Radiation Therapy public vs private
Hi everyone, I have recently been diagnosed with DCIS High Grade and about to undergo a second surgery at a public hospital to extract more tissue via a re-excision. My question is how to go about deciding who to go with for Radiation Therapy which has already been recommended to me by my surgeon. I have heard about this decision tool called DCISionRT that Genesis Care provide which basically determines whether radiotherapy will be of benefit to me. I wanted to see if anyone out there has any experience with this company, the good the bad or the ugly or otherwise any general recommendations of where to go for radiation treatment in Melbourne. I am not so concerned with cost at this stage more general experience.
New DCIS diagnosis in Brisbane
Hi all, I've had two lumpectomies now for DCIS, which was caught in a routine mammogram/ultrasound. I'm waiting for the final pathology results from the last op and will then move on to radiation therapy. I'm wondering what the wait times are like in the public system (probably RBH). My mum is worried I'll be waiting too long but the cost from the private surgeries/pathology/screening/anaesthetics etc. was around $5K before rebates. Does anyone have an idea of how long I'll wait and if that wait will be okay?
Emotional about DCIS and Potential Fatigue
I really empathise with a comment I read on this forum recently "I don't want to think of this as a big deal, but for some reason it kinda feels like a big deal." I was going to add my comments to that thread but that would have been hijacking someone else's discussion, so I thought I would start again. I was recently diagnosed with DCIS. I had a lumpectomy 2 weeks ago and pathology is good - only DCIS, clear margins, etc. The only thing left is 6 weeks of radiotherapy. I'm feeling very emotional about it all and worried about the potential fatigue. I live 90 minutes away from the hospital and I'm planning on driving down 2 days a week and staying at my daughter's house (only 15 minutes from the hospital) for the other 3 days (I'm currently there two days a week anyway babysitting my grandchildren, aged 4 and 1). Is this practical? I've read a lot about fatigue after Radiation Therapy. How common is it? Will I be able to cope with the children if we stay at home and don't go out? I'm 56 by the way. My daughters have both just returned to work after maternity leave so they can't get time off, and my husband works overseas (new job) and is only home 1 week out of 4. Or does this all come under the heading "how long is a piece of string"?
Side Effects of Radiotherapy - What to expect
So, I've had 19 treatments with 6 more to go for breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy so my breast is still mostly intact. So far apart from being tired my skin has held up well with regular application of Sorbolene and a couple of days of of Elocon for itchiness. In your experience out there in breast cancer land is this as bad as it gets. I am not having the 5 focused boost treatments as the radiologist doesn't believe it is necessary because of my pathology results so I'm just have the wide area radiation.
Starting chemo
Hi Ladies, well I got results back from surgeon. 12mm Grade 2 invasive ductal cancer, all clear margins. DCIS, 10mm High grade. ER/PR neg HER2 +. Had to go back for 2nd surgery to get better margins for DCIS and also have had an infusaport inserted. Day 2 after surgery, still painful to move shoulder near infusaport but coping ok. I am starting chemo on 5th Sept and having 3 cycles of FEC 100, 3 cycles of Docetaxel and Trastuzumab (Herceptin) for the next 12 months. And sometime after finishing chemo I will be starting Radiation. (Drs appointment for this is 14th Aug). Been told will lose my hair, gone through all the side effects that can happen. Got myself a wig from the cancer council in Launceston. They have been marvellous. Looking at buying turbans, scarves etc. Also planning on getting my hair cut. Any advice on having it shaved - like how short do you go, before it falls out. My hair is shoulder length and the oncologist said it will come out in clumps. Well until I start my "chemo cocktail" stay happy and keep smiling :) Christina
Just a tad worried!!
Hi my name is Kate I was diagnosed with dcis in January this year I had my op two weeks later and was told that pathology came back and said I didn't have clear margins so I started my 25 radiation on the 1st March (which happen to be my birthday) anyway I finished my treatment on the 7th April and now the wait starts not knowing if they got it all and being told that they can't give me a mammogram till I'm not sore anymore around 12 months time and lately I have felt a cpl of new lumps in my breast one of them is very sore but they tell me they can't do anything till I can have another mammogram I'm just so worried and scared . i feel like crying people ask how am I doing and I always say I'm doing good but I'm not doesn't take much to make me cry is there anyone else feel like this thanks Kate xxx
DCIS - to be or not??
Just back from review appt. my diagnosis is not DCIS but IDC (invasive ductal carcinoma) with grade 1 and 2 cells which explains why I have had chemotherapy in addition to also facing surgery for a mastectomy. I wasn't actually scared before but now I am. The doctor was horrified when he saw the state of my hands, apparently hand/foot syndrome usually occurs after the 2nd or 3rd treatment of whatever cocktail I had on 7th october and not usually as bad as mine. I was very relieved when he said that I will have no more chemo if I did, the handfoot thing would only be worse and could possibly result in the skin of my hands splitting open and becoming infected causing all sorts of problems. What I have now should clear up soon - it looks like my hands have been badly sunburnt and are now peeling. The dose coud only be reduced minimally anyway. What will happen sooner is the surgery for mastectomy. I doubt I will be a hero (heroine) then, i shall cry like a baby of that I have no doubt. Easy now to be positive but I really hate operations and the thought of losing a part of me I've actually grown to like over the years - always big breasted - embarrassing when I was 16 but now they are just part of me. so surgery looks like being in next 2-4 weeks after a giving all the chemicals time to leave the body. Although in some ways, the actual diagnosis is scarier than DCIS, the prognosis has to be good and hopefully all those nasty cells will be got either by the chemo, the surgery or the radiotherapy to follow. i did say to surgeon that given my track record of side effects, it won't be a surprise if I develop lymphodema or anything else, I certainly have escaped no side effect or the early onset of those side effects. told the doctor I felt like I'd lived in hell for past nine weeks. Still onward and upward, moving on to next stage and truly hoping that all will be well and that I will be around for quite a few more years yet.
DCIS
Hi Everyone , on the 9th August , I joined you all . DSIC in my right breast . The reality of this did not hit me straight away as I was told it was inside the duct and it didn't seem to be spread outside. The breast clinic had made an appointment at my GP's office so I only had 20 minutes to absorb this news before I had to rush to make my GP's appointment ( wish they had given me more time between appointments , I never had time to ask anything ) . My GP is lovely he recommended the specialist I should go too. The following Monday I went to see her. She explained to me that at this stage she wouldn't be taking any biopsy of the nodes as she felt it is better to not do more than what really needs doing . But she pointed out on my scans that there was a mass she was very concerned about that the Breat Clinic had said was no concern . So in I went on the 12th Sept for removal of DSIC ......she was taking a biospy of the mass , but as it turned out she removed the mass . It seems the clinic's biopsy shows that it just missed and never picked up it was cancer also . Sept 28th was D-Day back for my pathology results .....everything has been such a big blurr , I was told it is HER2 ....I was told I would be going back to have sential nodes / auxcuilly nodes all nodes biospied ..and if need be removed ........she mentioned bringing in the pathology microscope and going from there ......she penned me in for surgery yesterday 2 October .........off I was rushed for the nuclear dye to be injected more scans on 1st October ...since I had this news on Friday the 28th Sept I never ate I couldn't slow my mind down to sleep , I was crying non stop , my tears wouldn't dry up , my nerves were shot .....yesterday my surgery ----non stop shaking , tears & heaving like a baby whilst I waited for theatre ......I have never been one to cry in front of others but I couldn't stop yesterday I was so so nervous wondering where else this cancer had spread too ....my postive thinking had gone , it was lost on the Friday 28th Sept ......... She had warned me if I woke with a drainage bag to expect the worse as that would be to me a sign she had to take more nodes . I woke in recovery , feeling the right side of my bed trying to feel the tube leading to a drainage bag ( my mind was so negative I wanted to find the dreaded bag that I knew would tell me what happened in theatre ) .....recovery nurse asked if I was ok --I graabed her arm as if I was possessed begging her to tell me if there was a drainage bag ..she smiled & replied " No honey there is no bag "- I still didn't believe her , I was crying pleading with her to please please don't hide it from me ...she came around because my hand was still looking under the blanket ....she opened my gown and said look no tube anywhere all you have is a little bandaid . It is so terrible the fear that takes control of rational thinking ....I have never in my 53 years ever experienced this terrible feeling of the unknown , I have always been in control of everything in my life , now this cancer has snatched that from me . The theatre doctor that assissted my specialist came to see me before I was discharged , he told me that my noded were Cancer Negative .....I was still in denial , I pleaded with him to please not cover anything and was he telling the truth , he smiled , squeezed my hand & had a tears in his eyes also as he answered to me " Lovely Lady , from what we seen your are Cancer Negative ..but we have sent the noded to pathology just to be double checked & your specialist & I will see you next Wednesday , now our Lady that had herself so worked up all day today can you please go home & dry all your tears and get your mojo positive attitude that your specialist knows you have back .....bring it back with you next Wednesday as you are going to need it for your next stage of treatments ". This I know is going to be Rads / Chemo ......I will be told on Wednesday what is my next step . I must also tell you all , when the DCIS was found I begged for removal of both breasts , but it is not how my specialist does things , she pointed out she likes to not take more than have to at this stage .....but I am ever so grateful nto her , she is the only female breat surgeon her & she always leaves you more brusied because she likes to after the removal , postion the fatty tissue etc inside the breast for a nice shape ...lovely lady she is . I know from reading many stories you all have entered here that I am no way in the psotion many of you had or are going through , but I am now here to walk along side many of my New Found Pink Sisters ...new friends , new friendships to be formed & love to share amongst us all , support and courage to be spread around all of us, wish I had found you all before today ........Love To You All Beautiful Ladies xxx
