Forum Discussion
Day 2 of radiation yesterday and already blistered!
i have always known my skin was very sensitive but I was hopeful that my skin wouldn’t breakdown with radiation. I changed to dove soap weeks ago as recommended by the breast care nurse and have been moisturising every day. I started radiation on Monday and by late last night at the end of day 2 I already was blistered. I don’t know how this is going to go for the next few weeks. I still have 18 more treatments to go. My breast is tender and I’m getting sharp pains from within and then of course the blisters . Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do to try and get my skin through this with as little breakdown as possible? I’m not feeling very hopeful. I haven’t seen anyone about this yet as I had no radiation today as the machine was getting maintained. I will tell them tomorrow. My appointments are always late afternoon. Thanks ladies xx Lesley
18 Replies
- Thats not good .
Something i have to look forward to not .
My Radiology department said to use QV wash and cream .not sure if it will help.
But i also got told Moo Goo aswell.
Good luck - Hi nonkyboy
I used something different as recommended by my radiation oncologist. It was a new gel - Strata XRT - available on line. It has been developed especially to protect against radiation burns. A 50g tube is not cheap but lasted me for 30 treatments -you apply it daily after showering to the radiated area in a very thin layer, let it dry and then dress - it forms a protective barrier for the skin. I found it a godsend! - @JoeyLiz I didn’t have chemo. Surgery was back in August. I will stop using the soap as you suggest and speak to the staff later today. @Fiona2 I can’t use mepitel as it’s an adhesive. After googling it yesterday I realise it has been tried as a dressing on me before and it reacted too so it’s a no go. I will sort something out.
- ps. just read your post about allergy to adhesives. Not sure if this would be a problem or not. As I say, it is sort of like glad wrap and more clingy than sticky. Mightn't hurt to ask?
- From my own experience I can recommend the Mepitel film dressing. I had it applied before radiotherapy and it is like a clear film of glad wrap (though I think it is possibly a silicon dressing, not sure?) and it stayed on for the 30 treatments with a bit of patching where necessary. No burns or skin breakdown whatsoever. The staff were all amazed, particularly towards the end of the treatment.
- Stop using the Dove soap on or around the area use warm water and pat dry.
it is extremely rare to have that reaction on day 2, occasionally we see immediate reddening of skin but never blisters so soon, you do unfortunately seem to have very sensitive skin and there is actually a gene that causes such extreme reactions. How long since you finished chemo? That also plays a factor, you should be at least 3 wks post chemo.
speak to the radiation therapists and the nurses as soon as you arrive at your next appmt. Mepitel unfortunately doesn't seem like an option either.
Moo Goo is a great cream. Our patients in Tassie use "Goulds Radiotherapy Cream" is was developed by a natural pharmacy here, Our patients swear by it, it is expensive and stains clothes yellow however... - I have a rad onc appt booked for next week and will speak to him then but will go early tomorrow and speak to one of the nurses. She told me yesterday not to try any new creams until they had been approved by the team first so I won’t buy anything until I ask. Thanks for the advice. This cancer certainly likes to keep on giving!
- Oh crap, Lesley. Just what you do not need.
I agree with Kath, it is really unusual to have such a quick and dramatic reaction. Please have a meeting with your rad onc ASAP so you can work through every tiny detail of what is happening to see if even the most innocuous thing, like perhaps the dove soap, could possibly be contributing. I feel for you, to have come so far and have yet another shitty bloody complication crop up absolutely sucks. Keep plodding. Just. Keep. Going. Marg xxxx - @nonkyboy check with radiotherapy nurses rather than pharmacist. They absolutely know more about these specific skin reactions. Also the usual products like moisturisers etc may not be suitable for broken skin at all. Blistering after 2 zaps sounds extreme. My radio-oncologist did mention to me that, rarely, some people CANNOT tollerate radiotherapy AT ALL, as the body reacts and cannot repair itself and if this were the case they would know within a few treatments. Perhaps you are one of the rare few???? Speak to them before your next zap.
- Thanks so much ladies. I will go to Ingleburn pharmacy tomorrow and ask.
