rads

rads

rads I have just had my 10th rads and although my scar was not a pretty sight it looks decidedly worse after these 10 fry up’s. In fact I look like I have been chewed by a bulldog. Of course it’s not helped by the dot to dot adorn my once stately bosom… Hope all my fellow sufferers are well Horace cherub Irene Anthi mountie buttons oh ena catriona there must be someone I have missed anyhow take care Love Eileen

Hello Eileen

I’ve had my 18th and final rads today. My breast is bright red and very sore and feels rather hard. I’ve also got itchy prickly heat on my breast and up onto my chest . The staff at the unit told me to keep on with the cream etc. for a couple of weeks.

Interesting what you say on your other thread about the golf ball in your throat - I’ve felt a bit like that the last few days as well.

My hair is growing in white with a few black hairs here and there - I’ve been colouring it for so many years that I really had no idea what colour it was. Cannot wait to get it done blond again but that may be some time yet as I haven’t got very much yet. It’s still quite patchy and hasn’t started at all on some parts of my head.

Take care and good luck with the rest of your rads.

Love Anthi

Hi Eileen and the others

My skin seems ok, today had 14th rad. 19 more to go. I have been plastering on the aqeous cream and also showering in it too. Bought a wildedly expensive (well, £4.50 I think) spray can of it so it is easy to use in shower.
Have had a scare with pain in my back - last week had a bone Xray and then an MRI scan. Today got results - no secondaries thank God but arthritis in lower spine. Whilst I am so happy cancer has not spread am very fed up re: arthritis.
Am beginning to feel really old. I was 41 a few days ago, but I think my body thinks it is older. My hair is growing back slowly but is definately white, not even grey.
My thumb nails have fallen out and the rest of the nails on my hand are on their way although there are new nails underneath. I was imagining bare bits of flesh underneath so was pleased to see a nail, although they are short !
What else can I moan about. think that’s it for now!!

I hope we all keep in touch when rads have finished and I hope we can all relax a bit in the future and not think every ache and pain is serious, although I have to say my Oncologist thought I may have secondaries so I am not the only neurotic one.

Take care
Love Ena

ena’s rads? Ena why are you having so many rads Are you travelling far? It must be very tiring. I am tired but only have another 5 to go. Good news abpout your scans you must be so relieved. I have had arthiritis for many years and it can be very painful but a good resul;t as you can live with it. So scary this bc isn’t it? It is always there in the background altering every thought and deed. Take care love eileen

good 'un Anthi So glad you have finished rads you can have a lovely lie in tomorrow. At least it rads get me out of bed early. They came for me at 8.30 this morning and I wasn’t ready so trotted off in my slippers and old cardi. I am bottle blond too. It is not coming on as fast as what I thought it would. Are you going back to work soon? I hope to get back in a few weeks Take care love Eileen

bringing this to top 4 Anthi and Ena Hi I am bringing this to the top so Anthi and Ena will reply to me they are ignoring me!!! lol Love Eileen

Hi Eileen
sorry, didn’t mean to ignore you. um, I think you asked two questions -
I have 33 rads in total, 25 to whole breast and 8 to the actual scar because apparently cancer cells often lurk in scar tissue.
I asked my friend, who is a radiographer at the hospital where I am having treatment, why 25 and not 15 like I notice some people on this site have and she said that the overall dose is the same, however if you have 15 ,the dose each time is a little higher. And because the cancer is in my left breast they won’t give the higher amounts over a shorter period of time because of risk of damage to the heart.

The hospital is only 15 minutes drive away, a nice route along the shoreline and I drive myself there, so I can be there and back in an hour although out of the 3 machines they have, one is broken and one is a bit dodgy so we are all squeezed onto the only reliable one, so often delays.

On Friday I am seeing the oncologist to see how it is going - a midway check. Have you had that?
Feeling happier today - have got used to the idea of arthritis but yesterday was a shock.

Love Ena

Hello again Eileen. Yes it was lovely to have a little lie in this morning and not to have to go to the hospital for rads.
Although I have to say the staff were lovely there - very efficient and very nice and I felt quite sorry to say goodbye to them yesterday.

I think it did me good having to get up every day for rads as I got very lazy during chemo. I’ve gained quite a lot of weight since diagnosis and I’m sure staying in bed half the day wasn’t helping either so I’m trying not to do that now - just a short lie in.

You ask about work - well I’m partly retired these days and just do a bit of private teaching at home. I managed to carry on with some teaching - just 2 evenings a week - all the way through chemo and it was great that my students came to me as I don’t think I would have felt able to go out to teach. We’ve finished now for the summer as my students had their exams last week and I miss the work and the contact with the students - not to mention the money !

I hope you do manage to get back to work in a few weeks.

I enjoyed the picture of you going to rads in your ‘slippers and old cardi’. I got more and more scruffy as I went through rads especially as I became too sore to wear a bra or even a crop top, and for the last few days I was going in wearing just a cotton camisole tucked up under my boobs to give me a bit of support.

Take care - you haven’t got many to go now.
Love Anthi

Hi Eileen thanks for remembering me.I finished my 15 rads last Tuesday worst thing is that skin under treated breast has split and is very sore.Advised to expose it to air and use a cold hairdryer to soothe it.Imagine it…fat 63yr od holding crimson boob up with one hand while operating hairdryer with other.Not much scope for socialising I’m afraid.All the best Eileen .lol Val

Hello Horace and Eileen

they told me the same about the hairdryer. They also told me to walk around topless at home Well I live in a flat so am surrounded by neighbours and our flats have quite big windows ! Not sure my neighbours would enjoy the sight of me (also with crimson boob) wobbling around topless (I’m 61 by the way) !

Hope yours gets better soon Horace. Eileen hope you’ve got on OK today. You’ve nearly finished now.

Love Anthi