Expected Symptoms

This past weekend I began to notice some of the "burning sensations" that I was warned about prior to starting radiation treatment. I didn't actually recognize it, as such, at first though.

Frank and detailed description of symptoms beyond this point.

While I was originally told that it would likely be similar to a sunburn, across my chest, my symptoms are more localized to the areas, that are always damp, in my armpits and under-breasts. Along with irritation I am noticing some small red bumps. So far they are just part of the irritation though. And they are not covering the entire area of irritation. There is also significant swelling and redness in both my underarms and breast.

I'm unable to fully report whether the irritations are painful. I still have a significant amount of neuropathy in both my underarms areas, though mostly in my right underarm and back of the arm and shoulder. For the most part though the irritated areas are only painful when friction is applied. That frequently happens while getting dressed, cooking or during other activities that require large movements of my arms.

I've also noticed that I'm getting a lot of new freckles, all over my chest (even under my breasts) and even one on my chin. The treatment staff assures me that it's virtually impossible for me to get freckles on my face, from the radiation treatment. All I know for sure is that my skin is extremely delicate.

When I reported the burning, my treatment staff gave me samples of a product called Aquaphor. Having been told, by another patient, that the ointment she was given didn't really help her burning, I decided to do some research before using it. I haven't read the science. And I have not actually researched the particular ingredients, listed on the product page. I do know that it contains 41% petroleum jelly (like Vaseline). I trust that my treatment staff does in fact believe that this is an acceptable treatment, to deal with the surface skin issues. However, considering the sensitivity of my own skin (especially to products derived from petroleum) and the previous comments from the other patient, I have decided to go with Cortisone 10 Cream with Aloe, especially since I already had some of that on hand.

I must mention that it is still far too early for any product recommendation or anti-recommendation. So far the cortisone is working well, especially at keeping the swelling down, over night. I do use a tiny bit of the Aquaphor, now and then, to reduce friction. I'm just not willing to rely on it to reduce the irritation though. I'm not using the cortisone within an hour or two of receiving my treatments, in case the moisture content may intensify the irritation. Obviously, per product package warnings, I will only be able to use the cortisone until and unless I get any open sores. As I'm at least halfway through my treatment, I'm hopeful of being able to avoid that kind of extreme side effect.