I have been told I am borderline but Dr recommends radiation treatment due to original size of tumour ($28,000 per treatment I'd recommend it too!).I finished chemo on 28 Jun 2019, had a mastectomy on 13 August 2019. Pathology shows only 3mm of the tumour remained in breast after chemo. I am quite anxious about radiation and not sure what to expect...so many different opinions, experiences and burns!I didn't realise there is a cost involved although most covered by medicare still a huge gap! Not sure how we will afford it either. Feeling stressed!

I am a radiation therapist and would never go private. The treatment is no different, you are more likely to get your appointment preference at private, however public tries their best to get it to you as well. Many public centres now offer mepitel film or strata gel.Best wishes for your treatment x

I had my surgery privately and chemo and radiation in the public system. In fact I was a public patient at GenesisCare in Victoria,. Have the conversation with your oncologist, ring the receptionist and say you've thought it over and you want to go public. You will be saving yourself a lot of money. Treatment isn't any different. Take care and all the best xxx

Definitely investigate public option. From everything I have heard, there is no difference in the way you are treated in public compared to private. I used Mepitel film during mine and Moo Goo during and after - all I had was some skin discolouration and tightening (inevitable, I think) and a tender spot 3 weeks after treatment ended. It does make you tired but it's hard to say how much is the rads when you've just come out of chemo.

I'm not in Qld but my surgeon assured me that the treatment in the public hospital was equal to what I would get privately and he works in both public and private. The only possible difference that there may have been was that I had to request the Mepitel film (it isn't offered as a matter of course) and I had to supply my own moisturiser. The other possible difference is the dosage/number. I had 15 treatments which is the new recommended regime where apparently I would have been looking at 25 under the older recommendations which is what I believe many private places are still doing (this is my personal treatment - I am in no way casting doubt on what other people have had).

How about looking into public system option? That's a huge amount of money. Not too many people could afford that.Public radiotherapy was the only option available where I am almost 4 years ago, when I was treated.Congratulations on getting through chemo and surgery. That's a great response you you had, and it's the benefit of neoadjuvant chemo..... knowing your response.It's a hard decision to make but you can only go on what you treatment team advises. The decision is up to you, but you have to be sure you can live with the consequences of either decision. Radiotherapy is a different kind of tough, compared to chemo, and like chemo, we all react differently. I was advise very early to keep salt water chilled and soak washersin the solution and put them on my breast at least twice a day for 10-20 minutes. It was so soothing. Whether it was that, or luck, I don't know, but in the end I didn't have severe burning

What to expect with radiation treatment

19 Replies

Flaneuse
Member
6 years ago
@Ctoo There are lots of things you could spend $5400 to brighten your day.
Beryl_C_
Member
6 years ago
Ctoo I hope you have made the decision to request your status as Public. I have been a public patient for 8yrs and so far the only cost has been parking fees - I have Herceptin infusions every three weeks, regular heart scans, CT scans, meetings with oncologist etc. I had 15 radiation 'zaps' last year and felt tired but that may be psychological as you have to fit your life around hospital visits. There was no pain or redness, just a slight browning of the skin and I used Moo Goo cream as a preventative measure and it worked. Six weeks ago I had surgery for an unrelated problem and decided to go Private - there was no difference between the care provided.
JoeyLiz
Member
6 years ago
I am a radiation therapist and would never go private. The treatment is no different, you are more likely to get your appointment preference at private, however public tries their best to get it to you as well. Many public centres now offer mepitel film or strata gel.
Best wishes for your treatment x
Sister
Member
6 years ago
No cost at RAH for Mepitel but I had to ask for it.
Anne65
Member
6 years ago
@Ctoo I was borderline radiation like you but after speaking to my rad onc, he thought it may be a good idea to go ahead as even though I had clear margins, my DCIS was aggressive. He also said that if it was his wife, he would want her to do the same. I went private at a cost of $3k. I did this so I could choose my location & also my treatment would be scheduled at a time to suit me. i was so well looked after & was happy with my decision. I had my own private waiting room with food/beverage facilities, access to a daily nurse & doctor. I also had the opportunity to use Mepitel film throughout my treatment & I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone. Giovanna is a supporter of this product as well. I had 3 weeks of radiation & it was a breeze. I had NO redness, peeling, flaking & you wouldnt have even known I had any treatment as my skin looked exactly the same after treatment. Using Mepitel means you dont have to use any creams & the film actually helps stop the rad beam from burning the skin so it is a protective lining that you leave on for the duration & also 3 weeks after as that is when the rad peaks. i didnt even feel tired so the 3 weeks was very easy for me. Ask your onc about the Mepitel film as it may only be available for free in private hospitals as it is expensive but I believe you can get it in public ones but there may be a cost to you.
https://www.molnlycke.com.au/products-solutions/mepitel-film/
Good luck with whatever your decision is. Everyones situation is different & I am very lucky that I had a wonderful outcome but I too have seen tragic photos of when it can go horribly wrong! Ask questions & do what is right for you. xx
Ctoo
Member
6 years ago
Thank you
Finch
Member
6 years ago
I had my surgery privately and chemo and radiation in the public system. In fact I was a public patient at GenesisCare in Victoria,. Have the conversation with your oncologist, ring the receptionist and say you've thought it over and you want to go public. You will be saving yourself a lot of money. Treatment isn't any different.
Take care and all the best xxx
Sister
Member
6 years ago
I'm not in Qld but my surgeon assured me that the treatment in the public hospital was equal to what I would get privately and he works in both public and private. The only possible difference that there may have been was that I had to request the Mepitel film (it isn't offered as a matter of course) and I had to supply my own moisturiser. The other possible difference is the dosage/number. I had 15 treatments which is the new recommended regime where apparently I would have been looking at 25 under the older recommendations which is what I believe many private places are still doing (this is my personal treatment - I am in no way casting doubt on what other people have had).
strongtogether
Member
6 years ago
Honestly, if you are in Queensland and dont have private just go Public! 8 spent years working at QH and I can tell you definitively that there is very little to pay - 18 dollars for the lotion.
We are still onsidering going public even though we have a good private scheme. There is virtually no difference.
arpie
Member
6 years ago
Hmmm - that is still a big whack, @Ctoo - when $5,400 in your own pocket could set you up for a nice holiday to celebrate the end of your active treatment - or reconstruction if you go down that path!

Hopefully some other Qld members may be able to advise you of the public facilities nearby xx