Hi everyone, my radiation had to be put on hold as I had a hematoma which had to be operated on and then a drain for 2 days. Ahhhhh very frustrating I know it is better to do before radiation but still very annoying. So now after a 2 week delay I am expecting radiation to start this week. Feeling very nervous have read heaps about the treatment so just hoping my skin which is very fair does not react too badly and I have to have the treatment for both sides so that is going to be fun!

@May20019 I had 15 doses of rad through a private hospital & used the Mepitel film as it was suggested to me by my oncologist. It was TERRIFIC!! I had NO redness, peeling, burning & in fact you wouldnt have even known I had it. You do have to be vigilant with the Mepitel & make sure you dont get any bubbles or tears in it but if you do, the nurses will fix it up . I had mine checked & tidied up each day before my treatment. You do get used to wearing it. You can shower with it on & the good thing is that you dont have to use ANY creams while you have it on. You keep it on a couple of weeks after treatment finishes as that is when the rad peaks & then I just took it off myself. I had no side effects or tiredness from the treatment either. I just rocked up for half hour each day & then just continued on with my life. You will be fine. I couldnt believe how easy it was. Good luck xx

So sorry to hear about the hematoma - hope all is going well there. Try not to be too nervous about the radiation - most people don't have too much trouble with it - but you do need to make sure you keep the lotions & potions up to it during treatment. I did the lotions religiously, 2-3 times daily (always AFTER the radiation, never before.) The nurses were really good, checking me every other day for burns etc - so If you notice your skin is redder or more sore than you think it should be - bring it to the attention of the Rads Nurses immediately. In the bathroom, I took pics every other day on my phone, to have something to compare it with.I had 4 weeks plus a boost - and my skin only started breaking down in the last week (luckily, not too badly.) You will notice that your boobs will become quite warm 24/7 - and It DOES continue for some weeks after treatment has finished, so very important to keep the lotions up to it for some weeks afterwards, too. The treatment is strangely 'emotional' as they become a part of your daily routine - and a part of your 'family'. I broke down and bawled on my final session! I just couldn't stop blubbing! (Which is also Totally normal!) Take care - and all the best for your rads xxx

I used the Mepitel through the public system but I had to ask for it - it wouldn't have been offered. I believe different places have different regimens. At the RAH, I had the film put on each Monday and then I would take it off on the Friday, a few hours after treatment, and apply MooGoo over the weekend. The nurses would patch the Mepitel if it started to come off. There was one time that it hadn't quite met (a 1mm gap) for a day or two, and I had quite a tan line on that spot for ages. My skin held up extremely well, only getting red and tender on my side about 3 weeks after treatment. Mine was 15 treatments at a higher intensity. Did I do well because of my skin type or because of the Mepitel - who knows? I do think the tan line through the gap in the film does indicate that I could have had it much worse, though.

Thanks everyone. Lots of useful information. I am having 15 of higher radiation and I also have to do the breath hold technique as I was lucky enough to get it both sides! The hospital nurse said they would give me something to put on each day (but I don't remember what it is called) and also suggested using non soap body wash like Dove. I usually use sorbolene for regular moisturizer will that work?I did not realize that I would have to apply the moisturizer for 3 months. I am in S.E. Queensland so the sun is going to be a problem I will have to wear a uv protection shirt when I go walking and I guess lots of extra protection in the summer months from now on. Gosh all the things you have to take into consideration on top of treatment. Oh and I did not realize Target sell a suitable bra I will check that out.

I would not recommend sorbolene.At my busy radiotherapy centre they supplied it and Calendula cream- the sorbolene was barely used whilst the Calendula cream always ran out. In the end they changed from sorbolene to Cetaphil. I used Calendula at thecentre and Dermaveen at home - the latter is made from colloidal oatmeal .That said the most popular product on here isMooGoo and you need a good emollient.Just an extra bit of information. If you do radiotherapy in the private system as I did there can be substantial out of pocket costs i$2000 - $5000 depending on hm cycles. In the public system there is no outof pocketcosts andtreatment is identical.If I had my time over I would do private for surgery and public for radiotherapy.Re the sun - yes be careful with UV for a bit but time for skin to heal is veryindividual - I was told up to 3 months.Have you investigated Mepitel film as that may help reduce the time to heal.

Radiation | BCNA Online Network

20 Replies

May20019
Member
6 years ago
Thanks everyone I will go to the chemist tomorrow and see what I can find.
kezmusc
Member
6 years ago
Moogoo all the way! Priceline sell their full range of things now. Stinks a bit but worked really well for me. 30 rads and only had problems in the last week. All the best xoxoxo
Romla
Member
6 years ago
@sister just did a quick search apparently Chemist Warehouse sells it now as does Jurlique - the latter however is very expensive.
Romla
Member
6 years ago
@sister St Andrews hospital canteen used to sell it and the Radiotherapy centre may know where you can source it. Re QV it is a denser cream than Dermaveen eg so may not be as easy to apply when your breast is very tender as other creams.MooGoo is very popular and I would. have probably bought it if I was aware of it at the time.
Sister
Member
6 years ago
QV and Dermaveen are both go tos for dry skin (I used to use them on my daughter when she was tiny) - a bit better than sorbolene. I use Dermaveen now on my arm to keep it moisturised. I never used the calendula that @romla suggested as I couldn't find it. The MooGoo can be bought directly from their website or from most pharmacies - it's the Udder Cream that you're looking for. I found that it went on well and didn't leave me with stained clothes, etc. And my skin held up really well.
Romla
Member
6 years ago
I used QV cream about 1 months after radiotherapy when we went to Cairns on holidays.It was fine - my chemist suggested it as easy to transport.
May20019
Member
6 years ago
Day one done 14 to go. The hospital gave me StrataXRT and the nurse suggested QV cream. Has anyone used that? My skin is tingling already.
arpie
Member
6 years ago
All the best for the start of your treatment, @May20019 - I hope you don't find it an onerous treatment.
Romla
Member
6 years ago
@May20019 dermaveen and Cetaphil you can buy at Coles/woolies .MooGoo is a pharmacy line I think - a google search should reveal when you can get it in your are. Calendula cream you’dhave to search online - it was supplied at my Radiotherapy centre and I used it after treatment daily.If I hadn’t stocked up on Dermaveen I would have bought it tbh. Re sorbolene I agree with @arpie is smelly and feels gluggy and horrible - give yourself a treat and get something better than that.Its only redeeming feature is its cheap and probably does the job as do the other options.
May20019
Member
6 years ago
Thank you I will check those shirts out. Radiation starts tomorrow!