anyone had mammosite radiation

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  • LuvRVing
    LuvRVing Member Posts: 4,516
    edited August 2010

    Just checking in to say - 3 days down, 2 days to go...woohoo!!!  I'm so wanting a shower!

    Just curious, what were the "after treatment" restrictions regarding showering, getting in a pool, etc?  It's 100 degrees here and I have a pool in the back yard that is calling my name in a very loud voice!

    Michelle

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  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited August 2010

    Michelle,

    No shower for 2 days can't swim till follow up with Dr.

    How is it going? It was so easy for me other than being tired. The last 4 treatments did give me some mild redness. By the way check with your Dr. about how he leaves the area after the balloon is out. My Dr. left it open which I had no idea he would. The reason was to lesson the chance of fluid build up in the area. It has slowly closed over the last 5 days. Will see if it works, as from what I have read this is one of the worst things people are complaining about. My surgen has done over 800 of these, so am hoping he knows what he is talking about.

    Karen

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  • LuvRVing
    LuvRVing Member Posts: 4,516
    edited August 2010

    Yeahhh!!!  I am done and it went so well!  Even the removal was a non-event!  I have steri-strips over the hole along with a bandage.  I will be able to shower (just keep the area dry) and "float" in my pool on a floatie so long as I don't submerge the hole until it heals over. 

     And this is the first time I've seen the results of the lumpectomy.  All I can say is "my surgeon is brilliant!"  I thought my "dent" would be visible with V-neck shirts, but nope, it's more towards my armpit so it will be pretty much unnoticeable. 

    It will be very nice to sleep without a catheter tonight!  But I must say, I would recommend this procedure to anyone who qualifies for it.   The commitment of 5 days and the inconvenience of not taking a shower were worth the results.

    Michelle

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  • helenap
    helenap Member Posts: 105
    edited August 2010

    i too had the mammosite and had a seroma drained. I am just having more issues with that area.. feeling like a seroma but not.. they tell me it is important to wear a sports bra at night and take some over the counter drugs... I am giong to try that. I am still glad that I had it done this way. It seems no matter what approach you take there are some drawbacks...

    just a bump in the road

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  • Alotte
    Alotte Member Posts: 20
    edited August 2010

    Carol913,

    My tumor was also close to the skin and right on top of the muscle below, but I've been told that I am a likely candidate for SAVI brachy therapy. The SAVI device is smaller and can go within 1-2 mm from the skin. There is no balloon so it doesn't fill out the cavity if it is small.

    Is anyone else considering the SAVI? Even though I'm a candidate, I'm nervous because there are no long term studies. I found a wonderful doctor who I haven't met personally but has called me twice to talk about it. She's done more SAVI's than anyone else within 200 miles of me.

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  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited August 2010

    Carol,

    I never heard of the SAVI brachy therapy so can't say. I used something called Contura balloon. It can also get closer to the skin as well. It has a good track record from what I heard. As far as the treatments, it is great to be able to be done with it in 5 days. I took a look at it on line, and it looks very much like the Contura I had. I am done 2 weeks today, and feel great.

    Karen

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  • dcchef
    dcchef Member Posts: 25
    edited August 2010
     Hi All, here's my story.  I completed my treatments 6/11/2010.  My surgeon recommended the following course of action given my diagnosis.  Lumpectomy followed by mammosite 5 day High Density Radiation (HDR).  After some research and checking around I went with that program.  The lumpectomy was a breeze.  I was in at 9:45am and home by 3pm.  I felt well.  I didn't take anything for pain except tylenol.  My surgeon felt I could go the route of breast conservation given my situation, therefore no mastectomy.  I have no family history of BC.  I am in great physical shape (run, swim, weights) and I eat a very healthy diet.  Following the lumpectomy my path report came back with clear margins, no re excision needed.  The next step was checking to see if I had enough clearance for the mammosite/HDR.  I am very small so not a lot to work with.  The reason for the HDR was that it is very targeted and partial as opposed to external and the total breast.  The mammosite was an interesting process.  I went to see my surgeon 1 week after the lumpectomy. Everything looked good.  The next day I meant with the radiation oncologist to discuss the mammosite/HDR procedure.  We were a go so I went on Thursday for the surgical office procedure to insert the mammosite catheter.  That wasn't too bad, but if did feel a bit strange.  I was walking around with a saline balloon in the my breast and wires coming out where I would get hooked up for radiation treatments,aka Cyborg woman.   On Friday, back to the rad onc for a CT scan to be sure the balloon was placed where they wanted it.  Then the following week (Monday-Friday), I went twice a day for treatments.  They only lasted about 30 minutes.  They did a scan every morning to check the balloon, and an ultrasound in the afternoon.  The actual radiation only lasted 9 or 10 minutes.  The physicist and rad onc doc would hook the wires up and send the radiation in, then take it out.  Therefore, I was free to go about my life (no radiation stayed in my body). The radiation did not make me sick.  On the last day, Friday, the balloon was removed.  JOY, a real shower!!!  I did have a couple of issues along the way.  I developed a "leak" in a blood vessel from the mammosite balloon which had to be cuarterized with silver nitrate.  So, it did make it somewhat more tricky to get the balloon our (OUCH!).  The other thing was they did not suture the incision from the mammosite and it took about 3 weeks before it really closed up.  I did see the docs in the interim and that was the normal healing process.  After all of that I was really feeling back to normal.  I started running on 6/18 and was hiking by 6/24.  The only other thing I had was radiation burn, which generally occurs about a month after treatment.  I went to the rad onc and got radioplex, which I lovingly call utter balm!!  That took about two weeks to go away.  The other thing I did was meet with the hematologist regarding Tamoxifen.  After much discussion and reading, I have decided not to take it.  I have never been on any meds and feel this whole thing was a fluke in my system.  For me to commit to a drug for 5 years with lots of potential SEs.  I think it would make me crazy.  The hematologist looked at my case and said the most he would do is "softly recommend it".  It did not offer a huge advantage for me.  One other issue is that I can't wear a regular bra.  I get pain in my ribs.  I have read that others have experienced the same thing.  Here's the good news - I did find a sports bra with a little padding, so hopefully that will be a go!!    dcchef 
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  • theresap60
    theresap60 Member Posts: 947
    edited August 2010

    Alotte - I had SAVI back in March of this year.  The national radiation counsel that my radiation oncologist belongs to suggested for a woman of my age (50) that I have whole breast radiation, but I talked at length with my radiation onc and my surgeon and I decided to do the SAVI.  Yes, there aren't as many years of study behind it, as compared to whole breast radiation, but what studies there are have been very positive.  I'm very fair skinned and knew I would burn with whole breast rad, plus I was concerned about what other internal damage might happen, plus I didn't want to travel the hour and a half every day for weeks on end to get radiation.  SAVI just seemed to be the right thing for me... and I liked how it targeted just the tumor site.  It was a pain (inconvenience) for a week, but once it was done, it was done.  I ended up having chemotherapy, so my whole, overall treatment was reduced because I chose the 1 week SAVI vs the 6 week whole breast rad.

    If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and answer. - Theresa

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