Radiation - 6 weeks completed with no tears ... some tips.

@viking1 No, you're not scaring me. I like to have information about what's ahead. Then I can prepare. 
Thank you to everyone who has put stuff on here about radiation. I'm storing it all up.
For the immunity stuff, I'll now move over to the thread that Kate has wisely created. x

@viking1 just want to say thank you for all of this info - it’s definitely great to tuck it all away for when I start radiation! 
@arpie you ALWAYS inspire me so much with your energy and insights. 
@Flaneuse - I think we’re chemo twins - I’m also half way through AC with 12 x weekly taxol treatments looming then radiation (also think you had invasive lobular?) - and the knee! OMG yes! I have osteo arthritis in my right knee - I so can relate! Wishing you only everything of the best xxx

@viking1  :*

Yes Kate I think we have gone in another direction … re my question "what is everyone else doing?"  - shall we move onto your thread in Immunity Boosters and then we can collect all the good advice in one spot? Xx (I see you are a step ahead! Going to pick your brain!)

@Flaneuse My oncologist told me that cardiologists don't like people taking a lot of calcium supplements as it can damage the heart. She said that you can get all the calcium you require from food sources. I get the impression that she's not big into vitamin supplements etc.

@viking1 "Self care and addressing any collateral damage" - I like that! And it sounds like your dietician and mine are on the same page.

I've started this discussion on another thread call "Immunity Boosters" so we don't hijack this radiation thread for too long!

Wow, women, you are all exceptional!  @Flaneuse I hope we are not worrying you re what to expect after it's all supposedly over. I feel in my own situation, after the lumpectomy, chemo and radiation, that was the hard part. The next part is really self care and addressing any collateral damage, so to speak. So I'm addressing pain from my full axillary clearance, scar tissue pain in the breast and finding out about any radiation damage which might need pills or cream. But I feel that the big issues are regaining a healthy gastro intestinal system and building up your immune system. Diet and exercise help with the immune system, getting stronger and preventing recurrence. I need to get off my butt and start walking regularly. I have always dodged exercise and been good at eating cake. Now I am at my heaviest after eating haphazardly through chemo and rad. One of our uni's says "Exercise is medicine" and I think they are now saying that exercise alone decreases your risk of recurrence. So no dodging it! 
Re diet - my dietician is very big on cruciferous vegetables, protein with each meal, and no complex carbs at dinner. The hospital dietician was fairly useless and just showed me the food pyramid. So I am seeing a private one who deals with oncology on the 5 free visits plan … your Dr can refer you. It has a special name eluding me. (I am on a pension.) I need to get some probiotics and Vit C and some other bits and pieces. I will see the naturopath at Pharmacy 777 and they don't charge me as the vitamins cost a lot. Unfortunately the best ones are expensive and I have been holding off for the next splurge.  It's a good idea to find a naturopath who knows something about cancer if you're going to buy vitamins. Mine has had cancer in her family so she is good at working out what I need and the cheapest way I can buy the best brand/or guiding me to a different brand if she thinks it does a better job. I think if you just go into the pharmacy and say you need X, Y and Z you might not get the best service available to you...use their naturopath if you can.  It is so unfortunate that Vitamins are so bloody expensive - good on your daughter @Flaneuse! Those are good ones, especially for Winter. 
I am also trying turmeric  for inflammation and osteoarthritis in my knee. It is good for most things but again my supply has run down as my car service took precedence! I buy it from an Australian grower in QLD and it's potentiated with black pepper. It comes in bars I cut up and have 300g am. And pm. It takes a while to work on your knees etc but seems to help! Another thing I try is adding Frankincense essential oil to a carrier oil and massaging my sore breast and under my arm where my scar is from the axillary clearance. I have actually been doing both breasts as there is some evidence Frankie can kill cancerous cells. However, it's one of those things that we don't know a lot about still. I'm just giving it a go as I like to play with the essential oils. I'm sure there are all sorts of sane/insane ideas out there about preventing cancer … I just sit in the middle, mostly.  
One thing I have gotten into the habit of doing is washing my hands thoroughly as soon as I come home from the hospital or supermarket or any outing.  Then after a day like today where I was at the hospital for four hours I came home and had a bath. I add some anti germ essential oil to the bath and then run my vaporiser in my flat with the same oil in it. I also have it in a bottle and can spray it around the room. It's my little OCD germ phobe ritual!

A long post! What are other people trying? (Oh, yes, I agree with drinking lots of water too!)

@Flaneuse  @kmakm  @viking1

OMG!  Thank god you stood your ground@Flaneuse .... I am sure they wouldn't be saying 'NO CUTS' without good reason!  And it would all be about healing - with the immune system suppressed, it could have lead to much worse infections happening!  :(    Hmmmm ... when my GP said no-one would touch me ... it was probably before we knew I wasn't going to have chemo?  Good luck with your check up appointment this arvo!  xx

Yes, Kate, good gut health, mental health & physical health all helps us get thru this with less collateral damage, I reckon.  But you ARE still allowed to have some Hot Chips (or whatever takes your fancy!) now & then as a little reward!  Just not EVERY DAY!  They reckon the apple cider vinegar with mother also helps reduce arthritic pain (so I will continue with it, even after this little tonic bottle runs out) as I assume my aches & pains may get worse with the Letrozole.

Hubby & I use Hyper Biotics pro-15 from the USA on the recommendation of a local dietician.  Bought in lots of 5 on ebay they are half the price (purchased here) and have HEAPS more 'good stuff' in them than a lot of other ones. 

I just took a swig of the Fire Tonic  WOOOHO! ... and it has a REAL kick - almost HOT but not TOO hot!!  Check out the ingredients!  You could always have a go at making your own ... it has 'the Mother' in it too, as does some of the apple cider vinegars you can buy over the counter ....
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Off fishing for a few hours!  :)   Then my uke group from 4-6pm and dinner at the club!  :) 

@kmakm @viking1 My daughter has bought Inner Health Plus probiotics and super-high calcium C for me - both quite expensive, apparently. I wouldn't be able to afford that sort of stuff without her. The challenge when I'm on antibiotics (which happens far too often these days, with infected boils popping up three times so far) is that the probiotics need to be taken two hours either side of ABs. This discussion has prompted me to re-start having apple cider vinegar every morning. Earlier on in chemo I just couldn't face swallowing it, but I'm up to it now.
@arpie   I understand the knee issue. Mine used to wake me every night and was so bad it brought me to tears, which is unusual for me. I had a total replacement 2.5 years ago; not terribly successful. That excruciating pain is gone, but I still do get pain and even though I tried to be (and was) the star of the physio class, I haven't got enough bend. That's really interesting about the surgeon saying you couldn't have any surgery - even though you weren't having chemo! My oncologist warned me very firmly about no cutting of any sort, or dental work, and of course no podiatry etc. But the second time I went to emergency with the boil flared up again (external labial), a gynaecologist said they could make an incision and try to drain it. I said no. I came home with more ABs. When I told the oncologist she was furious that they would have given me that option. And of course I'm on blood thinners because of the three PEs I had after surgery. Three-month checkup with lung doctor this afternoon.  :)

@Flaneuse @viking1 @arpie This has got me thinking about my immune system too. I've been concentrating on my gut as research is increasingly showing that gut health rules the health of so many other areas of the body, including the brain. And boy does my brain need help after the last few years!

I might add some immunity boosters into the mix to bolster my post-chemo system as we start winter. Probably all the drugs I had with the BMX & recon haven't helped either. I eat really healthily, but what would you warrior womyn suggest?!

Hi @Flaneuse. Well done on reaching the halfway mark of your chemo, and remaining sane!!  I hope you arent getting too many of the horrid side effects.  

The chemo stays in the system for quite a while so it is essential to stay away from anyone with sniffles .... I even had hubby wearing a face mask around strangers ... I also had him drinking copious quantities of water to help flush it out after each session .... not sure if it worked ... but he didn’t lose ALL his hair and whilst generally ‘stuffed’ from about day 4 for 2-3 days .... managed it remarkably well, I thought, as he was in his mid 70s back then - and he exercised throughout too.  He is 8 years cancer free just now (he had 3/4 of his stomach removed.). So, I was sort of familiar with the system with all his treatment when I got diagnosed in early Jan.

The radiation takes about 6 weeks to ‘Work out’ (longer for some)  ... your boob/chest area  will actually be very warm during and after rads and some feel overwhelmingly tired/stuffed at the end! .... Back in Feb (before rads) I managed to stuff my knee and I seriously thought I’d need an arthroscope to tidy it up .... but my GP said “No surgeon will even LOOK at you whilst going thru treatment as your immune system is so compromised” ... and I didn’t even have chemo!!  So I stumbled around for months with pressure bandages on the knee ... and last week, miraculously, it seems to have come good on its own!!  AMAZING!  WIN!  Fingers crossed it stays good, cos I was almost pretending I had Tourette’s syndrome at one stage, cos 10 times a day, it would give out on me causing excruciating pain and I’d yell FUCK as I fell to the ground!  LOL 

Everyone is different and has varying levels of pain/anguish with all the crap we are going thru and your friend network is just so important for helping keep you sane and even getting a laugh out of you ... Keeping BUSY is the other trick, I reckon.  I am not into moping around going ‘woe is me’ ... matter of fact, after a crappy start to the day and cancelling a kayak fishing outing with a buddy, it has now fined up and I am SPEWING!  I may still get out!!

I am 3 weeks in to Letrozole and just feeling increased aches and pains, but tolerable at this stage.  Hopefully it won’t get worse.

yep, lowering fuel prices would be a real bonus.  Being rural, ALL our servos have the same price, so we can’t even shop around!  :(

Take care and all the best for your ongoing treatment xx