Brachytherapy internal radiation

SailingWind, Welcome to the BCO community.In addition to the suggestions above you also may want to check out this information on our site Internal Radiation. We hope that you will benefit from the support and information available to you through our members. Keep us posted. The Mods

Sail..as I said...some patients here on this board liked it.  As recently as a few weeks ago, a sister chimed in that she is having issues ...3 years after treatment. 

Click the search box..."Experience with Brachytherapy"

I had the Savi method of brachytherapy last October. My surgeon thought my profile was particularly suited for it. Although the Mammosite is the more common one I believe, my breast area was too small for that balloon device.

I think it is important to have it done by a major center that is doing a lot of them and has been for an extended time.

I felt confident that I would have equally good results from the internal radiation since my tumor was relatively  small with no lymph node involvement and the surgeon got good clean margins. Being finished in one week was a huge draw to me; so in that sense I'm glad I did it. I did have more discomfort with the Savi device (they compared it to a collapsable wire whisk) than I expected. Some sleeping positions were a challenge. I imagine that would be a very individual thong depending on breast size and location of removed tumor. 

The actual twice a day treatments were pretty much a non-event. It was only the insertion of the device before day 1 and then the removal on day 5 that were somewhat painful although briefly. They recommended taking a small dose of anti-anxiety med and pain pill on those two days. I drove myself to my appointments on days 2, 3, and 4 but was pretty tired by day 5 and had someone else drive. For the 10 days following radiation I really lacked energy although although I was out and about. 

I don't know if this was just me or a common side effect, but during that week I often felt cold and had short periods of feeling  fluttering waves through my breast . . . hard to describe the exact sensation.

I would make the same choice again, but would be more realistic about the whole process. I think some of the marketing ads for brachytherapy make it seem like you would hardly realize anything was being done to you.