45 min drive to hospital today to have a doctor draw on my boob with a felt tip pen - what’s that all about I ask myself -rads to start tomorrow -boosters first this week and then the real mccoy from Monday.
Take Care
Mary
xx
Hi Mary
It beggars belief really doesn’t it - I had to have my rads in Edinburgh - a 2 1/2 hour journey from home - so for my marking up session I had to drive for 5 hours there and back for what amounted to a 40 min appt!
Fortunately, (depending on how you look at it) they offered accommodation for the 4 weeks of treatment because a) I couldn’t have driven for 5 hours everyday and b) I couldn’t have afforded the diesel !
Good luck wih your treatment
Margaret x
I know what you mean - the drive (and often the trying to find a parking space) takes longer than the actual zapping! I had about an hour’s journey each way - longer if we got stuck in traffic and I was probably in the room for about 15-20 mins… mine went on for a little over 6 weeks. Am glad that I moved down here a couple of years back tho cos if I had still been in the highlands then I would probably have had to come to Glasgow for rads anyway cos I don’t think they have facilities in Inverness - that would have meant being put into a hotel for the duration of treatment and a 200 mile journey each way at the weekends.
Having said all that I would prefer to have to do the daily journey and the treatment than have another tumour.
Bear in mind that they will draw on you with their felt pens every day so make sure you wear old bras when you go for your treatments. Good luck with your rads.
Hi lilacblushes Had my Ct scan and markings yesterday, initial felt tip but then had three tattoos no bigger than a pin head. Zapping markers , do they not do that at your hospital or di you choose the former yourself. Start my treatment on 19th June (5wks) should finish on my 62nd b’day . My Dad and sister died at 62 so I’ll leave you to guess my thoughts when first diagnosed with BC!!! Looking at Emu oil !!! Have 99.9% Aloe vera at present have been given the go ahead to use that and looks like I will be able to use organic 'Anti Stink’from Penny Brohn Cancer Centre (formerly Bristol Cancer Centre) I know you are all done and dusted ‘GUD on Ya GAL’ but thought others might be interested in info. Are you still tired and how sore did you get??? I had awful burns from op dressings (Sensitive Creature) so I want to do the best I can to prevent Rads damage.Lots of love and (((((hugs))))) Bobbiexxx
Hi Bobbie
I got the tattoos - I asked for a flower a heart and a semi-quaver - the buggers gave me dots instead!
The dots were used to line me up but they still used their felt tips on a daily basis … and when I got my boosters they did the big circle on the boobie thing again and asked if I would be able to keep it on until they were finished … I said with night sweats and no deo allowed their chances of that happeneing were somewhere between zilch and zero … considering my 1st booster was Thursday and last was the following Tuesday… not to worry they just got their plastic circle out again and re-did it.
Shame you had such a reaction to the dressings after your surgery - you clearly have exceptionally sensitive skin. I must be a tough old bat cos I had 6+ weeks of rads and was ok til about week 5 … I did start to go a bit pink in week 3 and then progressed to bright red, but no splitting until the Sunday of week 5. Even then I only split slightly on my collarbone and in the crease under my arm.
I did get the stabby pains - quite hilarious when you mutter ‘oh you bugger’ int he check-out queue at asda and try to rub your boobie with your arm (well lets face it you can’t actually stand there and give it a good going over with your hand can you … perhaps in Farmfoods but no Asda!)
I’m about 5 weeks post rads now and the skin is doing great - my right boob is still a nice tanned colour and my left one is very jealous. I have a couple of darker patches - one at the crease of my armpit and one under my boob. The pains are getting less now but I still get sore from time to time … the entire outside of my boob still goes rock hard at times but nothing I can’t handle.
All my rads unit would sanction me using was aqueous cream and then intrasite gel when I started to split. I was also on the no-smellies rule so had to stick to simple or baby soap/shower gel.
Have a swelling under my arm which oncologist says is ‘perfectly normal and to be expected after surgery and rads’ … again nothing major just a bit annoying.
The one quirk I found during rads was that I became very static - I was getting electric shocks from practically everything I touched, them sods in the office thought it was hilarious every time I sparked off the metal runner on my desk … it would be ping ‘oh you bugger’ and then I would be shaking my hand and them laughing … it stopped about a week after I finished rads.
I am now 2 and a half weeks after radiotherapy. It did get worse before it got better, but the 2 week mark seemed to be the turning point and things are really settling down now. However I was told not to let the sun see the affected skin and not to use anything scented for a while. So what happens when I need to use sun cream? Obviously not a big problem so far this summer!
I also have swelling under my arm, it’s good to hear I’m not the only one.
take care all Pauline
I’m 5 weeks post-rads and am back to using normal shower-gel and today I put on sun cream… factor 40 which was reasonably priced in Semi-chem
Just a comment on shower products. My wet room has paint covering on a little of the floor as decor. The paiint survives lots of shower water, soap etc. and cleaning with bleach and floor wash products. But I spilt a bottle of Radox on it and this lifted the paint off!!! Scarey to think I used to regularly put this on my skin.
HI lilacblushes Thanks for getting back to me (and all you super cyberpals) Do you feel any of this s**t is behind you know and you can move forward. Suffered from perodic bouts of deppression before all this and want to let this go after rads but do you think I will be able to ??? I dwell on it far to much ,very unhealthy!!! I worry about losing friends cuz of this. Lots of love Bobbiexxxxx
Hi Bobbie
I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling like you can’t move on, but it is still very early days yet. I’m doing very well and most of the time I don’t even think about it … of course it’s still there in the back of my mind but I try not to dwell on it.
I have been very much in control since I got my dx - I’m not sure how I’ve been so laid back about it all … of course in the period between finding the lump and seeing the doctor I had times where I started to imagine worse case scenario … I was starting to choose hymns and think of flowers etc … but then I grasped onto the phrases ‘caught early’ and ‘early stage’ and when the consultant started talking about follow-ups for the next 10 years I decided that if he was planning to want to see me in 10 years time then I must stand a good chance of still being here.
Perhaps grade 1 and no chemo has helped me through but I seem to have taken it very much in my stride.
I hope you manage to get on top of the fear and start getting your life back.
Hi lilacblushes Thanks for all you encouragement !! I had WLE and only one lymph node involved so I have same prognosis as you (Grade two) Was told 80% chance of survival over 10 yrs . Iam 62 in July so not bad . I think what is making me down is both sons have had a fall out , youngest son getting married Sept and Eldest ones not going to wedding or his wife and new baby. have asked them to get together for ME( not out of pity) but they wo’nt budge neither will the two girls so it’s all very upsetting . Had a really s**t time with Chemo . I know you will have seen my mail. Have to rebuild my confidence again and do’nt need further aggro as you can imagine. Love and ((((hugs))))) Bobbie. is’nt this site marvellous!!!
Hi Bobbie,
now you’re in front of me you’ll have to let me know how rx is going etc. Sorry about your “sons situation”. I had a sort of strange time when my son got married the week before I started chemo. He had coverted to the Islamic faith the year before which we accept but he didn’t explain in any detail about his marriage to a girl he had only known about for a few weeks and booked the first part of the ceremony and went through with it without us there saying it was only a formality and we would have a get together properly at the second part or the ceremony a couple of weeks later.
This didn’t happen as we would have hoped as it ended up just being " our side" and then they had another do with their muslim friends who celebrate women only / men only .
At the time it all seemed a little bizzare. Looking back we had a nice do in the registry office and a nice meal afterwads …they looked great . It was their choice and their day. We are really happy for them . Even though it was not how we imagined my only son/child to would do everything - it really doesn’t matter.
We went to a wedding not that long ago where some of the family didn’t turn up to the reception because they didn’t like prawn cocktail and the bride was distraught about the wrong colour napkins! they have since separated!
Concentrate on yourself and building your inner self …kids will do what they want in the end and you can’t waste precious time and energy any longer if you have already tried to reason/communicate with them all.
Hope you are having a decent day today so far,
Love Kay x
Bobbie, A few thoughts to ponder only…I can’t believe your kids are all being so inconsiderate given what you’ve gone through! Do they really understand your chemo treatment or did you bravely hide it from them?! Focus on you right now - you don’t deserve this. You are doing all you can to help your marrying son. Is there anyway you can reduce the stakes for brother to “lose face” and attend anyway: the more they make a public stand, the harder it is to step down? Perhaps stop noticing it…I know it sounds impossible but at the end of the day - it’s on their conscience not yours. Even if they don’t go, they can still make up at some point and learn from it. Another possibility is they are secretly worried about you (as you have also lost your dad and sister) and can’t deal with it either…? We often can show things in funny ways. Maybe a letter may help?
It’s really hard that cancer hits us when normal life is going on anyway with all its stresses and strains.
Lilacbushes: I found your detail of the radio great thanks, am on week 3 of 30 sessions.
thanks
BB