I need answers

purplejc5

I was diagnosed with DCIS and Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. My surgery for lumpectomy is scheduled for April 4th. I will have radiation after (my surgeon said M-F for 6 weeks). I would like some insight about the radiation part. How long after surgery will i be starting, how i will feel (burning or irritation, fatigue etc.). I know everyone is different but any help would be greatly appreciated

Ingerp

You have to heal from the surgery before you can do rads. It could easily be 1-2 months. Typical SEs from rads are red skin and fatigue. You might go read some of the radiation threads. Your RO will tell you what kind of cream to use (although many are good), when to apply it (not right before treatment), . . . After the initial mapping the appointments are really quick. You will likely have whole-breast radiation for most of the sessions followed by boosts to the tumor bed only for the last 4-5. If it’s in your left breast, you may have to take a deep breath and hold it while being zapped. It’s really not a big deal.

purplejc5

thank you Ingerp for the information. I will read the other posts on here as well

AliceBastable

if you have any node involvement, you'll also get zapped in your armpit and clavicle, to clean up any bits in other nodes. Where I went, they didn't do special breathing techniques for the left side. As the RO explained it, that's why it takes about a week after the set-up for the regular sessions to start. They program it for the beams to arc around the heart and lungs - string or wire art is the most comparable thing I can think of, using a series of straight lines to create a curve. You'll also get tiny micro-tattoos or spots/Xes drawn on you, as the spots where they line up the beams. But every place seems to be different, so don't be surprised or upset if the protocol at your rad center is different.

grandmaadams

Not sure if this will apply to you … lots of women have been taken by surprise that they have male Radiation Therapists. Your breasts will be exposed at least for set up and some places leave you completely exposed during the entire treatment. Some women don't care, some women have had very professional and caring male therapists. The reason I'm introducing this is that this can be traumatizing for victims of sexual assault. The answer is simply being informed. You have the right to request female therapists. The issues usually arise when women are surprised and don't know they have choices. If this could be a problem for you, please talk to your RO. Good luck. 

anamaeted

My surgery was in September, I did not start my radiation until the end of January. It does not take long each day. Most of my radiologist technicians were men, I was used to being exposed at the doctors office by that time, it did not bother me. They gave me three small pinpoint size tattoos they used to line up the treatment each day. I had very red irritated skin. It peeled a bit, but the cream my RO prescribed worked really well. I used lotion, and still do, quite frequently as my skin is still healing. I had a 28/7 treatment schedule. Good luck. I was very apprehensive about the process before hand, but it was not that bad. Just make sure to talk to your RO and the techs if you have any issues during the treatment process.

jessie123

It's been 5 weeks since my lumpectomy and I haven't started radiation yet --- I'm interviewing different hospitals to find one that I like --- Do look into the prone board which means you are on your stomach rather than back. It helps protect you heart and lungs from the radiation. I tested it last week, but couldn't do it because it hurt my back. So next week I'm going to interview a different radiologist whom I do know and will just do the regular position -- on my back.