Radiotherapy - tattoos, right to your records

A standard breast treatment receives 50Gy, 2Gy per fraction. That is roughly 222MU (differs for patient size energy used etc) a MV image (“X-ray”) uses less than 2MU, so if you are imaged wkly for 5 wks that’s an extra 10MU.....
I am sorry you feel that your RO and RTs did not explain everything to you. When developing a plan and treating a pt. Every Care is taken to ensure the quality and safety of that pt. 

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@kezmusc if they were doing a CT there would have been 2 “arms” that came out on either side on the main head of the machine and the machine would have rotated around you while making a slight buzzing noise. The x-rays would have been a smaller panel opposite the head where you heard a very quick buzz. All departments have there own slightly different protocol depending on the technique used. 

The tattoo on the sternum tends to hurt a little more than the 1s on the side as less fat. But it does depend who does it. I have 1 on my hand that I show to patients before hand so they know what they are.

I had to use a magnifying glass to see my tiny tattoo dots and after surgery they have completely disappeared.   Maybe it depends on the person doing the tattoo, to how prominent it is.   But to be honest, you could have covered me with blue ink from head to toe and I wouldn't have complained knowing the radiation was killing all those little  "c" cells.    

Hey @JoeyLiz

How do you know if they are doing CT's?  No one ever said anything about that.  They said we do a couple of xrays, would that make sense? I've forgotten about the tattoos really.  TBH I really wasn't happy with having them as a permanent reminder at the time though. The one on my chest hurt like hell when they did it.  I think she used a razor blade LOL There was no mention of uv tattoos or other.  In saying that though, I would have opted for the permanent ones if they were more accurate.  Don't want anything else nuked that shouldn't have been. They kind of just look like freckles really,

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Radiotherapy also has implications for breast reconstruction. Despite the risks, it was worthwhile for me. This is useful information, thanks. Most cancer treatment has risks of some kind or another. 

As a Radiation Therapist myself. Tattoos are EXTREMELY important! Yes we can use permanent marker with dressings over the top etc which can be refreshed etc but they are not as exact as the tiny permanent tattoo dots. 5 tattoos are generally given but they are in areas that are covered by clothes unless your in a bikini etc and many patients struggle to see them as they are so small. And you are right they can be removed professionally after.
Not having tattoos adds a considerable time each day to your treatment where there is a potential for you to move.
CT scans are not performed for every breast patient as there are different techniques depending on the case.
yes every patient is entitled to ask for a copy of their records and for the RO to go through their individual plan.