Radiation burn treatment solution
Hi everyone! I just finished 3 weeks radiation. Breast care nurses gave me sorbolene which I trusted would help heal and keep my breast moisturised. The redness became redder after each time I applied the cream and I thought this is how it's obviously meant to be. A few days after my last treatment, I met some people at a social gathering. A lady who also had radiation, told me about an app called 'Yuki'. She looked up my sorbolene brand, Kenkay and it rated very poorly, 39 out of 100 and contained petrolatum which is a known carcinogen and endochrine disrupter!! I was horrified. My partner's sister got me a bottle of Lavaderm, which I sprayed on and it was so cooling, with natural ingredients. I then put on jojoba oil. The next day - I kid you not - my skin went from lobster red to mild pink!! My skin is back to normal after 2 weeks. Please check your products ladies for after radiation care!
How long does recovery take?
Just wondering if anyway can remember how long after chemo finishes till you felt like you were feeling better? I finished 16 rounds last Thursday. I never felt terrible during taxol but the last three treatments I found that I was still fairly flat by the time the next one was due whereas early on I would feel pretty normal again by the time the week was up. A week has passed and I still have aching muscles, slightly nauseous and can’t make it through the day without a rest. Just feel like I have nothing left. Then I am up half the night with hot flushes and sweats and unable to sleep. I don’t expect to feel good but just wondering if it takes weeks or months to improve.
So I have BRCA 2 mutation 🙄
I'm coming up to 12mths post chemo. 18mths post double mastectomy. 6mths post oophrectomy (ovaries out) after my IDC diagnosis after self detecting a small lump at age 46. Genetics is obviously something they put on a back burner during all this process but my sample was sent to the US after my recent genetics appointment. Results are in BRCA 2 identified.. I have mixed feelings tbh. First thought..oh my kids! Please don't let my family endure anymore elevated cancer risk. I have 3 children 2 daughters and a son i guess the chances are one of them does at least.. Then thank goodness i opted for a double mastectomy, and i chose to remove to remove my ovaries also. It looks like my risk of other cancers is also elevated now. Sometimes i really wish i could go back to the good old days, pre cancer! Oh how sweet was life! Today i have to talk with them about getting tested. 😕 but knowledge is power they say. Thanks for listening 💜
Scan or not to Scan - Post treatment
I have now completed treatment and I’m on Letrazole. I had IDC grade 3 ER + clear margins, 2x lymph nodes with adenocarcinoma and High grade DCIS - margins involved. I had 3x FEC and 1 out of 3 Docetaxel (Nasty stuff) 25 rads. No re section for DCIS, I was told chemo and radiation would take care of any cells left behind. I had a meeting with my surgeon on Wednesday and I asked whether I was to have a scan to check effectiveness of what I’d been through. I believed that 3 months after treatment this was normal. I was given a long drawn out story about the pros and cons of scans and told I would be best to wait and see if I get symptoms of returning cancers rather than having a scan which could show nothing however I could have G zero cells hiding and waiting to become active at any time, proving a negative scan wrong. I was also told G zero cells are dormant and are not affected by chemotherapy and can become active at any time and return. There was so much more I was told, that was in some ways a total back flip to what I was told in the beginning. Long and short, has anyone else been told this?
What a let down!
Got through 3 appointments with the all clear after breast surgery and then pelvic surgery last October November. Radiation treatment throughout Dec and Jan. 6 monthly checks over past weeks - breast surgeon very happy, gynae surgeon very happy, then PET scan prior to seeing gynae radiology oncologist. Then the shock - PET scan shows some concern at the site of original breast surgery - bugger! Back to breast surgeon tomorrow, maybe 12 month scan will be brought forward, who knows. Just when I thought things were getting back to normal, holidays being planned etc, etc and then another kick in the butt. Hoping it might just be scar tissue or something not problematic, but can’t help the negative thoughts. I just want to get off this ‘merry-go-round’
Ovarian cyst
I'm nearly 2 years post op/rads. I had a hysterectomy 5 years ago but now I've developed a 10cm ovarian cyst. The breast clinic don't want to deal with it and have shunted me off to gynie. After 4 months hassling Gynie, they finally gave me an initial appointment - Feb 2020!! I can't get any decent information out of Dr Google. Even the ovarian cancer website fails to mention associated breast cancer. Has anyone else experienced ovarian cysts linked to their cancer and can you point me in the direction of some decent research.
I'm all finished treatment.
In Oct 2015 I was diagnosed with mixed IDC/ILC with one node affected and stage two. I had a single mastectomy followed by a full axillary clearance to made sure no other nodes were affected. I then had 4 doses of chemotherapy and took Tamoxifen for 2.5 years and Letrozole for 3 months. I saw my oncologist yesterday who said I was one of the 15% (or percentage) who needs their hormones to maintain good heart health and with my particular cancer and treatment there was a 65% chance I didn't need hormone therapy anyway and since I had stuck it out for almost 3 years that will do now. So I am free! No more treatment apart from a bone density scan later in the year and an annual mammogram for the rest of my life. I am ecstatic! :D :D :D
End of treatment
wahoo!! Yesterday I finished my treatment. What a hectic 10 months it has been. Diagnosed in May ER + grade 3, 9 cm tumour, immediate biopsies done, 3 in all. Chemotherapy for four months, not without its problems , Nuetropenia, lung problems, heart problems, veins collapsing, low blood pressure. Hospitalised 5/6 treatments. a month after chemo finishing had a left side mastectomy, full node clearance. Drains blocked, seromas, swelling. Got over that to start Physio for me to be able to lift my arm for radiotherapy. just before I started radiotherapy I turned over in bed and had the most excruciating pain in my back. Torn muscle or herniated disc? Not sure yet as still waiting for ct scan results to come back. All I know is that it was very difficult for me to get on and off the table every day for five weeks. I wasn't worried about my arm or burns at that point, my back pain took over! pleased to say that I have now finished radiotherapy. Haven't been too sore, slapping on the moisturiser 3 times a day. Omg, I am so pleased to have got through all this and I never doubted I would. It certainly is a long road. so hopefully returning to a 'new normal' life, back to work and hoping my back problem isn't something major. i take my hat off to all you ladies out there going through the same thing. I wish you well. Linda xx