Hello there I am very new to this world of talking into the ether so here goes. I finished my radiotherapy on 16/12/09 and was told by my oncologist that large breasted ladies usually faired worse than small breasted. I now have severe soreness under my breast and am almost finished(Sunday)using the cream (flamazine) I was given by the radiographers. I am wondering what to use after this treatment runs out if I am still as sore yours Jancie
Jancie , get to your BC nurse and get some more cream. You continue to ‘cook’ for 14 days post the last day of treatment. If you can try and get some gel pads from your BC nurse. Is the soreness from the fold of skin? Another dressing that is good is called mepilex transfer, they are a bit expensive, but are fantastic, they are very thin foam squares with a slightly sticky side but let the skin breath. I used them on the underneath of my breast when my skin began to crack. If the skin breaks don’t use aqueos cream as it can cause infection. Have you been given Aloe vera gel, its soothing and healing but can be a little drying.
Rhian x
Hi Janice
I was given 1% Hydrocortisone cream by the hospital which worked well on the affected bit. My skin didn’t break but was red, itchy and generally sore under the boob. I have large boobs and found underneath was the worst place. I gave up on bras for all day, just when I was going out. At home I wore cami vests with a bit of support.
Hope it isn’t too bad.
Good luck
Margaret
thanks for the comments ladies I actually am doing things that you both suggest i.e. no bra and mepilex dressings. My worry is that it’s Bank Holiday until Tuesday and was told to use the Flamazine for 7-10 days which means I should stop today but I just seem to be starting to heal now, so I am uncertain as to where to go for advice.Once again thanks for the support. Jancie
Hi Rhian
Just read your post and went for my no.21 radiotherapy out of 35 today and my skin is so raw under my breast the doctor decided to rest me until 6th January and prescribed Mepilex dressings. I’m in France and I think I understood it correctly to just put this foam sticky dressing on the wound every day until the 6th. Is that it, do you put it sticky side on the wound without any other dressing? I was a little bit confused but hope I have done it right - perhaps you could confirm this - and also what about shower/bath - I assume I shouldn’t get it wet. Thanks a lot - Ginny
Hiya,
Just been reading the posts in anticipation of starting rads next week, sounds like there is quite a high risk of skin problems. I thought rads were going to be dawdle compared with chemo which I’ve just finished, 4 weeks ago. I still feel so tired and achy, is this normal? I did expect to feel a lot better by now. I’ve had a bad cold over Xmas so that probably hasn’t helped! It’s great that all the horrible side effects of Tac have gone but I feel so exhausted, still going to bed at 9pm - won’t be seeing the New Year in I shouldn’t think!! I suppose I’m lucky that I’ve had a break between chemo and rads because of Xmas.
Dae x
Hi Ginny
yes its the sticky side you stick to your skin, i found if i cut the amount i needed off and then put it on while lying down it sat on my skin in all the curves better. Oh lordy 35!!! i had 31 and the last week was the toughest. When possible i tried to lay with nothing on the sore skin. I still showered but let the water just run off the sore bits. I used E45 skin wash every other day but again not rubbing just puring over and letting the water run off. hopefully the break in treatment will help x know it sounds odd but cold clean cabbage leaves from the fridge were soothing and i even tried cucumber sliced into long slithers with a potatoe peeler. make sure you rest. I was told to take extra calcium as the bones under the treated area do get brittle.
take care xx
Dae
remember your bod is taking a battering. Listen too it if you need sleep go to sleep your body heals when you sleep. Prepare your skin for rads, use a cream like E45 every morning and night and after every shower/bath. Rads is different to chemo and everyone is different. Be good to yourself 
xxx
I’ve just lost my comment! Hello again. I went back to the hospital on Tuesday to seek advice (this is without an appointment) They’re brilliant at James Cook Middlesbrough and the radiographer practitioner saw me and said I was coming along nicely and to finish off the cream, then use the Mepilex dressings by themseves. Today is the last cream day so we’ll see how it goes. Happy New Year to all and may we all have a healthier 2010. Jancie
I too was warned about the higher likelihood of problems for larger breasts, and managed to get through treatment without skin breaking, but within 4 days of finishing had blisters and skin breakage. I didn’t manage to get back to radiotherapy for 4 days, during which I kept the broken skin area clean and dry (but I still showered and cleaned the area with very mild antiseptic liquid - not cream). I then got sterile saline and polymem from the radiotherapy nurse, who was brilliant and encouraging(polymem’s a non-adhesive cushioned dressing to wear against the skin) which helped no end. I also took an antihistamine each day, which stopped the hell of itching, and a paracetamol for pain.
I’ve also found that even a long while after you still have sore and itchy skin (I finished rads at the start of September, and here I am in January still having to take the occasional antihistamine when the itching gets too much). The swelling from rads will take a long time to go down (or so the registrar told me), so continue to treat your radiated area with caution and TLC.
Hope you might find what I experienced helpful!
I found that blowing the area with a cold hairdryer hastened the healing process[advice of my GP]
Hi All - I have read all the comments about under breast soreness, which were very helpful, but I am rather confused. I finished 20 sessions last Friday, and for the past two weeks haven’t been able to wear a bra (I am 42C. The skin is very sore and has broken and is weeping. Have been to see practice nurse at my surgery and have spoken to someone at BCC and the advice is just to put a pad on it and nothing else other than wear a support t-shirt. However, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better, it is worse if anything. May have to try the hairdryer suggestion. I used the cabbage on the top part of my breast but it is not possible to keep it in place! I think maybe I have 2 to 3 more weeks of this. I have tried gel gauze but it didn’t seem to help. Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Penny by the time you get this I expect you have improved but just to make you feel less alone I was the same . I’m a 36G and have suffered delayed reaction beginning 21 days after rads!! with the same advice given as you. We can work through it … I’ve used a clean soft cotton mans hankie ( clipped to my loose vest ( don’t want to go leaving a trail!!) T tuck it underneath my boob and it soaks up the moisture. Hope it’s helpful to others. P.S support Tshirts havn’t helped as the banding is too tight usually right on the sore area so a losse tshirt is almost essential to let the air flow through. Hope you’ve turned a corner Penny it does come as abit of a demoraliser when you think your in the clear.