Scheduled to begin radiation soon and terrified.

Chrisesta67

I don't understand how dry, burned, itchy, peeling, blistering skin can be seen as a mild discomfort. The skin on my right side mastectomy site (no reconstruction) is still tight and painful more than 4 months after surgery. I'm afraid 33 sessions of radiation will destroy my skin and tissues altogether and I'll never again be able to feel or move normally in that area.



Why are doctors torturing me as a result of a micrometastasis in my sentinel lymph node? How could the skin-destroying nature of radiation possibly be indicated after 12 weeks of TC chemotherapy for a microscopic cancer that may not even still exist in my body?



I'm at the end of my rope with respect to what I think is my "over treatment" for very small, very early stage breast cancer. I was tattooed today for radiation but I'm coming closer and closer to saying no to the radiation sessions altogether. I must say that I'm astounded by the lack of healthcare provider sensitivity and understanding that a cancer patient may have some serious concerns about consenting to have her already compromised mastectomy site skin burned to the extent that it may not recover for years, if at all. If anyone has words of wisdom based on experience, I'm more than willing to read and consider them here. Thank you.

new_direction

It sounds as if it's the effect on your skin you are most concerned about. This is about skin reactions to radiation http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/radiation/skin/reactions - the skin damage will get worse for a while but it's not permanent.

maybe it will help to clarify things if you look at the section "Radiotherapy after mastectomy for primary operable breast cancer" in this article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3217212/#BMJ_0102_I13
It doesnt sound like tumorsize was very big but they might put emphasis on the (one?) positive lymph node of yours and receptor status. That being said you still have a choice to say no. I thought very hard about that myself... Personally I don't think I would avoid treatment because of skin reactions however there might be other things that make you reconsider.