Radiotherapy

I had all my treatment through the public system and I have nothing but praise for them.  I did have private health cover but I got into the QEH breast clinic quicker than I could get into a private surgeon.  I had a breast care nurse that I could contact by mobile or email whenever I wished.  Chemotherapy was excellent, with diary cards that you would fill out to say how you felt each day and they would then check it each time you went back to chemo and it listed all sorts of things to record.  They didnt do radiation at the QEH so i was given the option of where |I wanted to go for my treatment.  I elected for the Tennyson Centre as it was convenient for me to do on my way home from work.  All my appointments were scheduled so I could work and then have my radiation on my way home.  There were both private and public patients and noone was treated any different apart from the fact I didnt have to pay any gap fees or pay up front and then claim back from my health fund.  I signed a medicare form whenevery they asked and was on my way.  |The only bugger was having to send the cheques onto them!! There is very little waiting as they run on a pretty good schedule, in fact it does seem a little bit like a processing plant as you go in every day.  I found everybody really lovely.  I did suffer from radiation burns very quickly as have a skin condition but I followed the advice of my radiation specialist and the radiation care nurse to the letter and managed to complete my radiation without a hitch - something they though would not happen and thought they would have to give me breaks from it due to my early skin breakdown.  It did mean from the second week on I was having to wear a cotton dressing but do it.  It is so worthwhile and make sure you moisturise moisturise.  I couldnt get on with the calendula cream everyone raved about so used the good old sorbolene.  To wash in and applied it at least three times a day.  My other tip is to get on well with your radiation nurse - as I was having to dress my wounds so to speak the buying of the cotton dressing could have got quite costly considering I had to use it for five weeks, but only had to purchase one roll myself at i think it was $30 the rest I was given when I saw my radiation therapy nurse along with some solugel which I also needed to help protect the breakdown of my skin.  Good luck.  it is a tiring experience going in everyday but I did not find it too traumatic.|||COL|||0