Infection and radiation

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Dac9969
Dac9969 Member Posts: 3
edited May 2018 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After


I'm so sorry if this is a long post. I just wanted to explain the situation.

I started my radiation 2 weeks ago. After my treatment I felt pain in my breast. The technician told me if I had an infection the radiation usually will worsen it. By the third treatment I was in agony. I thought to myself I've got 3 more weeks of this how am I going to get through. After making phone calls and and being seen by an on call Dr they pretty much dismissed me. I went in for my fourth treatment and there was a new tech,thank God for her, she looked at me and said you're a little pink you shouldn't be pink!! it's too soon for your skin to change. She sent me in to see the on call Doctor Who I previously saw. He sent me to my surgeon. Unfortunately my surgeon was not available so I saw the nurse. Nobody wanted to prescribe me antibiotic, NOBODY!! She was hesitant but she prescribed me 5 days worth of amoxicillin. She also ordered a ultrasound. The ultrasound confirmed what was thought to be fluid in a pocket in the breast .So I went in for a drain which was unsuccessful the liquid was not liquid it was too thick to extract.(JUST GREAT) the following day I went in for radiation and thank God my doctor was back. They pulled me in to see her and sure enough she confirmed I had an infection in my left breast. That gave me a week off of radiation. I feel so much better there is still a little bit of pain. However, I start my radiation up again on Monday I am so scared that this infection might not be a hundred percent cleared up and I'm going to go through this all over again. The doctor told me that once we start this again there's no stopping it. I guess my question is has anybody experienced a breast infection while going through radiation??? How did it turn out? The pain was really excruciating. I'm pretty tough and that was bad. Thanks so much

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited May 2018

    Wow, so sorry Dac9969 that you had to go through this. and double wow that they didn't get you help sooner. It is not unknown to get such an infection. Maybe you want to discuss options with your doctor before they re-start the radiation. Do they suggest another round of antibiotics when you resume?

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  • Dac9969
    Dac9969 Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2018

    I will see the doctor on Monday before my radiation session. I'm really hoping that she will give me more antibiotic if needed. I will definitely know come Monday.

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited May 2018

    Hello, Dac. I agree with the Mods. Perhaps the doctor can give you one more course of antibiotics to take even while you resume radiation, to make sure the infection is completely cleared up, as you do not want to stop and start radiation again.

    I also had a presumed infection in the breast being treated. It felt firmer than the unaffected one, the way it would feel if it was time to feed a baby on that side. The pain began in an area where I had had a recent biopsy, then spread. Whenever the rad techs would so much as touch me, I would cry, “Ow!" So they sent me up to the clinic, and the nurse tried to brush me off. But I asked her to tell the doctor what I said and ask if it was normal. She came back and told me the doctor (radiation oncologist) said no, that was not normal and that I should come down the hall and see her. The doctor prescribed the antibiotics, and I continued without a break in treatment. We canceled the ultrasound because the med seemed to have worked, and the breast had no further problem. I did lose weight from some diarrhea, which was probably caused by the antibiotics and my weakened state. So they had to re-figure some numbers for the machine.

    By the way, it is not true that pinkness always comes later in treatment. I had it immediately, in the whole radiated area, before the infection came up.

    Good luck, Dac. Just show up every day and pretty soon you will be done with radiation.

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  • Dac9969
    Dac9969 Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2018

    Thank you very much! I'm going to ask that I take a little bit more antibiotic just to be sure. I too had excruciating pain just by touching my breast. I do feel a lot better right now. There is still a little bit of pain. Tomorrow is my last day of the antibiotics. Crossing my fingers.

    Thanks so much again

    Deb

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited May 2018

    Hi again Deb -- just thinking of you and wondering how you're doing? Send us an update and please continue to connect here on the boards -- we're all here for you!

    --The Mods

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  • gb2115
    gb2115 Member Posts: 1,894
    edited May 2018

    I also had immediate pinkness and some light swelling at the very beginning. It went away after a few days. They said it was unusual. It think maybe it happens more than they think. Then the real "sunburn" set in around week 2 or 3, can't remember now. Haha... proof that you get through it and it becomes a distant memory!!

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