Radiation Therapy for Lumpectomy

The word Radiation is a scary word, but it is also a good word.  Radiation therapy takes something that can be used negatively and refocuses it on healing and treatment, so I think of it as a hopeful word.  I created a new online profile name when I started this journey  . . . radioactivegirl.  It was started after I had to have some tests in the nuclear medicine department and there were several radioactive signs around.  In addition to my username it is my cancer fighting alter ego.

I started radiation therapy on Tuesday (1/8).  If you have a lumpectomy you always have radiation for breast cancer.  Some people with a mastectomy also have radiation if they have positive nodes, but for me I am having radiation because I had a lumpectomy to get the same survival rates as if I had a mastectomy, but I got to keep my breasts.

Preparation for radiation takes time.  They put you on a machine and take some x-rays and do some mapping.  They put these marks on my skin with a sharpie and then put some clear stickers over them.  I was told to keep them on my skin until my next appointment a week later.  I'm not sure exactly what they did but they mapped it and had the physics department review it.  Then I went back and they did some stuff to make sure it was aligned correctly and removed the stickers and gave me 5 tattoos.  Yep, tattoos or permanent markings.  These arent the tattoos like you are thinking about - they are small black dots.  The technician put some ink on my skin and then used a single needle for these medical tattoos.  I looked at them afterwards and I have moles that are bigger than these tattoos.  Before I had them I was thinking of having them removed after treatment because they will remind me of treatment.  But I may keep them because someone made me think of these as battle scars.  I am undecided at this moment, but even though they are small they are black and stand out among all my brown moles.

Radiation itself is usually a quick and painless process.  I get undressed and into a gown.  Then when I get called in to the radiation room with a giant radioactive sign and a 5 inch door I lie down on the table/bed thing.  There are notches and groves so that your head is cradled and they put a triangular pillow under your knees and you put your hands above your head and there are braces to support them.  There are laser beams of light that are pointed at your body and I believe they use those to lign up with your tattoos.  I cant actually see what they are doing but they do always move me around a little.  Then they leave the room and close the 5 inch thick door.  The radiation machine starts making noise and there are lights flashing to indicate that the beam is on.  Then they come in, the machine moves to another position and the process is repeated.
I am usually pretty calm until I hear the noise that indicates the beam is on and I start to breathe heavily and freak out a little.  I always have my eyes closed and I try and think good thoughts.  I also use this time to send people good thoughts.  I don't really pray, but I do send people good thoughts and I figure that is a good a time as any to do that since I have some quiet alone time.

I have radiation in two positions and after the second one they tell me I can get up and go.  It is totally painless and uneventful.  This is repeated every weekday for a total of 25 times and then I get 6 boosts which I think are just targeting the area where the tumor was, not the whole breast.  The most common side effects of radiation are reddening of the treatment area and fatigue.  My radiation doctors recommend using 100% aloe vera gel.  I have been using it religiously one to two times a day to prevent any radiation "burns" that arent really burns but look like a bad sunburn.  If my skin does get red then the doctors have other things they can prescribe.  In the meantime I am slathering on the aloe vera in hopes of preventing any skin reactions.  I do see the doctor after every 10 days of treatment so they can monitor me.

So far I have had 9 out of 31 treatments and I do not really notice any reddening of my skin or have fatigue.  I think, like chemo, that the effects are cumulative so that may come later but so far so good.

Oncoplastic Breast Reduction Surgery Recovery

All in all the recovery has been much easier than I thought.  I did have a horrible sore/dry throat that showed up the morning after surgery.  It hurt to talk, it hurt to swallow, it hurt to eat it just plain hurt.  Kindof like the worst sore throat from a cold, but I didnt have the other cold symptoms.  Whispering hurt and I resorted to using the fewest words possible and doing a lot of pointing.  My throat was pretty battered from chemo and the breathing tubes really irritated it.  I didnt really eat much between my stomach issues and the sore throat :-(

The day after surgery I had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon's nurse to change my dressings (they would have removed the drains then too, but I didnt need any drains).  The nurse did a quick check, changed some of the gauze and made sure I had feeling in the nipple.  She also told me that over the counter sore throat drops would help me.  On the way home we stopped at the store and got the strongest Cepacol lozenges they had.  Sweet relief.  I used them for the next day or two until it felt "normal" again.  I put normal in quotes cause I still have some throat irritation and sensitivity to acidic foods that are a result of chemo.

After the initial issues with the pain medicines and my stomach I was afraid to take more, but it turns out I didn't need it.  I was very surprised.  I had some tenderness and discomfort but there were also times that I "forgot" about it and reached for something and was reminded that I just had surgery.  I didnt take any more pain medicines after that, yippee.

I didn't really lift anything or reach for anything for a couple of days.  My instructions said to use common sense with what you do.  I didn't push it - I reached for things and if it hurt I stopped and asked someone to get it for me.

The biggest complaint I had was itching.  The incision along the bottom fold of my breast itched.  It would be fine then all of a sudden it would itch like crazy.  I had steri strips along all incisions and I was wearing a sports bra 24/7 as instructed.  I couldn't really scratch but pulling up the bra and rubbing along the steri strips helped.  The suture knots or whatever you call the fishing line looking stuff that was taped down was what itched the most.  I had them removed about two weeks after surgery and the itching mostly stopped at that time so I think that was what was causing the itching.

I still have some issues in the car, mostly when I ride in a truck.  When we go over a bump or the road is not so smooth I feel it in my breasts.  And the rough roads I am talking about are the same roads I have driven on for years with no issues and I only notice it in a truck, my guess is because the suspension is different than in a car.  It isnt all roads all the time, just older sections of the freeway or potholes that have been filled or even somewhat newer roads that are kindof wavy (I never paid that much attention before).  I can deal with it, it is just uncomfortable.

My instructions also said to massage and put lotion on the incisions twice a day to help break down the scar tissue.  I do notice that the scars, particularly along the fold do look like there is some scar tissue forming and I hope that the massaging will help.  I have not done it 2x/day every day but I am trying.  The massage does not feel good as it does make it feel sore afterwards.  I haven't been doing it because I forget to do it, a lame excuse I know :-(

I am now 4+ weeks out from surgery and I am happy with the results.  I am noticing that the nipple is starting to look oblong and I hope that is just because some areas are settling differently than others.  I first noticed this on the cancer side but am now seeing a little on the non cancer side.

I'm not exactly sure how much smaller I am but they are smaller and firmer and more perky.  So far I am mostly happy with the results.  The slightly oblong nipples do not make me happy but I know my Plastic Surgeon did make some adjustments because she was compensating for the effects of radiation.  I'll reserve my final thoughts for after radiation.

If you found this blog because you are thinking of having an oncoplastic reduction feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!!!

2012 started out as a good year for me but was marked by bad news and tough times . . . and then I found out I had breast cancer and had to have chemo.

Chemo is by far the hardest thing I have ever been through and I have been through a lot.  I am 7 and a half weeks out from chemo and I struggle with a lot of things I shouldn't,  newborn babies have more hair than I do, and I don't have the stamina or focus that I used to.  But I am alive and I showed Cancer that it is not welcome here.

I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions but I do want to make some changes in my life.  First I want to do more things.  Do things that make me happy, do things that scare me, do things that remind me I am alive.  I want to experience all I can with each passing day cause I never know if it will be my last.

I want to go Ice Skating more - I started skating as an adult and took lessons off and on for 10 years.  I want to get back to going.  But I can't right now - I have horrible balance and  muscle tone.  soon though, really soon.

I want to travel more.  I have been lucky enough to be able to travel to lots of places and I want to continue that.

I want to feel motivated to post happy things on Facebook.  I am currently posting negative or complaining posts.  I want to change that.  Correction - I will change that.  I know the better I feel the happier my posts will be, although my favorite post all year was my Pathology Post.

I guess what I am rambling about is that I just want to make sure I live every day to its fullest :-)