Anyone with Problems After Mammosite Radiaton

Infections are a common side effect of mammosite. They had to pull my catheter after a couple of treatments.

The problem is that irradiated tissue doesn't heal quickly after radiation.

Keep on top of it - I had four rounds of antibiotics before things settled down.

The nodes that were removed were no trouble at all! 

In the other ones in the same area, no infection, but they did get swollen from fighting the infection. But I always have gotten swollen lymph nodes from infections, and they would go back down after a few days on the antibiotic.

I have had a constant problem since January.. My surgery was on Jan 12th and I started the mammosite 10 day radiation the next week. From the start I had redness and alot of pain. After the balloon was removed that area keep filling with fluid and my breast was always red, hot and swollen. I have taken many rounds of antibiotics for two months. One culture came back showing the same bacteria that is in acne (which I do not have) inside the the site. I had it drained every other week because it would get so uncomfortable. Each time time what was aspirated out of it was looked like pus and would range from 27 to 45 cc. My breast surgeon was sure it was an infection but the last three cultures returned nothing. He has spoke to other surgeons and the radiologist that did the radiation and decided that the radiated area is weeping into the cavity where the cancer was removed, and that my body is just did not respond well to the radiation. So on April 12th exactly three months after the first surgery I had another surgery. He went back in and removed the radiated tissue and cleaned the area up again and now I am into my fourth week of cleaning and packing it with gauze three times a day. We started with a foot of gauze and now down to around 8 inches each time. It still is draining alot and very uncomfortable. I was told today that it may be another four weeks before this area heals on up from the inside out. I had a melt down at his office today.. I have been on Arimdex since February and I have had headaches since the third week. In addition to the headaches which have gotten worse, I have joint pain, my other breast hurts, I have gained 10 pounds in two months and hardly eat anything more than cereal, I am depressed and cry at the drop of a hat, and have flu like symptoms. My hair is falling out but I am contributing that to the anesthesia. My oncolongist told me today to stop the meds for two weeks and see if I get better and we will discuss other options then. Tamoxafen won't be an option for me as I have already had one blood clot in my leg, so I don't know where things will lead now...