Hope in 2 Tubes
This past Thursday (today is Sunday), I saw my new dermatologist, Dr. Singh, who examined the entire treatment area and spent some time looking at the radiation burns under the left breast and in the armpit. He prescribed Triamcinolone cream, a medium-to-strong steroid, to be applied the red, swollen areas that were not open wounds, and Muprirocin ointment, a topical antibiotic for the open wounds. Both would be applied twice a day.
While I was there, I also expressed concern about some new birthmarks which had emerged since the treatment. Dr. Singh took another look and said he wasn't concerned about what he saw, but in a month, I needed to return for a full-body scan. It's been a while since I've had one.
In the early 1990s, I had a melanoma removed from my left thumb. It was right at the spot where the thumb joins my hand. A birthmark started changing shape and growing quickly, so I had it removed. It was tested and identified as a melanoma. The dermatologist asked me to return so that he could go back to the spot and dig out as much as possible to prevent any further skin cancer. He did. It sucked, but he got it all.
Since then, I am scanned to check for further issues. Thankfully, that's been the only melanoma so far. But, now that I've had breast cancer and radiation, my dermatologist and I need to be even more vigilant. Add it to the list.
Back to the tubes o' hope...
Thursday, I applied the medications as directed in two doses. On Friday, at 3 am, I awoke to find that not only had I slept 5 hours (!!!), but when I looked at the treatment area, I saw some improvements. First, the armpit was about half as red and angry as it had been, and under the breast, the burned skin was begining to slough off.
In the past couple of days, the armpit has been peeling, and increasingly less painful, although I'm still treating it with the medications. There are now some very itchy patches, the worst of which being a spot an inch to the right (as you face it) of the armpit scar. It's exactly where the bra strap touches my chest and is tender and red. When I'm not treating it with the Triamcinolone, I'm moisturizing it with the Cetaphil eczema cream.
The nipple area is peeling, but thanks to the steroid cream, the skin underneath is pink, and not angry red. It is still very sensitive and hurts when even soft fabric touches it.
Underneath the breast, unfortunately, it's still very red and angry. Now that most of the old skin has sloughed off, the new skin is very tender. Whenever I'm moisturizing or treating the area, I employ a hand mirror to see what the state of things are at the moment.
At the center of the bright red wound line under the breast, there's a dark purple, nearly black area along the crease. The newer blisters are smaller in size and height. In fact, most of the small blisters appear as flat, red sores. I know it sounds vile, and it's pretty awful, but trust me when I tell you that this is an improvement. Previously, they looked like tiny, angry, red mountains with white tops.
Also, the width of the affected area has expanded. It's now about 3/4 of an inch further up the underside of the breast and about an inch on the chest below the crease. The length of the affected area also has expanded. It's now almost up to my sternum in the inside and an inch and a half longer on the outside edge (not quite out to outside of the breast). Both edges are particularly tender, dry quickly, and require extra care.
As the blisters heal, I can treat that portion of the underside and chest with the steroid cream. For now, though, it's Mupirocin for that area. The antibiotic ointment burns like mad for a good 10 minutes after I apply it. Apparently this is normal. Thankfully, doesn't burn the entire time it's on me.
As far as other pain goes, I still get the lightning strikes through the entire breast, pain at my sternum, and random sharp pains, but they don't last as long as they had previously. On the whole, I am glad to say that the severity of internal breast pain has greatly improved. Certain times of the day it does get worse, though. Around 2 pm, for some reason, the pain comes on hard. It's also bad later in the evening. I've been taking Alleve prior to those times to try to lessen the pain.
So, hope in 2 tubes. I'm glad that the universe nudged me to call the dermatologist and use the C card to get in quickly. I can't imagine how much worse it would have gotten if I hadn't. The best news is that since Thursday night, I've slept at a minimum 5 hours each night. Last night, I slept 6 hours! Being able to sleep has made such a difference, and I am so very grateful for it.
This week, no doctors' visits, thankfully. I will have my first virtual breast cancer support group session on Tuesday evening, thanks to a friend's recommendation. It will be good to "meet" other women experiencing the same things.
Thanks, as always, for your feedback, kind thoughts, funny emails and private messages, gifts, prayers, and love. I appreciate all the positive energy coming my way. Hope you all are safe and well.
If you haven't scheduled your mammogram yet, early detection is key.
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