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!
Post radiation lump
Hi all, I had DCIS which was extracted last November (wide local excision) and completed my radiation therapy in mid-Jan '24 which I did really well with. Was completely elated when the treatment was finished only to find a month later that I have some soreness in my affected breast with a hard lump now apparent and confirmed by my GP today. She has referred me for an ultrasound etc but wanted to canvas the group if anyone experienced anything like this or knows of similar side effects. Calcification perhaps?
Radiotherapy twice in the same place?
Hello, so I was surprised today when my oncologist raised the possibility of further radiation in the same place as previously (I had 5 weeks of radiotherapy at the beginning of 2019) due to a new recurrence. I was a bit confused as I had thought you could only have a course of radiation treatment once? Has anyone had radiation treatment more than once? Is it even a thing???? Star xx
Treatment decisions
Hi everyone! I was diagnosed with early stage, grade 3, ER/PR+ breast cancer in early April shortly after my 28th birthday. I had a lumpectomy early May and it came back with clear margins and clear lymph nodes (but not without a good infection and some extra fun in hospital!) I'm currently in consult with my team on my next stage of treatment. Radiation is a given and I'm yet to see my medical oncologist but chemotherapy seems to be highly recommended for me but ultimately it's a decision I must make myself. I'd love to hear other people's decision making processes in a situation like this and the reasons why you may or may not have gone down that route? Stay strong x
Vulnerability
Hi all, I'm almost finished my radiotherapy treatment, 17 sessions done and only 3 to go.. hooray! So relieved and happy to be near the end. You would think by now I would be getting used to the routine wouldn't you but hmm anyway.. At my original planning appointment in the CT I couldn't shake the feeling of vulnerability I felt. Eventually I became overwhelmed and I ended up crying (not sobbing, just tears kept pouring out of my eyes) which made it very difficult to do my deep inspiratory breathing as I couldn't breath through my nose! I think it was the combination of being naked and exposed from the waist up & having my arms fixed above me whilst several people were very close to my boobs, touching, measuring etc. I've never felt this at any of my other appointments or treatments - I was even fine in the MRI scanner. I have always been a very private person so I guess this is a major part of it. For the most part, I have been able to just get on with things each radiotherapy session since, and at least they are faster than the planning appointment. However, today after the RTs left the room they took much longer to start the machine & I was left lying there for what seemed like ages with no-one telling me what was going on. Then when it was finally all done & they came back in, one of them started giving me advice about my breathing and said that I seemed to be moving my back too much (although no-one had said this throughout the session). He did this all whilst not having told me they were finished so I was still lying there in that naked vulnerable position, then he finally took the breathing monitor off my chest so I could cover myself up. I apologised to him then as I was leaving I could hear him talking about me to his colleague and how he'd re-explained how I should breathe. So, to cut a long story short I've spent the afternoon being very emotional about the whole experience again.. annoyed that I still don't seem to be breathing correctly and feeling unable to shake the feeling of vulnerability even after all this time of exposing my breasts. I know I have so much to be grateful for - I'm so lucky to still have my own breasts, plus radiotherapy is one of the 'easier' treatments but I just cant wait till its all over, thankfully I'm nearly there.
What to expect with radiation treatment
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!
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.
Operate or Radiation, That's The Question
Hi all, I saw the Surgeon during the week and my 2nd brain tumour has grown 2mm in 8 weeks. Now they have to do something, it could be an operation to remove it with possible permanent weakness in my right leg. I'm still on crutches after the removal of a tumour in October. Then there's radiation which possibly means going into the city an hour away & have radiation, I don't know how many or how often but it will burn around the tumour but leaves it there. After just going into the city to see the Surgeon I had no energy from Tuesday evening till Thursday morning so I couldn't possibly go in too often to have radiation. When I got home from the city the Surgeon and Oncologist had spoken and the Oncologist thought radiation was the best way so they'll go with that. I have an appointment on Friday to ask why it's the best way & explain I don't have that sort of energy with every other test I still haven't organised. Just wondering if anyone else has come across this scenario and knows what is best, as much as I don't want more brain surgery & rehab possibly afterwards I don't want to know it's still there & will worry about it when it comes to my next MRI. Can radiation stop a tumour growing & be monitored along with any other nasties that might pop up now that it's secondary Stage 4 and comes from the breast cancer.
Radiation and long term sideeffects
I have had breast conserving surgery and am due to start chemo early May. I have met with the radiation dude and he was talking about possible side effects of radiation and that there is a chance that in 10-30 years I could develop a secondary cancer from the radiation treatment. He said that it isn't normally an issue when diagnosed in your 50s+ but being diagnosed when your 30 there is a higher chance that it could come back as a sarcoma. He said that an option could be to have a mastectomy which would then mean I dont need to have radiation. My question is, has anyone else experience this news also? If so what did you do? continue with the treatment plan or go the mastectomy route?
