HELP! Need advice on having rads or not

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Jiffrig
Jiffrig Member Posts: 232
edited December 2016 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

I just last week had bmx with expanders after doing dose dense A/C andTaxol. My surgeon took out 22 lymph nodes which were all clean as a whistle, minimal evidence of cancer in SN. Original <1cm breast tumor undetectable but skin and nipple removed in area. So...as you can imagine I am not thrilled to further aggravate my nodes by radiating them and my breast tumor was no where near chest wall. I will be 68 in May, ER pos cancer, non aggressive, so what do you think? I think I have a 5% higher chance without radiation but to just go in and fry the heck out of me for 5% does not seem worth it. The removal of so many lymph nodes was because I had had breast reduction and chemo before SN test so hard to know what was what in there. Also had a fat pad loaded.

Any advise appreciated. I just think they are radiating early stage patients too much just because it's not painful, you don't loose your hair so everyone just goes along with it. Not to mention it's a cash cow for hospitals

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  • abigail48
    abigail48 Member Posts: 1,699
    edited December 2016

    I've nad no conventional treatment but have been reading the radiation thread for some time, I also tead the nove, written after the hiroshima nagasaki bombings shortly after the event. forget the author. the mods say not to respond negatively on this site, I think rads is probably the most dangerous conventional treatments

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  • Sjacobs146
    Sjacobs146 Member Posts: 770
    edited December 2016

    Have you considered a second opinion?

    I had rads, but only a lumpectomy, not BMX. You can't compare therapeutic radiation therapy to a nuclear bombing, many careful calculations are done to ensure that you get the correct dose in the right places

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  • abigail48
    abigail48 Member Posts: 1,699
    edited December 2016

    or dental exrays every six months for decades? I wonder how many who have had no conventional treatment have indeed had exrays often from their dentists. as well as mercury amalgam from them. and I wonder how many have had none of that and have gotten no cancers. good study for someone, but it would generate no money for the conventional practitioners of whatever stripe

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited December 2016

    Hello all-

    Just a gentle reminder to please refrain from making inflammatory statements regarding conventional treatments on the conventional boards; we have alternative boards for this reason, where discussion regarding these topics is encouraged.

    Thank you!

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited December 2016

    May I ask why they removed so many lymph nodes? I would consult with physical therpist trained in lymphatic massage to understand your risk for lymphedema and how you can minimize it.

    Regarding rads, I totally understand wanting to avoid them. I think if I were in your position I would get a second opinion and I too would lean towards no rads. If you have a local recurrance you can do them later when you know they are necessary.

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  • Hopeful82014
    Hopeful82014 Member Posts: 3,480
    edited December 2016

    I'm certainly not pushing radiation but I think that if I'd had residual disease in nodes, even ITC, after that much chemo I would certainly give radiation serious consideration. There's no guarantee that any recurrence would be confined to the nodes, tempting as it is to think that one could cope with a local/regional recurrence if and when it happened.

    On the other hand, I've copied the below (slightly edited) from a recent post on the subject. Perhaps the referenced study will help you. There's also a thread in the radiation topic on the question of "older" (65+) women and radiation that could be helpful.

    "...there has been some recent discussion of whether radiation really benefits women over the age of 65. I don't know your particular circumstances, but you may want to raise this question with your medical team.

    I've attached one article for your information; whether it applies to your situation I don't know. There have been other studies and more recent reports but I'm not able to find them right now.

    You may want to keep in mind that AIs (aromatase inhibitors) are very, very effective in hormone positive cancers. You might do quite well simply taking an AI or even tamoxifen. Again, this is a question to raise with your medical team. Don't hesitate to push for answers that address YOU as an individual and answer your own questions.

    I will also caution against comparing current radiation treatment to nuclear attacks or dental x-rays. Treatment is calculated extremely carefully to minimize damage and maximize results. And while it's not necessarily "painless" it is true that you don't lose your hair. There are other side effects, which tend to vary a lot from one person to another; you would want to probe your RO as to what you might experience.

    http://news.cancerconnect.com/older-patients-with-early-breast-cancer-may-avoid-radiation/"
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  • Jiffrig
    Jiffrig Member Posts: 232
    edited December 2016

    thanks everyone for the feedback! I just wanted to get an idea of what those of you in similar situations would do. I have been so lucky to have no lingering side effects from chemo, mastectomy went well, just my BS taking out so many lymph nodes was the only downside. Find out why Thursday. Just want to minimize the lymphedema from that situation. Guess it's impossible to come out of this totally unscathed...LOL

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