Radiation Wrap Up

Well it’s another one for the books, another check in an important box and the Breast Cancer Crisis T0-Do list is getting smaller. Radiation is done and my skin is on the rebound. The angry, purple/red burns are turning into a perfectly symmetrical square tan and the peeling means healing.

I was at the cancer clinic last week to get started on the next step (which I’ll take about later) and was talking with one of the nurses I met when she did my chemo teach. She was asking about the radiation and how things went and I mentioned how magical the Interdry cloth was in helping soothe my skin. She told me that Surrey is the only cancer clinic in the province that uses Interdry on their breast cancer radiation patients. Using Interdry in the radiation department was her idea after she did a rotation in the burn unit where it is used all the time to wick away moisture, stop bacteria growth and soothe burning skin. She then started her radiation rotation and noticed that women who were undergoing breast cancer radiation treatment would develop blisters, especially in the under-boob and doctors would prescribe Flamazine (an antibiotic cream). She said that everything was always moist and hot which is prime for bacteria growth and risk of infection. So she wrote research papers, presented at conferences and did everything she could to get Interdry accessible for radiation patients but like any large organization, change is slow and difficult. Hopefully she keeps pressing on and making her case for it to be used across the province and/or country because I am a firm believer in its magic cloth qualities.

Here’s an example of a piece of Interdry cloth. The Radiation Nurse gives them out as needed after they take a look at the burn area. All I did was wear a camisole type tank top under my shirts which held the InterDry in place against my skin. Each piece is effective for 5 days and then you are supposed to throw it out and get a new cloth from the cancer clinic for the next 5 days.