Radiation January 2019

hi ladies. I went in for first radiation consult today and will be doing 15 . My simulation is next Wednesday. My Surgeon said I would have surgery, radiation and a pill. No mention of chemo. But today when I met my Onco Dr., he pulled out a pamphlet and asked if I wanted to take the Onco test because it was covered by Medicare. Like I said in another post.....it almost felt like a sales pitch? Is this a necessary test. Chemo has never been mentioned befor😳 Have you all had this? Thanks ladies

Welcome M-andM37. I think you will find a lot of support and helpful advice along the way. I had 33 treatments as well, but I did not have chemo due to low mammaprint. I hope you sail through with little SE's. There are plenty of ladies on here that had few side effects. Remember in addition to all the lotions to keep hydrated. I used a cream called "my girls" that I got online but lots of people seem yo really like the miaderm. My PS also had me use aquaphor at least once a day. My center had me spritzing brewed green tea at one point, and I was not that faithful at using that. It did seem to help my itching to some degree though. The fatigue does seem to sneak up on you. Just be gentle with yourself and take naps and rest as needed.

Suzy- I had the mammaprint test and not the oncotype test, but it is similar. Mine came back as low risk so that showed that I would not benefit from chemo. Here is a link to some info on the test: Oncotype test info

Hi everyone, and welcome M&M-37; Love the aloe Vera spray - I add the calendula cream after the spray dries - works pretty good. Today I had some itchiness and the RO told me to mix the calendula with hydrocortisone cream- it worked - doesn’t itch.

Dani444- thanks - I have lump in my side, too; just below the drain site from the surgery - it’s an annoying pulling sensatiion, too. Hoping it’ll go away when done with rads. My PS said he won’t switch out the TE for at least 4 months after rads (waiting for scar tissue to settle). Did you have the implant already? Did you have a TE? Mine is in front of the pectoral muscle.

It’s difficult to concentrate at work - I can relate to that. Just doing barely enough for crisis control- the rest can wait !

Good luck everyone! Take care! It was sure nice to have that 3day weekend- the radiation place was closed Monday!

Hey suzyshacklechick,

Even when all other indications about a tumor are favorable, it's still possible for the oncotype test to come back saying it is a high risk tumor, genetically speaking. It's unlikely but possible. In that situation, a doctor who would otherwise have avoided chemo might recommend it. Different doctors have different standards for when they even order the test.

If you know that no matter how it came back, you'd not want chemo, and you'd rather not know, I think it's fair to trust that.

It's really great that medicaid is covering it, though.

Welcome to all who are new. You will love this thread and appreciate all the support. I've been done with RADS since New Year's Eve but I still like to check in and see how everyone is doing.

Keeshondmom, I did the breath holding too, but without a picky tech. Of course, they just want the best results for you but that tech's behavior seems odd. Each time I went in I had to do one or two practice breaths and the techs would tell me if I needed a deeper breath or needed to let some air out. Good Luck!

Faceforward, I was worried about your scary start but it sounds like everything is good now. Thank goodness!

Suzyshacklechick, I did the Oncotype test and felt it (or something similar) was considered routine for everyone. I remember being told not to worry about it, then it came back saying I would benefit from chemo! I think everyone might have been a little surprised. After that test the MO decided I should also have genetic testing. In the end, primarily due to my age, I decided to decline chemo. My MO supported my decision, which was a little hard to make. She did say that taking an AI for next 7-10 years would be super important since I wasn't going to do chemo. I told my BS I was going to flip a coin because I couldn't decide what to do. He said no, no...go with your heart. So I said no. If your onco number is low it might be reassuring to you and if it is not low then you have to make a decision. Best wishes with whatever you decide. We all make the decision that we think is best for us at the time. I'll probably worry about my decision because I am so good at worrying! But, if I didn't do the test I would worry too.

re: creams- I have mentioned Jean's Cream before. It was given to me every week at my RO appointment and I think that there was a clinical trial for the product at my medical center a number of years ago. I haven't heard of anyone else on this thread who used it but it worked well for me. I still use it once a day. http://www.jeanscream.com/home/

Dani, stay warm. I hope you have some hot cocoa planned for your evening. We get the arctic cold tomorrow. They are already posting delayed openings for schools in NH tomorrow.

Take Care everyone.

Suzyshacklechick it is not going to hurt. I had a similar experience with my MO (soon to me ex MO). I went in with the thought of I had surgery, am going to start radiation and I'm going to take a pill. He started right down the chemo road and unfortunately he is the first doctor to get me upset, so all of my questions about tamoxifen, ovarian suppression, etc never really happened because I was done with him. I could get him saying we should run this test, there is a chance if it comes back high that you would benefit from chemo and left it at that. But he was like there are 4 treatments, 3 weeks apart, you will lose your hair, etc. I found out later that he treats a lot of blood cancer and leukemia so he does a lot of chemo. Needless to say today I talked to my RO and said I really would like an MO more focused on breast cancer and he was like I have the perfect person, all she does is BC. In fact they are speaking together at a conference next week about their collaborative work on BC. He is arranging and appointment, the first one was more the office my BS sent me too, I think more for location convenience, which it is only another 15 minutes to go to the main location and see someone more specialized. On the other note my Oncotype came back with a 9, so no chemo for me and all that time chatting about chemo for not.

Keeshondmom you need to say something. I'm doing the breath hold and it is 2 at the beginning to make sure we are good and then 3 for my treatment. I would bring it directly up to the tech but if you don't feel comfortable then talk with your doctor or a nurse. You are your best advocate.

I finished week one today, 5 down, 10 to go...so far so good. A little swelling in my armpit yesterday but it was gone this morning. See some of you on the February board.

Suzyshackle, I had the onco type test and it came back at 31 so without question I had chemo. With chemo I went from a possible 40% recurrence in 10 years down to 12%. Before I got the results I thought if it was borderline and I had to make a decision on whether to do chemo, I was leaning towards chemo. I thought I'm going through all this now, just get it over with and hope for a healthy future. That's great if Medicare pays for your test. It's definitely a big decision to make.

WORK!! I returned to work full time the week I started radiation. The cancer center is in the opposite direction of my work and my appointment times at 7:15 am, so by 1pm I was wiped out. I worked an additional full week then I went on half days. So much better! I had no problem getting a disability note which was shocking. The RO nurses actually brought it up to me.

Thanks everyone for posting your experiences. It's so helpful. My skin is dark and red now, and I'm am so swollen! Three more boosts and I'm done!

can someone tell me the name of the aloe spray you keep in fridge. I think you order online? Would love to get that in advance. Thanks again for comments. Praying for low score.

Suzy- it’s seven minerals aloe Vera gel spray; USDA organic- keep in the frig once you open it, and it’s good for 2 months after opening. I spray it on my hair too . I found it on Amazon. All the best to you

thanks for sharing, Dani444- My PS wants to do fat grafting too but I doubt I’ll do it. I just want them to switch this TE out for an implant as soon as possible; then put all this in the rear view mirror!

Good luck to all of you who are in that cold weather! Stay warm!!

Congratulations on finishing Labmom82!!!!!!!

Thank you egregious and Dani444. I see the mo at the end of the month and will find out hormone meds I will be taking.

CONGRATULATIONS, Labmom82!!