Radiotherapy

Onwards and upwards 💗💗💗💗💗

@Louise64
Very sorry to hear about your mum. I understand your lack of motivation. If you’ve already been considering it, please see a psychologist. I asked my med onc for one, have been seeing her 3 weeks now, and I already feel so much better. She’s incredible. I think going through breast cancer, plus whatever problems we already had before it, makes it almost necessary for us to get the mental and emotional health help we so desperately (at least for me) need. 

Wow 

@Abbydog mum had invasive right breast and lymph nodes - went from A grade golfer and tennis player to radium, radical mastectomy, chemotherapy- then metastatic... last chemo to see my brothers son born . I only had high grade DCIS 3.5 cm but had calcification 2 years earlier 1.5 inches  below this one as had titanium clip in both after VAB. I’ve been having yearly mammograms since 40 as mum was 49 when first diagnosed. I rang and got appointment in May as closed in March when usually have- very lucky. So encourage everyone to tell a friend to book in if they’ve put it off this year. So lucky for Breastscreen Qld. Anyway - mine is in left breast so no guarantees. I honestly wouldn’t do radiotherapy again. I’d do double mastectomy. I’m still quite flat and now burns healed and inflammation at last going down the lumpectomy breast at least 1-2 inches smaller . Luckily with large breast not so obvious- but is to me. Considering contacting psychologist as still not motivated and not looking forward to going back to work. The unknown and what ifs and knowing first hand what mum went through can’t really be dismissed. I’m looking at big life changes- job, house, state as don’t want to waste time. Bit glass half empty and I want a full life .. whatever comes next 😊

Dear Louise64,
I've been told it will be Letrazole. For 5 years, maybe 10 if tolerated.
Sorry about your Mum, you don't want to follow in her path. 
Must be scary. What Grade and Stage BC do you have? Did she have the same? Or did you find it earlier?

@Abbydog slow process but healing- back to surgeon 4th November for MD team decision on hormone therapy. My mum was on tamoxifen for years - when they took her off them - cancer metastasised and killed her. Another decision I don’t want to make. If you’d told me in May when diagnosed what would happen and how long I wouldn’t have believed it. 

Hello @ChezaH, 
the Mepitel does work best on mastectomies, as it obviously sticks better to flat services. I had a double mastectomy and needed both sides irradiated, however I have tissue expanders in, which are possibly worse than natural breasts for this sort of thing because they stay pretty upright and perky even when I am lying down. Plus my breast size is about DD, which isn’t that big but also not that small. So there were two rockmelons to cover, and let me tell you it was no easy feat. The first time the nurse put it on it took about 40 mins. It was during winter, but I sweat a lot even just walking, so it kept coming off too soon. After the first week the nurse even said they might not be able to use it if it couldn’t stay on. Also, when I arrived at my first appointment with it, the onco therapists just looked at me like ‘wth is that??’, and didn’t understand that I needed it on before the treatment. One of them told me that in 20 years of that job, he’d never seen or heard of Mepitel. But I insisted, and told them my onc said I could use it, and I looked pretty desperate, so they asked the nurse to apply it after checking with my onc., who confirmed she had agreed to its use (I realised everything was not as organised as I thought it would be - they get pretty busy and don’t always communicate regularly with each other). Luckily, another therapist that was there the next day had experience with it, and she explained to everyone what it was etc. After that they were more understanding and made appointments for me every Monday before treatment to have it reapplied for the week. I also kept telling the nurse sorry whenever she had to reapply or patch it up, as I knew it was a massive bother, and she told me it was fine, then she’d put it on really nicely and we’d have lovely chats. Another nurse told me I was very kind when observing her work, which I then understood meant other patients would yell at her about putting it on properly. 

Dear Louise64,
 I'm so happy that you are well on the way to recovery. It must be such relief.
Do you have to start Tamoxifin or Letrazole or similar?
That's my next thing, I'm told for 5 years or more.

@Louise64 that’s so good to hear 😊. I’m so happy your onc and head nurse got on top of it and gave you the treatment you needed. It’s also great you have that extra month off. Going back to work now would be so tiresome and energy zapping, especially for a teacher, because I’m one too and I know how mentally exhausting it is. I’m almost 2 months post radiation but get tired more easily too. We definitely need to allow ourselves to heal, and give ourselves lots of much needed and deserved love and TLC. Keep healing ❤️

@FLClover yes thank you - on the mend . My radiology oncologist and head nurse organised daily debriding and dressings so now all much better and pain relief helped so much. Still taking it easy to heal and fatigued after an hour even at shops so staying close to home. Another month before back to work. So glad as was suppose to be back next week- no way I could have . Thanks for asking 💗💗💗