Did you do radiotherapy?

My radiographer thought it would do more harm than good but it was up to me. I went with his assessment.

Hi have a chat with your breast care nurse & tell her of the differing opinions. I had radiation but no chemo because of other health issues. The fatigue was really bad, for me I basically slept 18 hours a day right through the treatment, but having said that everyone's different. I also had pretty bad nausea & burns too, but I'm really fair skinned so it was expected. Its hard when one person tells you one thing & someone else tells you the opposite. The breast care nurses are there to help you so I would strongly suggest you get in touch with her.
Paula XXX

Hi , I'm stage 3+ diagnosed Christmas 2016 
Just finished round 4 of chemo , only one bad experience. 
Now weekly chemo coming up till June ,  followed  up by Radation .
which will be left breast 50 mm tumour  removed  , underarm ( had 16 nodes removed ) so radiation on collarbone too  Have a associate professor so going to trust he's got this .. 
That said will never understand why 
all my previous breast scans came back clear .  
Life was so busy & stressful at the time , I know on reflection I missed my body warnings signs .. Almost  left it to late & was embarking On a mths over seas  holiday , when my breast gave me a wake up call , with serious burning pain . Which turned out to be the nasty new tumour attached to a nerve .. 
Cancer  is badly behaved cells & they suck , not liking my new normal .
But grateful & humble to be here , seeing my family & 4 grandchildren .  
Even more blessed to have found all of you ( late with that as well )
still Im a Thursday child xx you

@au0rei Hi! Ok so NO i did not have a mastectomy with recurrence. June 2015 i had fat necrosis from previous lumpectomy but found idc in it 2.5mm i had wide clear margins. It was like 18 months later i had mastectomy /diep flap recon though i was still clear it was atip a possible further recurrence. Having said that the entire breast tissue came back clear which is awesome but also bittersweet as nothing wrong with it. Now i dont have to worry about it and the result is incredible!! Plus a flat tummy lol. X

Hi @au0rei, my tumours (invasive lobular and ductal) were hormone + and HER2+ and had one lymph node that was positive. I had a mastectomy as the largest lobular tumour was around 9cm. I had chemo & Herceptin and due to the size of the largest tumor and its location (close to the chest wall) was strongly advised to also have radiation. I had 25 sessions of radiation. In my case I guess it was pretty clear cut that I should have that treatment too, although it was still offered as a choice. Although my skin did react quite badly towards the end, I do feel that at least I've done everything I can to reduce the risk of recurrence, although as we know there are no guarantees. Best of luck with whatever you choose, it does sound as though there is a smaller benefit for you and that makes it trickier to decide xx

melclarity said:

It sounds like the radiotherapy is just an extra on top of your treatment to cement it all really. Its hard my treatment in 2011 was overkill for high grade DCIS lumpectomy, clear margins, radiotherapy and tamoxifen 4yrs....so imagine my Surgeons surprise of recurrence in my scar at 4yrs. I don't regret that he chose aggressive treatment, I think as youre guided by your Specialists and I knew there was nothing more I could have done at that point. :) so be guided by them. x Melinda 

Thanks Mel. Did you end up having a mastectomy with the recurrence? Besides the tumour, the surrounding around it was DCIS for me. xx

It sounds like the radiotherapy is just an extra on top of your treatment to cement it all really. Its hard my treatment in 2011 was overkill for high grade DCIS lumpectomy, clear margins, radiotherapy and tamoxifen 4yrs....so imagine my Surgeons surprise of recurrence in my scar at 4yrs. I don't regret that he chose aggressive treatment, I think as youre guided by your Specialists and I knew there was nothing more I could have done at that point. :) so be guided by them. x Melinda 

primek said:

4 weeks is normal break. 

Thanks xx

4 weeks is normal break. 

fairydust said:

auOrei Hi If I had a choice I would not do  radiation.
 In my case I was told I would reduce my reccurrence of cancer by 70percent. I also had to have radiation in the neck . I had few side effects .Minor burns in the last weeks . I became increasingly fatigued. My energy levels are nowhere near normal. I am feeling generally fine.
 So if an oncologist is suggesting to not proceed then maybe you are doing the best for yourself by not going ahead.  Lettting your body heal is  very good medicine. Not everyone has or needs radiation .I found radiation so much more easier than chemo . It is your decision.

Did you do any chemo before radiotherapy? I am already feeling the toil from chemo and radiotherapy is scheduled four weeks after chemo. Was yours scheduled like that too? I thought I can get 6 weeks of rest but the lady from the hospital seems to want me to quickly go in probably cos Easter hols is coming. xxx