Stage IIIB - RADS to the Internal Mammary Nodes?

Yes, I had radiation to my internal mammary lymph nodes as well as the chest wall, superclavicle and axilla area.  To be totally honest with you, I burned very badly there and the burns showed up at the last week of the treatments when I was getting my boosts. I have been using silvadene and derma-plex ever since and my radiation ended 3 months ago. They are very slowly getting better. I don't know why I burned so badly there and this does not mean it will happen to you. I am going in to the hospital tomorrow to have my herceptin treatment and I am going to stop in at radiology and have them look at me again.

Just want to add - since you're getting rads to supraclavicular area, make sure to use aloe vera (or whatever you are using to prevent burns) all the way up the side of your neck and your back at the top of you shoulder. The rads go up the side of your neck in addition to exiting on you back (area behind the clavicle).

Best of luck with rads.

Leah

 A bolus is a rubbery material, is used to 'fool' the radiation beam so it will deposit the maximum dose on the skin surface instead of a fraction of an inch deeper, as it would otherwise. They used a bolus on me too, but every 4th day would remove it. By reading these boards, it seems like every hospital's protocol is different as to how often they use it.  Good luck with your radiation and keep us updated!

YUP.  Seatbelts = torture instrument for a couple of months.

A pillow placed between you and seatbelt helps.

Several years out now.

Some damage to  a few ribs, cartilage.

I had some serious muscle spasms for several years...spontaneous charlie horse-like.

Currently, a pickle jar is the enemy, but most of the spontaneous sorts of spasms are a thing of the past.

I take 15mg Mobic daily...helps ALOT with the general (and specific) types of aches and pains that can accompany high dose cancer treatments.

tl

Thanks for this info. Had one mammary node that was a sentinel node and was positive. Surgeon was able to remove it...first one she'd ever removed. Just finished chemo Jan 4th and will start rads in Feb. Meet with rad onc in a week. Don't EVEN know what to ask about the mammary node area.

jacee, how did they know your intramammary node was a sentinal lymph node?  Did you have the radioactive dye during surgery and that is the one that lit up?  I ask because I had an inner tumor (right at the cleavage) and the surgeon kept mentioning the possiblility of having it drain to the intramammary nodes rather than the axillary because of its position. (Was your tumor an inner one?)   He basically told me that they don't surgically remove those, though.  During surgery a sentinel lymph node "lit up" that was axillary.  Does that mean my intramammary nodes were not a sentinel since they did not light up? 

I also had rads to IM node that was "suspicious" on PET scan.  It was done together with the other areas of rads, and I didn't really notice anything different or worse about the effects on that area compared to the rest of the skin.  I still have my chemo port in, which has always been bothered by seatbelts, so I didn't notice that with rads.  I had some difficulty swallowing (like a lump in my throat) for a long time, but it's gradually going away, and my sternum still feels very tender, but they don't know why.  Another PET scan was clear after rads (the IM node disappeared), but I do have several lung nodules that are hopefully nothing.  Anyway, best of luck with you all starting this rads journey!  Feel free to ask questions!  All in all, the rads was a piece of cake (...saying that always reminds me of Konakat, teehee) for me compared to surgery and chemo.  Take care!

Ladies, I am finishing my radiation next week with my last 5 boosts...I did have 10+ ax nodes so I got rads under my arm. I use a deodant without alchol named crystal it's a roll on that I also use under my breast that helps dry it out and I have no sores there that most women will have..under my arm is my sore spot because of the scar and the bend of the arm. Remember radiation has to come out so you will have to use the Aloe on your clavical, shoulder, and back too..I use all kinds of lotions but I just have to be clean 2 hrs before I get rads in the spots getting the rads.....I worked through chemo, without trouble, surgery was ok, radiation I leave work everyday at 3 to drive the 50 miles to tx but it's only been this last week that I have noticed some fatigue. It is getting worse and I'm afraid with the last boost I will have to fight it, but I will. I'm a 51 yr old woman that was jogging 5k's when we found the lump and I will start walking the 1k's at the end of this month to start again....I stopped the 1k's in the middle of chemo, it got to much.  You will be able to get through this, eat right, sleep when you need too, and don't forget to ask for help when you need too...

I am doing great and I think about you often....I'm glad you read this site, it has helped me a lot..send me a message and let me know how you did with your surgery.  I just had my PET scan and was reading about bone mets....I don't think anything is wrong but a woman needs to know her business at all times......PTL yes, it wasn't and PTL he put us together....I will always think of you and will probably see you for check ups....Good luck...Friend...

Im confused about the internal mammary nodes. I have several positive found on pet scan, but no auxillary nodes positive. I just had my first AC. Can I survive this? What if they can't get those pesky nodes? My doc says it is still local disease. It seems finding intrernal mammary nodes positive is a new thing. Do you think that in past cases they were positve but went unnoticed because of lack of testing and the nwhere killed by chemo anyways? It does still seem pretty rare and it is hard to find info on.