Radiation

@May20019 My clinic gave me StrataSRT ointment and it was great. You need only a tiny bit and it covers a good area. Re protective shirts - the Solbari 50+ ones are beautifully soft to wear.

You should be able to get Moogoo at most (if not all) chemists, @May20019.   

As @romla suggested - I did my susrgery 'private' but my Rads Public - and had no expenses for the Rads.  I had rather large out of pocket expenses for my private surgery tho!  :( 

I just hated the smell of sorbolene - I found it quite sickening (even tho recommended by my Rads Team.)   My husband had some Epaderm which I used, as well as Calendula, Aloe Vera, and Renu 28 by ASEA (as given me by a nursing friend was is now 5 years BC free.)  They all worked well for me - tho I found the Aloe Vera particularly soothing!  I don't think it would have mattered what I was using, as I reckon I was always going to get the acne/dermatitis on the upper breast/neck area that had been exposed to too much sunburn in my youth .... it was annoying - but wasn't too debilitating.    My skin only started to break down late in the piece & so had to be careful after Rads finished, as the 'burning' continues for some weeks afterwards, so even more important to keep the moisturisers up to it.

My Rads specialist was REALLY happy with the way my skin held up during most of the radiation and following my Rads,  I used a cream called BOZ for at least 2-3 weeks as the radiation effects 'worked thru' - and until the redness and spots faded.  It is particularly 'thick' and gluggy (a common Baby Nappy Rash cream) - so I used some damp blue 'kitchen cloth' to protect my clothing from the 'cream'  .... so that was good.  The 'Hippy' Pharmacist at the Hospital Pharmacy reckoned straight up Olive Oil was just as good as most moisturisers!!   She used to make up a Cold Cream from Rose Water, Bees Wax and Olive Oil that she reckoned worked really well, but she had to stop making it as all the hospitals had to be able to provide the same 'stuff' and not all were compounding chemists! 

All the best xx  Just try different ones & you'll find the ones that you prefer!  ;) 

Thank you Romla. I will see what the hospital give me and then buy some other moisturizer. I know I can get Dermaveen at the chemist can you get MooGoo there or is it an on line product?

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.

@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 

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.

Some members have used mepitel film to protect their skin and I hope they hop and explain more about it.In the interim use the search bar up the top of the home page to find previous posts about Mepitel film.

I am very fair and had 3 weeks of radiotherapy.My skin held up well as I creamed up frequently with Calendula cream at the radiotherapy centre and followed up with Dermaveen.Many ladies on here are keen on MooGoo.You need to cream up at least 3 times per day for up to 3 months so a front opening post op bra like Target sell is handy.

I’m not sure where you are but be wary of UV as it seems to activate the irritation as does heat. I went to Cairns shortly after treatment ended and found even a rashie wasn’t enough so needed to be careful.

The first planning session is the longest around 45 minutes thereafter it’s a daily zapping of around 15 minutes with the worst bit for me being trying to find a park in the city - allow plenty of time to get there.

Be also aware at the end of treatment you will probably be engulfed with fatigue for a few days so plan to take things easy and go with the flow of your body.

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