Pam I was told no cream at all during rads though they checked have skin all the time. When rads finished they gave me aqueous cream which I have slathered on. Skin doing fine now. P xx
Aah see,there’s the different advice from different areas of the country, Pauls you said you had broken, sore skin, so maybe the advice from this end was better, as long as it’s pure Aloe Vera or anything that has no metals in it, I was told to massage in all the way through,scary that most creams ect have so much crap in them nowadays, but Pam you should ask your radiotherapy nurses what they recommend, it’s so different everywhere, but most of all don’t worry, it’s a doddle compared to the rest!! Xxx Sam
HelloooBeams, hope you are all ok. I have finished radiotherapy hurrah hurrah hurrah!! No more trips up to the hospital every evening. Don’t want to put anyone off of course - it was really so manageable and really not unpleasant, just a faff getting to.
re skin my advice was as follows - use aqueous cream (just the cheapo stuff from ASDA) twice a day to maintain the skin, pay particular attention to the creases. My skin is v thin indeed due to the stretcher thingy, but it has totally held up. Bit pink and brown but totally intact. Aloe was recommended if the skin was becoming distressed as a healing treatment, sounds like it also maintains the skin as Sam says, but may not push in as much moisture as aqueous. They don’t like you to appear for treatment all greasy and slathered- so put on your aqueous a few hours before and let it sink in properly. Wash area with plain tepid water in the shower - no hot baths and no showergels that might dry out the skin. It’s a bit like having sunburn. Also drink at least 2 litres of water a day to help with the healing. Oh and our chests/neck areas will be sun sensitive for a while (years even), so slap on the factor 50 and wear shirts and summer scraves on our ‘decolletages’ on the beach. Small price to pay eh? So f******* glad to be alive!
Love to you all, hope all mummies have a great Mother’s Day (commercial pap that it is!) Love Anna XXXXX
That’s brilliant Anna, you must be so pleased 
I can’t wait to get to that point!!
I’m up and down like the proverbial yoyo at the moment, doesn’t help that I’m not sleeping brilliantly. Have been making myself spend time outside doing nice allotmenty and gardeny things though, thank goodness for a bit of sunshine. Back into waiting mode now, blah blah blah, bleep off with it :-( Feeling extra emotional because have had to stop my antidepressants as they prevent the Tamoxifen from working properly. It’s OK because I was reducing them anyway and was planning to stop, but feel a bit vulnerable! No effects from Tamoxifen itself yet which is good.
Char, how is your skin doing now? Hope everyone’s OK and feeling hairy xxx
Morning Beams
Radiotherapy is going ok 4 down the scares holding up thanks for asking Ness. Not feeling too tired yet, I was given the same advise as you Anna about caring for the breast area E45 or aqueous cream no soap or shower gel and drink 2L of water.
So far I’ve shifted a stone of my chemo weight 1 more a go. Haven’t exercised since starting rad was aware of the fatigue and don’t want to add to it, spent too long on the sofa these last few months.
Off to London today my besties down from Scotland for a few days thought we’d take the kids on the London Eye, she hasn’t been on.
Have a good day ladies. Char x
Glad it is going well Char - enjoy London Eye. I am still very tired but tends to be the evening and I simply conk out! Nails a mess!
Mostly positive but bad day yesterday worrying about the future. Trying hard to get back on track today.
Have good day Sunbeams. P. X
Pam what is cording?
Char- cording is s line that goes down from underarm to elbow after surgery on lymph nodes. It’s psinful, not everyone get them and the dorciskist don’t seem to know what an Px now to treat. Ax node systems…
Px
Okay thanks Pam.
Had a great day in London today walked miles will be having a real chilled day tomorrow.
Have a great mothering Sunday hope you are all spoilt we deserve it. C x
Thank you so much for this advice on cording PaulS - I’m still troubled by it, and can’t extend the affected arm. Am starting to massage and pinch it now, feels so good! have a happy Monday Beams, and good wishes for everyone’s ongoing improvements and hair … I am now departing from the “wandering wee club” so pleased!
Love Anna
Oh PaulS, this is something we all struggle with - you are not alone. I’ve been advised to obviously be vigilant and to trust that we are gonna be screened v carefully for years, and to ‘park’ the fears and doom scenario. Am going to get out there and enjoy life once more and to do healthy stuff and hopefully the fears will fade. Above all we need to hang onto what we’ve been been told as individuals by our specialists and to always look for the most LIKELY scenario. In your case, that you have been CURED and it isn’t coming back. None of us are future-proofed, but then no-one is. The medics are doing their best to keep it away - Tamoxifen etc…Those poor friends who’ve got a recurrence might have v different BC types/stages … as you say BC a pretty broad umbrella. I’m thinking that counsellors know how to help us to move on? I’m trying not to let BC grab any more of my time and headspace… that fecker’s had enough already. Love Anna.
PaulS, sorry to hear you’ve been feeling wobbly, but it’s completely understandable and I’m sure we’ll all be riding the rollercoaster for some time to come. I always find I struggle when my anxieties aren’t matching up to my logical brain, and all my feelings fall down the gap in the middle.
Finally got my radio planning appointment today…bit last minute as it’s tomorrow but I don’t care, at least I’m getting on with it and I can see the finish line. Wahoo!!!
Been painting my summer house today. Amazing how a bit of bright colour can cheer me up
Hope those arms and shoulders are getting easier ladies, and that you’re all OK.
Ness xxx
Hi everyone ? Nice reading through posts…Like Sam said earlier I think I find it harder coming on here as I try to adjust to ’ normal’ life… back to work next week! ? What a journey…that continues… last week took wig off for last time and walk around with a skinhead now! Braved it for going into work too!! My main issue right now is painful hips?? Particularly on the left… other than that trying to get back on track. Radiotherapy large brown patch peeling a bit but fingers crossed ok. Very weird being back in the real world.? much love to all special Beamers xxxx
Hi beamers - Happy Birthday Den ???. Nice to read us girls trying to get back to normal again . I’m wearing a normal bra for the first time since my op - feels good. Has anyone signed up for the London walk on 4th July - me and my sister in law are hoping to do it. Have a great day everyone xx
Morning ladies, wow life is moving quickly. Today is day 8 of radiotherapy and it’s all going well my skin seems to be holding up, had a review yesterday and they are happy with the way it’s going too.
That’s a big milestone Paul being able to go without your wig mines patchy so my partners going to clipper it at the weekend so it all grows more evenly, it’s very slow growing anyway so will take some time coming through.
Yay! a normal bra Nutty great. Makes you feel more feminine doesn’t it?
Happy birthday Den it’s your day enjoy it.
Meeting up for coffee and a chat with my chemo buddy today will be good to see how she’s getting on.
Have a fabulous day girlie’s. Love and hugs to you all. Char x
Hi Beamies, good to read the posts - and yes being back in the real world is a wierd and mostly a lovely thing. Colleagues do keep asking how I feel though … Those worries do catch up with us though don’t they? They are always at the back of our minds. I do try and ‘park’ them, but not always successful. My daughter now has a non-urgent referral to the breast clinic for what GP is sure is a completely harmless lump. But it sure does press all my buttons and I can’t stop thinking about it. How to keep us safe - and our daughters too? Agggghhhhhh. Skin mottled brown and odd-looking below boob, but healing up with the 100% aloe vera gel - thanks for tip Sam. Cording getting much better too after your tip PaulS - Pam, do massage the cord and pinch it very gently along the length if you can get hold of it. Might well help, cording is a horrid thing. My broad beans and other seeds are up! Allotment will be fine this year, afetr all the neglect last year. Come on warm weather… have a good day, love Anna
and Rachael - me too - awful painful hips and knees. is it the Tamoxifen? Or the rush into menopause? Don’t like feeling so creaky! Anna
Oh Pam you are just having a bad day and it will get better. If the hospital ok then be reassured and try not to worry. Easier said than done I know but they would but say you were fine if you weren’t. Not sure about ringing in ears but may be the drugs. Take care. P xx
I’m ok Pam thanks though very tired. Managed work fine but crash out every evening. I have another condition called Empty Sella syndrome - a pituitary problem - and was at the other big hospital yesterday for that checkup. The nurse couldn’t get blood and tried six times! She was lovely - and is 13 years past advanced breast cancer treatment. Hugely positive and reassuring! She now works in the endocrine department helping IVF patients and getting eggs from women who are having chemo so need to store them for after their treatment. She was so very cheery and positive I left feeling good! I think it is the stage we are at - we are vulnerable and it doesn’t take much to push us off track. Only two weeks until your rads so pamper yourself and do things that make you feel good. I was so looking forward to being finished and in many ways it us great but it is also scary being away from all the medical support.
Be kind to yourself. P xx
Hi Pam, I’m still in the VERY LONG wait for radiotherapy…so long in fact that we’ve got an unexpected chance to go away on holiday for a week, wahooooooo!!! Not starting radio til April 9th, although I’m all tattooed and ready to go. Like you I still have very low days sometimes, although these seem to be getting fewer the further away from the surgery I get, so I’m blaming the general physical trauma for most of it. My sleeping is crap which doesn’t help, I get to sleep fine but any little thing seems to wake me up which is really frustrating…this tamoxifen is turning me into my mother, help!!!