Well, my burn continued to get worse for two full weeks after the end of radiation. I wasn't anticipating that. I had a lot of pain, and when I saw Dr. Schauer for my regular infusion on February 1st (two weeks to the day after the last rad treatment), I asked him to prescribe something for me. I'd been using old stuff from dentists, and I wasn't sure I should be taking four-year-old oxycodone. I only used it once after that, though.
Dr. Schauer said he thought the extreme burn was because my skin was so sensitive. I showed it to the oncology nurses when I went in to get my infusions, and they called Terry, the head nurse in the radiation oncology unit, over to look at it. She brought me some gel dressings to use for about a week. Apparently, the new thinking is that you keep the wound moist, rather than dry. The dressings are rather a pain to keep plastered to my chest, but they do make it feel better. I'm starting to itch a fair amount, so I guess that's a sign I'm healing.
That being said, here's a pic John took of the burn sometime over the weekend. It seems hard to believe this is about 16 days after the end of the treatment.
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