Code Pink Episode 6: Are You Glowing? No It's The Radiation

*In this series, I will share a very raw personal journey. As you read this blog series, none of the information provided should be considered expert medical advice. What I went through may or may not be the same for the next person. I tried to share common reactions to treatment and how to manage. I am also not paid to advertise certain products. Please follow the direction of your medical doctor. The information in this series should be read with a smile. Please also be aware, I am very honest. I tell it how it is. I don’t sugar coat but I can be sarcastic. For that, I apologize for the occasional profanity. The tips and suggestions are things I’ve learned along the way, helped me, and information I want to share with you.

Radiation started with a planning and consultation appointment. I remember asking the doctor, since I had a complete pathological response to chemotherapy (chemo killed everything) and since I had a double mastectomy…was radiation needed? He said yes. He explained that, we did chemo to kill the tumors, we did surgery to remove the tumors, and lastly we do radiation to treat my chest, remaining lymph nodes, and underarm. The goal of radiation was to treat any remaining rogue cells and the remaining lymph nodes so if there are cancer cells remaining we would kill them and so they didn’t spread. OK FINE, I’ll do radiation.           

After we chatted a bit, I went across the hall and had a CT scan done to look at the organs in my chest. Before the CT images were taken they made a cast of my upper body so that when I did go in for radiation, I would lay in the same position every time.  The radiation doctor, a medical physicist, and a medical dosimetrist (radiation dose doctor) then decided how they would radiate my chest based upon the images. They were able to decide the direction of the radiation beams based upon the images and they also used the pictures to make sure they avoided the areas of my chest they didn’t want to radiate (heart/lungs). After all three doctors decided on a course of action, the dosi doc tattooed 6 small black dots on my chest so they know exactly where to send the 6 areas of radiation. The one small, tiny problem... my right water bed boob was too big so I had to go into plastics the next day and have 100cc removed.  

            I had 6 weeks of radiation. 28 days. I went every day (except weekends). I would go in every day, change into a gown that covered just my chest, got to leave my pants on. I’d go into the radiation room and the two radiation girls would get me set up in just the right positon on the table according to my tattoo markings. After that they would take an xray of my collarbone and upper arm bone to make sure they were shielded from radiation. If they weren’t shielded they could actually be fractured. Once I was situated and they were confident they were radiating only what they wanted to, radiation to my tattoos took 30 seconds each so a total of 3 minutes. It took longer to get set up and in the exact same position every day then it did to radiate.

            I was told common side effects of breast radiation included:  sun burn to the treated area, skin/tissue damage and peeling, fatigue, and damage to the top of my left lung (won't be noticeable). Not so common: pneumonia, broken ribs, nausea/vomiting, radiation to the heart, further lung damage, blisters and open wounds. As radiation started accumulating (around treatment 10) the fatigue really hit me. I started taking naps in the afternoon. Over time I surrendered and just took care of myself instead of pushing ahead. While it wasn’t common I also developed nausea post treatment and so I took nausea medication as needed. Week 5, I had a noticeable sunburn on my neck and around my collar bone. The radiation doc said this was normal because the skin is thinner, it’s been previously exposed to sun, and there’s little to no fat underneath. Week 6, I had a very distinct line of redness and pain under my treated armpit. It pulled and was painful. I tried my best to keep the skin hydrated and I added lavender to my lotion to help it heal.

            In order to keep my skin moist and healthy I did the following skin care regime every day during treatment (including my weekends off) and up to two weeks after (you still burn that long).

·        In the morning I’d shower (sometimes every 2 days) and if my skin needed moisture I’d put aquaphor on.

·        After radiation, while I was in the dressing room, I’d put a combination of Calendula cream and Lanolin oil on my skin.

·        Before going to bed I’d rub on the prescribed Mometasone cream. Mometasone cream (a steroid) has been in numerous research articles in the last 5 years and is associated with better skin outcomes during breast radiation.

·        Once I developed a sunburn (around week 4) I increased my aquaphor to daily and I added lavender essential oil to that to help my skin heal and repair. The goal was to not have my skin open during or after treatment.

·        After treatment my sunburn opened and I was concerned about infection so my doctor prescribed Silvidine cream which is an antibacterial cream. I put this on 3x/day and covered it with a breathable gauze bandage so the burn was protected and my clothes didn’t get ruined.

·        I also found an aloe cooling pad, made by Lindi, on Amazon. It was HEAVEN on my burning skin. It was a little pricey but it was reusable and by keeping in the fridge it not only stayed cool but extended its life.

On my last day of treatment my skin peeled. Go figure. When it peeled, it STUNG…BAD. I was told that because you continue to burn for up to two weeks after radiation is done, it would get worse before it got better. The area by collarbone peeled first and continued to redden. As it started healing it began really itching. I tried my best to keep it hydrated. Four days after radiation was done, the skin under my arm pit and under my boob by my incision also peeled. The incision also hurt quite a bit and I put gauze over it so it wouldn’t rub on my sports bra and shirts. The burn continued to worsen for 10 days after treatment and then I noticed new skin being formed and the redness turned to a dark pink. It took a good 2-3 weeks for everything to completely heal.

*Tips For Surviving: If you know you’re going to be tired, get important tasks done in the morning so you can rest in the afternoon. Your body is working really hard to repair the damaged skin and cells and this takes energy. Take care of yourself and let your body recover.

This blog covers the basics of my cancer journey. If you're looking to read more or know someone going through breast cancer treatment, check out my book about breast cancer on the home page!