starting rads feb 2017

Not sure Pamela23 but I am not sure what dosage of radiation I received either. What I do know is that my skin is very burned from my tx. I am dark skinned and didn't think I would end up with such blackened skin. They talked about it starting to look pink after the 3rd week , so I did not expect this much discoloration and peeling . Those little black dots are starting to fade away though. It was also my breast surgeon who initially mentioned having to take tamoxifen although it was protocol talk , he would not be prescribing it or following up with me during that tx. Then after my appointment with the MO before rads was completed , we touched upon the subject of hormone therapy . Initially for me , we discussed Aromatase inhibitors, but after tests for bone density and my heart , the MO thought it best I use the tamoxifen if I decided to do it. He showed me the protocols on the computer from national guidelines. For people like us with tumors under 2cm it was to be considered , as was rads . I was already finishing up rads at this point. I believe I based that decision doing the rads on the 15% recurrence rate the RO mentioned. I really had a headspin going during the whirlwind of the early dx .days. It was overwhelming! But I felt like I should try to lower recurrence to the lowest percentage possible , which in my case , with rads and hormones , was about 3%. Based on no lymph involvement, size and genetics . But it is still scary and confusing to me.I am not sure if grade of tumor changes anything . I believe I was grade 2. I just hope we are all doing the right thing and never have to revisit this again . 🌺🌸💗

Elem and Pamela - I also do not understand the radiation dosage or # treatments, or why some have difficult skin experiences vs not. Last of 20 Rads was today. Very fair skinned, but have no burn & only a very slight pink/irritation. Go figure! Did use Miaderm cream 4x a day & also prescribed Lidocaine 2% and Mometasone Furoate (articles indicate this is really good for preventing irritation). Miaderm not cheap at $36 or so per tube, but felt any $ spent to avoid being crispy was worth it. Like everything else with C, sometimes there is no rhyme or reason. For those who are having skin issues - ask your RO or Rad Nurse what they can give you to help. Hugs and best wishes to all.

Yay Celiac

So happy for you . Major milestone!

I wanted to be proactive and knowing how tamoxifen is just a few weeks way, I decided to go to the GYN to get checked out. I also asked if I could have a baseline US of my uterine lining so I can tell if the drug has a negative effect as it notoriously does on many women. I just got back from the GYN. They found a polyp in my lining. She's not concerned with it being cancerous but say tamoxifen can cause it to grow so want to have it removed after I'm done with radiation and she'll do a uterine biopsy while she's "up there" to make sure everything looks good before tamoxifen. She said she wishes doctors would request an US of the uterus before starting this drug because the drug will thicken the lining and cause polyps and cysts to form and if they had a baseline, they would have more info on the changes. Just FYI when you are at that point in treatment.

Elem - glad you found some relief for your skin.

Feeling some fatigue, but doing ok with only working 8 hours. Appetite loss is pretty bad - having to force myself to eat (or, rather Husband forces me to eat.) One more work day and then will be babying myself on the weekend. Hope we all get the chance to recuperate and rest up!

Oasis - You are almost there! Sounds you like you are doing all you can for your skin. Hugs & Wishing you relief - baby yourself this weekend.

Pamela, yes, that's the case. I had mastectomy for DCIS followed by radiation in 2008, and last summer was found to have a new invasive area on the same side under the scar tissue from the mastectomy. Rare, but can happen it seems.

I had a 'lumpectomy' last month for the new issue following 4 mos of TCHP chemo for HER+ disease. It seems weird to call it that though, when I already had the mastectomy on that side. It may need a new name lol - mastectolumpectomy? lumpectomastectomy?

I start radiation tomorrow if things go to plan. It was debatable whether to do it again since re-radiation of the same area is uncommon. But most opinions leaned in favor and I'd like to feeling I am doing everything I reasonably can to avoid something coming back or sprouting up again in future.

Thanks Pamela. I'm not sure about what I had in 2008 as far as it being HER2+ or not. I never heard anything about HER2+ at that time, I don't know if it was typically something they tested then without evidence of invasive disease?

The tests they did when I had DCIS pointed to more 'aggressive' grades/flavors of DCIS. That was among the reasons I wound up with a mastectomy which wasn't that common for DCIS, and also radiation which was very uncommon after mastectomy for DCIS. I also had a sentinel node biopsy. .

I'm ok with doing the radiation again, it was pretty easy on me the first time although I know there's no guarantee of it being similarly easy to get through this time.

Iirc, they had that test but didn't use it with DCIS. Don't know if that was a risk-cost-benefit thing, or more that the nature of how the test worked wasn't applicable with DCIS.

I'm not sure they did the Oncotype test in my current IDC situation either. I chose not to ask, I already had path reports and dr opinions showing the new tumor as high grade and 'aggressive' type although thankfully caught pretty early.

I didn't want to keep hearing more about all that. As a two-time offender, I couldn't see any way I'd fall into a low-risk category for treatment measures or future monitoring. Wanted to focus mostly on what was possible to do to address this new situation, and where possible reduce risks of anything coming back in future.

cindyanne, sorry to hear about your experience and the new situation.

In speaking with my radiation team and breast cancer team generally, I have not been given to understand there is material risk from radiation to the lungs or bones. That may be a situational thing for each person based on what area is being treated, what the angles are for the beams, etc.?

My issue, both times, has been on the left side which has raised some issue about avoiding heart damage. The first time they were able to angle the radiation to minimize that risk as much as practicable. The second time, they briefly considered having me do the breath-hold technique to further reduce the risk to any heart concern, but decided it was not necessary after they worked out their final gameplan and modeled how the beams were supposed to go against the area being treated. Once I get through the radiation treatment, plus having had chemo / Herceptin, I imagine I may need follow-up for some time to check for long-term damage. During TCHP, they've had me do echocardiograms every 6-12 weeks; not finding anything interesting to date.

My issues both times have been a little under the skin on my left side some distance above the chest surface ("4 o'clock" for the last one). I may well have gotten different advice and risk information had my issue been closer to the chest wall.

Best wishes in your case