Radiation Questions

Positive2strong

I am having my surgery on Oct 10 at St. John's surgery unit in Santa Monica. I am stage 1 and estrogen + and progesterone not - and lymph nodes are negative.

My questions are:

How soon do you start radiation

Has anyone had the stint radiation as the dr said I may be a candidate

Has anyone skipped radiation and done alternate preventive measures

joyandpiece

Hello Positive. Which type of surgery are you having? Lumpectomies are usually followed by radiation, whereas mastectomies are usually not. I am having a lumpectomy on October 4. I was able to meet with the radiation oncologist and at this hospital rads start about 3 weeks out from surgery. This would be traditional rads, not the type that you may be a candidate for. I would encourage you to ask your doctor any questions you have. Hope that helps some

Positive2strong

I am having a lumpectomy. My dr is on vacation until October 3. I met with my surgeon. She didn't give much info about radiation. I have a trip oct 26 so I think I can start radiation after that.

Thanks

LimnoGal

Positive-if you have brachytherapy (balloon catheter radiation), you generally start shortly after your lumpectomy. Things you might consider asking your doc:

-when will the catheter be inserted? Where will the procedure take place? How long will it take?

-can you describe what the actual treatment will be like? How often will I go to treatment? How long will it take? How will I feel during radiation? Will I be able to work during radiation treatment?

-how long is the recovery period?

I had this type of radiation treatment earlier this year. It was really pretty easy. I didn't work for the week of treatment, but I had the luxury of having loads of leave. Having treatment for anhour, twice a day, over a week certainly beats six weeks of daily treatment!

Positive2strong

thanks