I saw the radiographer today. I told him no. I am not going to have radiation. I know you lovely ladies would have supported me through it but I couldn't handle anymore. I am taking my 85+% chance of non reoccurance along with the herceptin and risking it. They tell me I would have up to 95% chance of non reoccurance with the radiation but then they could never use it on that area again if it did reoccur. Also, my chances of lymphodema would be considerably higher. My head is not in a good space with this so I said thank you but no. Very proud of my sisters here on the forum who have been able to plough ahead but for me right now, it is a non event. My BC nurse is going to be fuming with me but I am a bit tired of the dictatorship and just want some support for my decisions. Fortunately, hubby 'gets' it.

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.

@Blossom1961 Last year when I saw the radiation oncologist I was told the decision to have radiation treatment was mine I chose to have the treatment which slightly increased my survival chances but in life there is no guarantees which I have acceptedI fully support each individual choice to have treatment or not to have treatment because only the individual know what is best for our wellbeing and the medical professionals should respect our decision and give the patient supportStork

You should do what you want to and to hell with anyone who says otherwise; your body is your business and you get to decide what you are going to do with it. Freedom of choice is a fundamental right and if that is what you want it should be the end of the argument.Should be. You've educated yourself on the stats which can be brutal when you look at the percentages--between 1% and 5% increase in survival rates when it comes to chemo (for some of us) and similarly bleak prospects for rads (for some of us) There are no guarantees and these are very difficult decisions that only you can make working with the best advice and research you can get. Sadly, that won't stop the well intended pointing out to you that you are missing an opportunity (miniscule as it is) or offering all manner of advice (informed and otherwise) that, while it may be entirely relevant for the person giving it, bears no correlation to your situation. Get going with your life and put this behind you--none of us have a crystal ball, you can only trust your gut and, like the rest of us, hope for the best in the future. Mxx

They've done their duty and explained the risks and benefits and you've made the decision with all tbe facts. It's your body after all.

It'll be to mop up any escapee cells @Trikki2

I said no | BCNA Online Network

Doin_it
Member
7 years ago
@"Patti J" it’s hard to have trust in ultrasounds when I hear that. Sending you a big hug
Patti_J
Member
7 years ago
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
Member
7 years ago
@"Patti J" did you have regular checkups? It’s a big step from stage 1 to mets. Sorry to hear that x
Patti_J
Member
7 years ago
@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.
Blossom1961
Member
7 years ago
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.
TonyaM
Member
7 years ago
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.
Josephine66
Member
7 years ago
@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!!
Anonymous
7 years ago
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.
Flaneuse
Member
7 years ago
@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.
Louise_J
Member
7 years ago
Thanks for this info @Giovanna_BCNA , explains it well.