SIDE EFFECTS OF RADIATION

You will hold your arm above your head during radiation. This creates a crease/fold of skin in the collarbone/neck area. This area might start feeling "sunburned" after a few weeks of treatment. My skin got a little pinkish and didn't look bad but suddenly one day that area became very raw feeling. I used clear Aloe Vera gel as instructed but using it more often didn't help. The nurse finally gave me a free sample tube of Biafine which helped greatly. The radiation area in general will become dark or slightly tanned looking. The creases between folds of skin are extra sensitive.

Your skin might look tanned or pink compared to the other side. Toward the end it might little tiny moles all over - kind of a freckly appearance. It's pretty funny really. Don't worry - within a month after your last radiation, "the girls" will start looking alike again.

After it's all done with, the irradiated skin will peel just like sunburn does. Mine took a few months to get through this process. I had racing stripes of new skin and old irradiated skin that was darker.

Another side effect is that radiation makes the bones that got irradiated become porous - brittle bones. You'll need to take calcium the rest of your life which most of us should be doing anyway. And you can't do anymore tackle football! No impacts allowed because a bone could break (more easily than before). Seriously - impact sports and car accidents are the things to avoid.

3 comments:

goldie said...

lOVE YOUR BLOG!
I have a great shop on etsy.com (http://goldie2675.etsy.com) where I am selling adorable upcycled headwraps and I hope you will help me pass along the info! I recently had a customer who is going through chemo purchase one of these headwraps from my shop to wear during her treatment as a unique and stylish alternative to a baseball cap! It gave me the great idea to start marketing these 100% recycled fabric wraps as a stylish, feel good alternative for women and children going through chemo to help them feel good about themselves!
Both my maternal grandmother and my husband's mother passed away very young after losing their battles to breast cancer, and both of our families have a long history of breast cancer battles behind us. I decided I wanted to do something to make a difference in the lives of other wonderful women and children who are surviving!

All sales of upcycled headwraps and headscarves in my shop will have a portion of the proceeds donated to cancer research and support!

If you know of a great woman or girl who is looking for something to help them look and feel beautiful during chemo, come stop by my shop and consider one of these wraps as a holiday gift!

Sincerely,
Tracey Schencker
http://goldie2675.etsy.com
tgold2675@hotmail.com

Liz said...

Thanks, Goldie, I mean Tracey!

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