Radiation after lumpectomy

So glad you have a plan that you are happy with and some trips to look forward to.
Mepitel is more suited for small breasted women, if they are going prone then you are not small

Hi Ladies

I had my first appointment at Port Macquarie yesterday & will be going back in a day or 2 for mapping.  hehe, I'd never thought of myself as a 'full breasted woman' - but apparently I am!!  LOL  I asked about the Mepitel - and she didn't think it would suit me - I got the impression it suited mastectomy patients rather than lumpectomy patients?

I HOPE to have it started by late Feb or early March, so it be all over by Easter Friday  .... and will still have time to recover from any side effects - possible blistering, tiredness etc, in time for my week in Norfolk Island in April.  

There could be some permanent side effects to the boob texture & even the shape and size of it (cos it cooks it, I guess - but if it cooks the randoms as well - that has to be a good thing, right?)

They talked about me possibly participating in a trial which would eventually help them with minimising treatment for 'new' patients who, like me, the tumours found early, successfully removed & not spread.  However, I would not know if I am being given the 'golden bullet' or a placebo - and if I got the 'real one', it would probably only exacerbate many of my existing conditions - arthritis, aches & pains, vaginal atrophy and worse (and hot flushes would return!) - so basically going thru menopause all over again  (and it is not as if I enjoyed menopause that much the first time - mine started in my mid 40s & lasted 10 years or so!) - and of course, if you DIDN'T have the 'real one' - you'd be worrying about whether it would increase the chances of it coming back again!!   I seriously didn't think it would suit me - so I respectfully declined.   I will be going with the radiation Mon-Fri  for 3 weeks plus a 4 day 'booster' the following week & still have the option to try Tamoxifen (the golden bullet) afterwards ..... So long as it doesn't make me ill - in which case my surgeon has already said to stop it - as it would really only make a minimal difference to my long term survival anyway.

We'll be staying at the Rotary Lodge on the Hospital grounds (a 2 minute walk to the Cancer treatment Unit.)  There is an upfront fee of $175 for the 16 nights/20 treatments and the rest is taken care of by IPTASS.  So $11 a night - bring your own food/drinks - they have basic microwave/jug equipment in the rooms and a full kitchen in a big common room/library/gathering area.  We'll go home on weekends.  I must admit, driving back yesterday, with all the idiot drivers on the road - I would NOT enjoy going up & back, daily, as I am the driver.

SO - I will be having a 'new position' for my treatment - Prone Breast Radiation ... where I will be lying face down on a table with a gap in the top section, with my 'full breasted' boob hanging down (and everything else is tucked away on the table) and the rays  will be doing the work (I guess) from under the table, instead of having it beaming down from above and the side.   This way, there is less chance of the rays hitting the chest/ribs areas where you don't want collateral damage ....  so it makes sense. With the conventional 'table top face up' treatment, the ribs may be 'rayed' & possibly become brittle.  There may also be continual pain in the chest area & and general discomfort - tho this could also still happen with the Prone Breast Radiation as well.  Time will tell.
http://www.igrt.com/breast-therapy.html

I am really pleased with the direction that it is heading - initially she was not 'that' keen to go ahead straight away - she wanted me to go away & think about it & even wait until after my trip to Norfolk Island!! If I had to wait til May - it would have impacted my holiday & seriously 'done my head in' - and my birthday is the end of May & I want it all OVER WITH before then!  :(   I would NOT be in a good space if I had to wait for treatment.

I am also hoping to get out in my kayak  sometime this week tho it depends when I get the call to go back to Port for the mapping - and I have 2 fishing expeditions lined up in March that I also still hope to be able to participate in as well.

Keep doing what you love, ladies - it will be the best therapy for you!

I just had a blast at the Blue Mountains Ukulele Festival last weekend - 15 of our members (including me) got up & entertained the crowd for 20 mins & we had them dancing in the aisles!!   SO much fun!!  :) 

@sandramj Thanks for the advice. You are a wealth of info!! I will be seeing my breast care nurse next week so will definitely get her to check me out & make sure all is well & everything is healing OK. You're right, you want to get onto it early & also make sure you don't do anything to damage the wound & compromise the healing process. The exercise can wait...unfortunately!! xx

@viking1 & @Anne65. Just check with your breast care nurse about any sore spots on exercise as mine turned out to be cording or auxiliary web syndrome and tied in with lymphodema. If you get onto it early and elevate your arm AND massage your breast arm and rib area it will help heaps. I didn't find out till 5 months after radiation ended and do it was harder work undoing damage. Cording is like adhesions and hurts when I exercised.  Keep well ladies.

@Anne65 and @Sunshine0206 I cannot believe I just wrote a huge post and my computer crashed! Argh!  I will rhave another go later after I get over it lol!  Thinking of you both xxx

@viking1 I too have had the cavilon recommended to me. I have sourced my own and will use it.  Will be interested in how you go. 

@viking1 Please keep influencing my test results & sending me good vibes!!! thanks for your kind words of support & you are right....one day at a time. We have so much to deal with going through this ordeal & it is such a waste of my energy to worry about something i can't control yet when I have other things I should be dealing with like looking after myself, healing my wound, doing exercises etc. I'll deal with the outcome when it presents itself! I did think of having a little holiday but as I am only a casual, I need to work as much as I can as I don't get sick leave & when I start my rad (see, I'm trying to influence my results too!), I will need to live away from home so I won't be able to work at all. I live in the country & I will have to drive 2 1/2 hrs to get to Adelaide to have my treatment. I will stay with my sister through the week & come home on weekends so I figured I will have my "holiday" when I am in Adelaide staying with my sister!! The Adelaide Fringe Festival will probably be on then so i  will have heaps of shows to go to!! My husband also works some weekends so the timimg of a getaway hasn't worked out but I reckon I might try to plan one for when it's finished so thanks for that idea!! Interesting news about the Mepitel & the new product you have found. Thanks for the info. I am very small breasted (& even smaller since the lumpectomy) so maybe that's why they chose the Mepitel & I am only having 16 treatments so hopefully it won't have time to get smelly. I also don't use creams with it & they can replace it if it starts to peel so maybe I'll get them to do it if it starts to stink. i remember the nurse saying that they have a bit of trouble putting it on some women & maybe that is becausw they are bigger breasted. We have to trust that they do the right thing by us both & offer us the products that work best for us! Sorry to hear that you are in pain at the moment. You are obviously trying to do the right thing by exercising & it has turned on you & given you pain. You sound like me. I am dying to get running again. I run 10kms 3 times a week & exercise but haven't been game enough yet in case I go backwards.It's 7 weeks since my op so it should be Ok now but i remember my breast care nurse saying that the first 6 weeks I need to  go steady as that is when you could do damage & interfere with the healing of your wound. That scared me a little as I had been in a lot of pain, not in my breast but underneath where the surgeon took the flesh from to fill in my gap. I thought I'd done too much around the house & lifting things that were maybe too heavy so i thought I'd better stop & just rest until my 6 weeks were up. I am dying to get back into exercise but know I will have to start slow & there is probably no way I will be able to do my 10km run the first time so I'll gradually have to increase. I guess you will have to do the same with your weights & start slowly. We don't want exercise to be our enemy but when it is causing you so much pain i can understand why you are so frustrated. Look after yourself & be kind to your body. maybe you should go on a break after your treatment also & book into a spa retreat & get pampered! Hope your pain heals & good luck with the 3M Cavilon film. I hope it improves your irritation & makes the rad more tolerable for you. Thanks for your love & support & I'm sending it right back at you!!   Hugs xx

I found they had the measurement day then day zero was the day before actual treatment started. It was a dry run to show me what to expect and a chance for staff to double check markings. They tattooed the day I was measured up. Apparently the metipel is mostly for people who’ve  had mastectomies or very small beasts.  The Mepilex was offered for under the breast after lumpectomy and radiation. Together with Flamazine (silver) cream. Good luck ladies.

@arpie So the race is on as to who will start first!!!! I reckon you will still beat me as I have to wait at least 2 weeks to get my gene test results BUT I have already done my rad mapping/planning!!. xx 

@Anne65 I can understand how the waiting is making you anxious and sleepless when you've had such a good result otherwise. Hard to say 'don't worry' as of course you will naturally. But we can only do one day at a time sometimes. I'm so glad you have such good family support. It makes a difference. Are you able to take time for a brief getaway before your results come back? Once on the radiation circuit you are pretty much tied to the centre as I'm finding out, going in every day. (See I am trying to influence the test results!) Anne and @sandramj and @JoeyLiz , I was introduced to a different product to mepitel today. My clinic is trialling 3M Cavilon no sting barrier film during radiation therapy. The nurse put it on my axillary scar and a sore area under my arm to help with chafing but it is actually to be used on the areas radiated. The clinic's thinking is that it may be a better option than mepitel, which they don't use. It is a spray on product and lasts 72 hours.  You apply twice a week and do NOT use any creams or lotions etc with it.  You don't wash it off but spray over the original. Sounds interesting! The nurse said the mepitel was good but she preferred the Cavilon as apparently the mepitel can get a bit whiffy as you don't remove it? and also sometimes they found it tricky to match up pieces of it over the breast and under. I don't know if anyone's experienced that but I was just asking what she thought the pros and cons of each were.  So far I only have a warm breast and some redness on day 10 and still slathering on moogoo or calendula.  My calendula balm tends to make me a bit sweaty.  The moogoo doesn't. Will see how we go.  My axillary scar is killing me at the moment ... we think it's the gym even tho I've only been 3 times and heaviest weight is 2kgs! Dr rad onc thinks it's after no exercise to some, and tearing at the scar tissue.  Will be doing no weights on upper body now and just the actions as I'm back to finding it hard to pull my tshirt off.  Pain is making me irritable, tired and forgetful.  It's Wed. and I need Fri! Knew exercise was bad for me