Radiation #22

Today was radiation treatment #22. My radiation burn is getting worse each day. Under the arm it is starting to hurt so I am holding my arm up more to make it feel better. Yesterday I told Brandi and Brooke, my radiation therapists, and they gave me some samples of Aquaphor healing ointment. It is supposed to moisturize the skin and help it heal. It is like smearing Vaseline on your skin. It doesn't soak in very well, is very greasy, makes the skin stick together, and gets on my clothes. I don't really like using it but I am willing to if it helps. I put it on 3 times yesterday but I don't feel like it helped much. If anything, it may have made it hurt more because of the skin sticking to everything.

Yesterday when I was at Walmart I ran into a lady from Texas who has metastatic breast cancer. It has spread to her breast bone and to her lungs. She is currently taking an oral chemotherapy treatment. The chemo has kept it from growing or spreading. She was so positive and upbeat about it. She is here visiting family for Thanksgiving. I know our meeting each other wasn't by chance. I feel that we were both at Walmart at the same time for a reason. She mentioned that when she was doing radiation when she was first diagnosed with cancer several years ago, she was treated at the U of U. They gave her a prescription called "silvadine". She used it right from the very beginning and never developed a burn at all. When I had my appointment with my Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Harris today, I talked to him about the burns. He said that they weren't bad enough yet for him to give me a prescription for the silvadine. I am frustrated that they have to get a lot worse before he will give me something stronger to help the burn. He said to keep doing what I have been doing and add some hydrocortisone creme and ibuprofen, which I did right after my appointment. Brooke said that the burns are bad enough that they might break open this weekend. I am really hoping that they don't. Right now they are just uncomfortable under the arm because of the constant use of my arm and because the skin touches other red skin near it and the medicine causes it to stick. The pulling apart adds to the tenderness. Kristi told me about something else I am going to try. Sheri also brought me an aloe vera plant so I am going to try putting the aloe directly from the plant on it and see if that helps.

Tomorrow is Shawn's appointment with the neurologist. We should find out the test results then.