Hi Likeslilac. Good luck with your rads. I bought a big tub of aqueous cream today from Boots (£4.06) and a bar of Simple soap ( hospital recommended this. So I’m all ready for the 9th. I’m only two weeks from my last chemo so I sympathise with your tiredness. I find that when people hear you’ve finished a treatment they think you should just bounce back to ‘normal’ immediately when in reality we need some time to recover! Rads has just got to be easier than chemo though, with no nasty drugs. Fingers crossed!
Had first session today. Feel ok now as fear of the unknown made me really nervous today. Will say though felt like a piece of meat on a slab during the lining up process. It also kind of reminded me about the Golden Shot - those of you old enough to remember it lol. Left a bit right a bit !!! Seriously though once they had taken the necessary x rays to make sure they would be hitting the right spot, it was over in minutes.
Well done Janelle on your first one today. I too am getting a little nervous. Don’t know why as I have already faced an MX & chemo…don’t know why I’m feeling like a big baby now! Fear of the unknown as you said! At the moment I’m doing my first week on my own. I’ll be ok after the first one (I hope…)
I know im the same as you, mastectomy and chemo - you’d think we would be used to it by now. I went on my own as well. Hubby means well but gets very impatient if they run late. My sister came with me for chemo so thought i would be brave and go on my own. Im sure you will be fine after your 1st one.
Hi Ladies
Am also starting rads in July, mine start on 25th for 15 sessions. Has chemo Jan/April,mastectomy and recon in May, will be so happy 14th august when hopefully all treatment will be over.
Twonky, my treatment is also private as hubby has BUPA through work.
Good luck to all, hope is goes easier than chemo.
Also, talk to your GP about creams, they prescribe big tubs and because you have “cancer” they are free!!
Big hugs
Anne
Wish I’d thought to ask my GP for a prescription for cream when I saw him last week. Like other ladies I’m a little nervous about starting rads even though I’m sure it will be a lot easier with chemo. I think it’s because, although the six months of chemo were pretty grim, I was in a routine of seeing the same nurses every three weeks, feeling looked after and socializing with the other ladies having treatment. I’m ashamed to say I even felt a bit smug having “Chemo patient - urgent” on my card and going to the front of the queue when I had my blood tests. I didn’t even mind my husband not being with me and everyone else having someone with them. Now I feel cut adrift - got lost twice when I went to the other hospital for my consultant appointment - and I’ll be alone again for treatment as my husband needs to be around to collect my son from school. I also felt I’d lost every shred of dignity when I was lying half naked in a big open room with my arms above my head, with one person marking me up and another putting wet cotton buds up my nose etc for the MRSA test. I’m sorry, sound like a moaning minny but I don’t mean it to sound that way.
Pauline x
I know what you mean about laying there with arms above head - takes a bit of getting used to. Ive had my second session today and had the same people doing it as the day before. They covered up my remaining boob with the gown both times which sort of helped - still feel slightly like a piece of meat on a slab though which im sure after a few more sessions this feeling will go. We are entitled to moan considering what we have been through. Good luck xx
Jayne
Hi Ladies,
Just wanted to ask a quick question – I’ll also be starting rads in July, though not until the 26<sup>th</sup>. I know we’re told not to shave, but have any of you been told whether this is just during rads or beforehand too?
I finished chemo in April, had surgery in May and now my armpits are starting to ‘sprout’ again, I’m wondering whether I can last for the next 3 weeks without doing anything about it! Plus the indignity of lying with arms above my head knowing that I could do with dealing with the hair! I know, I should be used to indignities by now!
Grace x
I am in the same predicament, chemo finished April, op in may, and now a fair few under arm hairs!!!
Do we shave/wax or don’t we. Rads starting on 25th July!
The things tha we ladies have to think about. Lol
Anne
Hi
Im nearing the end of my RADS ,3 more to go. I noticed the other day that hair had sprouted under my right arm pit so shaved it off. As of yet nothing on the left side where Rads is taking place.
Im amazed how quickly time has flown, Im not too tired and have driven myself most days. Ive been told tiredness may hit 2 weeks after you finish. so we’ll wait and see. My boob is a bit pink and warm ,but ive been applying the aqueous cream, which seems to be doing the trick.
Today I seem to have a lot of pain in my left rib, Im assuming that its RAD related, but typical its at the weekend when i dont have to go and cant ask anyone.
Gill x
Hi Gill
Hope you’re ok. Did you get to ask anyone about your rib pain?
I’ve had my first one today. It all went fine. Been told to keep well hydrated (6-8 glassed of water a day) & put aqueous cream on twice a day initially. Has to laugh. Approached the radiotherapy unit from the front this time & discovered it is hidden under a grassy mound. Looks like I’m being treated in Telly Tubby land…appatently the neighbouring houses objected to another building in their view so they hid it ( a much nicer explanation than hubby’s suggestion that it’s so dangerous they had to bury it in a bunker…if I still had eyebrows one would have been raised when I glared at him after that comment).
Just popped in here to see if I could help anyone! I finished rads in May.
As to underarm hair: I was advised (in a printed leaflet from the hospital) to use an elecric shaver to avoid the risk of cutting myself. BUT I wasn’t having rads to arm pit, only breast. If you ARE having rads to arm pit, apparently it will, temporarily, make you lose the underarm hair anyway! It would be an idea to shave before rads and then leave well alone, as you don’t want to be aggravating sensitive skin. (It’s a bit like sunburn.) Because my armpit was numb after SNB, I used a mirror to check I wasn’t doing any damage when shaving.
The tiredness does indeed get worse AFTER rads finish. As advised, my fatigue peaked just before the 2 weeks after, as did the redness to my skin. I was lucky in that my skin stayed intact - or it could have been due to slapping on the aqueous cream at regular intervals and going braless under a loose cotton t-shirt whenever I was in the house - ie most of the time! When going out, I used those elastic bra extenders (under £2 for pack of 4 assorted colours, from Ebay - other sources are available) to make my normal bra a bit looser, and that worked fine.
Good luck to all you ladies going through it now. It’ll soon be a thing of the past! I’m back at work, on a phased return and most days, for most of the time, I don’t even think about BC any more.
Hello Ladies,
I’ve had 12 rads so far and i have been putting aquesous cream on about 3 times a day but today its really sore underneath my breast. They have looked at it but dont know if i should buy some aloe vera gel. I’ve taken my bra off today as its uncomfortable. I have quite large b’s so that doesnt help.
Any advice would be good but If not I’ll ask the rads peeps tom.
Thanks fran
xx
I am a newbie to the site and so far have had 5 sessions of radiotherapy. 5 down 10 to go. A friend who also had breast cancer last year bought me an aloe vera plan and told me to to use the liquid inside the leaves. It is certainly very cooling and seems to be helping. I am also using the aqueous cream. Good luck to everyone hopefully it will soon be over.
JCJ – thank you for your advice re underarm hair. In fact, at the weekend I did succumb and used some hair removal cream as I thought this might be the most gentle and long lasting. But I’ve a feeling I’ll need to deal with it again before my rads start, so will probably try the electric shaver, (a bit less faffing about than cream!).
I guess for most ladies who have surgery before chemo it’s not such an issue as the hair probably hasn’t come through much yet; but being neo-adjuvent, it was definitely becoming an issue for me! If only the hair on my head was growing so quickly
All the best to everyone else who is undergoing rads or due to start. I for one am glad it’s the last part of active treatment!
Fran, I understand that it can be a bit more sore for those with larger boobs – hope your rads people are able to give you some helpful advice. Grace x
Fran, I have large boobs - 44E - and was told that larger ladies suffer more from skin problems during rads - more surface area I suppose? I found the soreness was aleviated by leaving my bra off and only wearing loose cotton t-shirts. I found it really uncomfortable at first, but I got used to it quite quickly - such that I couldn’t wait to get the bra off when i got home! When I went out I wore my normal, cotton bra with an extender, so it wasn’t too tight over the affected side. Lying topless - so the air can get at the underneath - helps too (but OH needs to be warned that it’s not, necessarily, an invitation!! )
I knew I was getting over the SEs when I found I’d worn my bra all day without even thinking about removing it!!
Grace, they say not to use hair removal creams because they make your skin more sensitive and so you may get more rads damage. So the electric razor route probably safer bet next time.
Hi Ann welcome to the site. You are just ahead of me as I have no.3 today. That was a nice idea buying you an aloe Vera plant. Where do you get them from if that’s not a silly question!
Had 5/15 so far. Not noticed a difference in skin/energy other than being tired after driving a 100 mile round trip on a daily basis! How is everyone else?
Hi Twinky
My Rads are finished!! What to do now with my afternoons?
Lots of comments like ‘i bet you’re glad its all over’
My mums one was ’ well after wednesday you’ll be back to normal’ I thought thursday id wake up with a full head of hair and a stone and a half weight loss! lol
rib pain is now intermitant and is quite common with Rads.
telly tubby land sounds lovely. My unit was underground too, perhaps your hubby was right !!!
Gill x
Congratulations! Yes I get those sort of comments too about it soon being over. Currently I can’t imagine having a full head of hair & being able to walk upstairs without puffing like an old lady! I know they mean well but I wish they’d acknowledge we need time to let our poor bodies ( and minds) recover!
Got my Mum staying now so hopefully will eat properly even if I’m too tired to do the cooking myself!
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