I said no

Louise J

Thanks for this info @Giovanna_BCNA , explains it well. 

Flaneuse

@Blossom1961 It feels good to take control of any element of this whole nightmare. Congratulations on having the courage to follow your intuition after research. All the best from here onwards. 

[Deleted User]

Hi @Blossom1961 I had radiotherapy after mastectomy and it wasn’t too bad. The damage came later which impacted on reconstruction. I’m glad I had it because I can’t take Tamoxifen. You just have to think about how you would feel if the cancer came back and you hadn’t had radiotherapy. It’s your decision and like all of us you weigh up the pros and cons and come to terms with your decisions. It sounds harsh, but doctors move on and have new patients. You have to live with the side effects etc, or benefit from the preventative strategies. All the best. 

Josephine66

@Blossom1961 thank you for sharing your story. It's so overwhelming to have everyone tell you what to do when they haven't walked in your shoes. By everyone I mean every medico you cross paths with. All with good intentions but based on text books and statistics.
I find myself in the same place with hormone therapy. I did the radio and now my lymphedema is worse plus all the swelling and fluid in chest wall still lingering 3 months later.
Seriously considering not doing hormone therapy. Have done surgery, chemo & radio. Thinking I'll trade clean eating/exercise for more drugs.
Oncologist and GP will not be happy!!

TonyaM

Hi blossom,
I had radiation after a lumpectomy in 2003 and the darn cancer came back in the same spot 7 yrs later. So there are no guarantees.Ultimately, go with what feels right for you in the present moment.

Blossom1961

I think we need to listen to our bodies once we have the required statistical info. I didn’t want to increase my chances of recurrence but the radiographer couldn’t give me a good enough reason for radio in my case and my body had as much as it could take at that point so I opted out. Many people will take every treatment for every extra % and that is great for them. For me personally, it was time to stop before my quality of life became something I resented. 

Patti J

@Blossom1961. I applaud your decision. At the moment, I would like not to be taking Letrozole. It is giving me hot flushes. 
I have already been through 5 years of Tamoxifen, with my stage 1 breast cancer. Now, with mets, I  am having hot flushes again.
Summer is my least favourite season. I much prefer Winter. 

Doin'it

@Patti J did you have regular checkups? It’s a big step from stage 1 to mets. Sorry to hear that x

Patti J

Yes @Doodoo. I had DCIS 16 years ago. I had been having mammograms up till one of my implants was burst on mammography about 7 years ago.. Since then, I  have been having ultrasounds.

Doin'it

@Patti J it’s hard to have trust in ultrasounds when I hear that. Sending you a big hug