Hello wise ones, I’m 9 treatments down and of course at the start of the weekend I’ve developed an itch and my breast is starting to get tiny red dots on it. I’m using StrataXRT twice a day as recommended but I’m wondering if there is anything else I can put on it to ease the itch.
Thank you in advance Deb
HiDebG15 I hope you’re doing ok and sorry to hear about the discomfort. I remember feeling a bit “cooked” when having radiation therapy and yes, I had the little red dots rashes. For topical treatment the nurse at the Radiation therapy centre gave me a small pot of moisturising cream with a bit of cortisone cream mixed into it which was fairly soothing. I also found a cool facecloth or a mini cool pack from the freezer (I had saved from the biopsies) was helpful. It took about two weeks to settle but it did resolve. Hope you’re travelling along as well as can be. We are all different but I found it helped to take a short rest during the radiotherapy period, I was tired, possibly a hangover/still needing to recover from the previous months of chemo, a bout of covid19 and the lumpectomy surgery - but balancing rest and then the usual activities and light exercise was helpful. Sending you lots of positive vibes for this phase :-)
Thank. you so much.I am going to start five and a half weeks of radiation therapy soon and I have found your post both informative and reassuring. . I have been told that I will be receiving radiation on my neck as well as left breast area. I had lymph nodes on left side removed, and I am hopeful of a good recovery but the thought of radiation is a bit scary.
The final round of chemotherapy (last Tuesday) left me feeling very ill with a very upset stomach, so I am feeling low.
Up until this week, throughout the surgery and the chemotherapy I have felt very positive or perhaps it had not 'sunk in'.
I am 69 and not working post diagnosis so I am grateful that I do have the pressures that many younger women would experience. I just feel so unwell at the moment but looking forward to that changing. The other three cycles have been less intense and I have really enjoyed the days at the end of each chemotherapy cycle when I felt more like 'myself'.
I am SO sorry to read that you are feeling so ill and low Violet123 ... Consider Giving our Helpline a call tomorrow for a chat xx. I hope you have some meds to take care of the upset tummy. Maybe have a chat with your Breast Care Nurse too? Just so she is aware you aren't well?
Keep an eye on your temperature too, as you are feeling so unwell ... if it gets higher than 37.5 (and definitely if approaching 38˚) you should go immediately to Emergency and get thoroughly checked out as you may need hydrating xx
I found my 4 weeks of radiation to be the 'easiest' of all my surgery/treatment (tho I was lucky & avoided chemo.) Just make sure you lather up with the appropriate lotions after each session (Moogoo and moisturising creams are great - your Rad Nurses will advise you which ones to try.) The Rads staff are always incredibly kind and gentle too - I became quite emotional on my final treatment as they'd been such a part of my life for those 4 weeks xx
Rads can make you a bit tired - so be kind to yourself, and rest up when you need to. ... You'll notice that your breast area gets quite warm too (which continues for a couple of weeks after treatment stops - so it is very important to continue with the lotions - and wear 'sun proof' tops too and something around your neck too.)
I had a 'bit of skin breakthrough' in the final week ... and the hospital pharmacy put me onto BOZ ointment (often used for nappy rash) .... it was greasy tho, so I used Blue Cleaning Cloths over the ointment to protect my clothes.
Take care & I hope you are feeling better & more like your normal self, soon xx
I hope your itch is settling down, DebG15 .... are you able to get a photo of the red dots? Just to compare each day to see if they are growing bigger or not?
Do you have a breastcare Nurse you can talk to in the mean time?
Make sure you show it to your Rads nurses on Mon for evaluation xx
If you do a search (next to the envelope up on the bar) of Radiation Itch, a few other posts pop up .... one recommended using hydrocortisone cream on the itch ...
My husband developed an itch/rash with his chemo & we found that plain old cornflour (in the kitchen cupboard!) helped with his.
We have lots of different areas on the forum that you may like to check out too ... There is HEAPS of info in the link below to help you navigate the blog and also some valuable tools to evaluate your own physical and mental recovery thru your ongoing treatment! xx.
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussions/general-discussion/a-big-welcome-to-all-new-online-network-members-/222737
Take care & all the best for your ongoing treatment xx
