elaine
Usually 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, but it depends on how well the wounds have healed. They won’t want to do radiotherapy if there are any areas that are still open and haven’t yet healed over because the radiotherapy will make them worse. I started rads 7 weeks after surgery because I had to wait an extra couple of weeks for the wounds to heal.
Sarah
Hi girls i strated my Rads 4 weeks after chemo finished but it was then 6 months after surgery so wound is well healed xxx Julie
Hi Everyone
I have just finished 5 weeks and 50 grays of radiotherapy. No parking at all at my hospital - have to go by public transport or pay a fortune in parking meters. I discovered a very good research paper (the trial was done in France but is in English)about caring for skin during radiotherapy in which they recommend calendula ointment. I used this straight after radiotherapy every day and again in the evenings. You are not supposed to put anything on your skin before radiotherapy it should be clean therefore i found it best to shower in the mornings to get rid of the ointment. My skin got a bit red in places, but no worse than that. I have very fair skin and the breast care nurse was amazed at how well it looked at the end of the rads and asked for the details. Here is a link to the article: jcojournal.org/cgi/reprint/22/8/1447.pdf
When I saw the doctors during the last week of rads (two weeks ago) they said that people who looked after their skin throughout had a better outcome - I was not told about this before but it would be helpful if they did. Hope this helps.
Harebell
Hi Harebell
I’m on day 7 of 15 rads for left breast following WLE and re-excision and it is starting to get hot/sore/itchy. Very interested in the calendula cream, where did you get it from?
I am using aloe vera when I come out of rads, aqueous in the fridge before bed, which is lovely and soothing but sounds like you had a much better result. I am very keen to keep well as I am going on a long-haul flight 11 days after finishing treatment so obviously don’t want to have to be looking after my boob if it can be prevented!
Lorraine x
Hi everyone
I have done 11 of 19 rads and skin went red today and has stayed red. Few little red bits which am concerned will become blisters. Slapping aqueous cream on twice a day,
I am having mine at the new christie satellite at Oldham royal hospital. There is a designated car park just for us rt patients and it is free. Honestly the new unit there is fantastic and everything a modern hospital should be. Anyone in the vicinity should ask for their rt there rather than the main christie. Easy to get to, easy to park, lovely staff and building.
Vickie
Hi I bought the calendula ointment recommended in the research trial which I mentioned in the previous post. It is called Pommade au Calendula par Digestion calendula extract ointment made by Boiron Ltd, Levallois-Perret, France. I was lucky as I had a friend visiting France who got it for me. I think you may be able to buy it online it costs very little - about £1.75 a tube. I have used two tubes throughout radiotherapy and one since. You can by Calendula healing cream here made by Nelsons but I am not sure if it has the same properties as that used in the research trial.
Best wishes
Harebell
Thanks for all the info, I have been looking on the web but can’t seem to buy the french one here. The Nelsons one has Alcohol in and I was told not to use the arnica cream I had been using post op. for haematoma, as it contained alcohol. I will keep looking
curlylol x
Thanks for all the advice. I’m due to start rads in a couple of weeks and was interested in the Calendula cream, but can only find it on US websites strangly, considering it’s a French product. But I did notice it contains 4.5% alcohol so maybe the Nelson’s one is ok to use? I’ll ask at my RT planning appointment on Wednesday.
Gill
Sorry, I was going to recommend Weleda because I thought that all their products were alcohol free but when I looked at the ingredients they are not! So ignore this post!
X
Rusty
Hi,
Just an update, 2 rads left to go (yipee) and have found the Holland and Barrett Aloe Vera gel after treatment/before bed to be an absolute godsend, especially if you put it in the fridge when you get home. I use the aqueous cream in the shower to wash and moisturise with in the morning, then the Aloe Vera straight after the rads at the clinic and during the evening/before bed when it get’s a little warm.
I am starting to get a little weary and breathless and the journey and parking at St Lukes in Guildford is an absolute nightmare, but the staff are all so lovely and the treatment isn’t anywhere as difficult as I expected.
Lorraine x
Hi
I also used Aloe Vera 99.9% every morning after my shower and before radiotherapy. It was wonderful and cooling and relieved the inflammation very well. It is difficult to use in the daytime as it sticks to your clothes and then could take your skin with it if you are not careful. It needs to be allowed to dry before you dress.
All good wishes
Harebell
Lorraine, 2 more rads left for me too! Getting bit sore now, just been given hydrocortisone cream today. Hope sll goes well
vickie
Hi, girls
does anyone know if it is ok to use aloe vera straight from the plant? I have always kept a plant for burns in the kitchen or sun burn.
Carol
I go for the planning this morning will see what they say regarding different creams, I was thinking of getting the calendula cream that someone said was good,
Celia.x
I had my planning this morning and was given aqueous cream to use, so that is what I will do. They see so many of us I am sure they would only give it out if it helped! I forgot to ask about the calendula cream as I didn’t get to chat with anyone - just the CT scan and tattoos. I was so surprised it was finished (only took just over an hour all told)I forgot all the questions I meant to ask!
Back from the planning and same as miscally given aqueous cream and I didnt see anyone to ask about the calendula either it was so quick only in the hospital 30 mins, I start the treatment on 2nd November just hope that is as quick,
Celia.x
Hi Celia,
I start on 28th October. Hope it all goes well for you. I didn’t like the tattoos, they hurt and one is still sore! I will have to have a second planning session at some point, as they didn’t have all my notes and so couldn’t do the boost planning today. I hope I don’t need more tattoos!
Best wishes