Refusing Tattoos?

I said no, and my radiation oncologist didn't blink an eye. They simply used Sharpee marks and covered them with a clear tape that stayed on the entire 6 week period. I am going through reconstruction, and decided that if I was going through all the trouble and pain to try to look as normal as possible, I certainly didn't want tattoos as a daily reminder. I'm fair skinned and even the tiniest would have been very apparent.

Mine are smaller than all the freckles, moles, and hemangiomas I have!  I can find two of them in bright light but they are really tiny.  Actually, my therapists had such a hard time finding them I took to circling them with magic marker during treatment!  I don't think my husband has every noticed them.

 Pam 

My experience is exactly the same as Lassie

I did not have tattoos and it was no big deal. They used sharpee markers and clear tape over them.  They would check the marks about once a week....the computer shows them where to put the marks.

Diagnosis: 7/2008, IDC, 1cm, Grade 1, 1/2 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-

Titan, you have to remember thst what's nothing to you is a big something to someone else. For a lot of women, it's just the ONE THING they can't stand.

I did rads in a facility tht uses iodine lines that they renew as needed. You're there every day, so they are renewed before hey fade too much.

That said, the facility does it since so many people were refusing tattoos. It's in Jerusalem, and Jewish law fobids tattooing. (The facility probably has the largest proportion of Orthodox Jewish patients in the world). Since rads CAN be done without tattoos, they are not permitted.

Leah

Shepherd- Thanks for initiating this discussion. I didn't even know that I had a choice in this.
Yea, there are certainly so many things that we can't control in this journey! And don't even get me talking about ports.

I should be starting rads in the next month or two. Thanks again.

Sorry I just saw this. Hope I'm not too late. I DID REFUSE TATTOOS. Pretty much said "Hell no" but I did it nicely and apologetically because I did realize that I was creating more work for an already hard working team.  It did kindof annoy my rad onc at first since I was also breaking with standard of care. I had marker drawn marks covered with clear tape cut into very tiny pieces just to cover the marks which are replaced each week or more frequently if needed. I took care of them. Am now almost 2/3 done (will be on Friday) and all worked well.  I think both the rad onc and techs actually got into the idea that we could vary SOC. The techs were amazing. They made a clear plastic template just in case I lost any of the marks. FYI, be careful with Aquaphor if you have tape since it removes the adhesive. Please feel free to IM me if you had any questions.

My tattoos are very, very tiny.  I am in the middle of recon, double lat flap with expanders.  The stretching & pulling of my skin, has moved the position of the tattoos.  It won't be a good guide to show areas of previous radiation, in my case.  

Yes, I had a lumpectomy so no reconstruction that would move them. Thinking about that I guess if I had major weight loss or gain they could move too, of course hoping to always stay the weight I am . So IF they stay where they are it is just extra guides for the future, that I hope never to need. 

Shepherd:

I have 5 tattoos.  Didn't think about saying no.  They don't bother me - they're tiny and I have lots of freckles - they kind of blend in.

I have a "power port" too - refer to it as my little alien - looks like it could pop out and bite someone...I'm going to see if it can be removed when I go in for reconstruction - I want to ask my plastic surgeon to close it up.  I know he would do a great job.

I finished rads a couple weeks ago.  Having the 3 little spot tattoos was nothing.  What would have been worse for me was the sticky dots they could have put over the markers instead.  I had a colonoscopy and they put a sheet of this over my port during the surgery.  It left red marks for 3 days after only being on 30 minutes.  I can imagine what I would have looked like if I had had those on for days at a time. I would have been polka dotted said one of rad techs after I told her what happened.  Anytime they had to tape something down after that they used paper tape.  For me rads were easy in comparison to chemo.  I had skin breakdown under my arm and under my breast as I am large breasted, but took less than a week for them to heal. After boosts had a spot on my incision that broke down and the same thing, in less than a week it was healed over. I would gladly do radiation again if necessary.  They did tell me since they found some nodules on my lung that I could actually have rads again on the same side, fortunately the nodules are not cancer and don't have to worry about it.  I  guess things are changing about radiation all the time. Knowing I have done all I can is comforting to my family.  After finding out the nodules on my lungs were nothing (3 days after last rads) it was like a huge weight was gone and I could finally see the end of things.  Since I was her2+ I will still be doing herceptin until march, but other that a few test that go along with that I am done except for regular check ups.  Every 6 weeks with onc and one more CT scan after 3 months on the lung nodules to make sure they have not changed since they biopsied only one, and echocardiogram again in dec or Jan (every 3 months while on herceptin) and a lung function test every 6 weeks to make sure that has not changed with rads and herceptin.  All these things are easy compared to what this last year was like.  I am starting to have energy again and starting to do some of the volunteer work I did before bc.  I was able to work my part time job during all of this.  It has been a hard year, but it is nearly over.  A few tattoos were nothing in the big picture of things.  Annette

I have 11 days left of rads and when I'm done the ink and stickers will go with it !  I'm quite happy about that. I'm also kindof surprised at how adamantly against opting out of tattoos many women are. (Then again, I'm not one to follow the crowd. Had I done chemo, I would have used cold caps to preserve at least a good part of my hair. And duirng rads I use diluted Apple Cider Vinegar to reduce skin reaction. To each their own...just dont tell me that I shouldn't do something that works for me !)

I agree with the "compounding of things" mindset. I go for my Simulation next week, and it is my choice to have either tattoo or sharpie.

I plan on having the sharpie. They check it every day and in my present state of mind I feel that my bald head, lumpectomy & SNB scars are enough brands for the moment.

When this is all over I don't want any additional reminders, regardless of how small they may/could be.

It certainly isn't vanity, that's for sure.

Hi, Pill -

I didn't get the tatoos, either.  Another tip - don't let them place tape there, either, which is what they tried to do at first when I refused the tats, because that stuff will TEAR YOUR SKIN UP if you experience any kind of skin reaction at all.  They marked me with markers every time they did the therapy - takes about two extra minutes.  Absolutely no one told me they were necessary just in case I ever had to have rads again - they keep those records so why would the tats be necessary?