Starting radiation treatment in April, 2020

Hi TrixieBlue and striveforhealth, I think I will be joining you towards the end of April. I had surgery last week and I just talked to the surgeon about the path report. She reviewed my case with the radiation oncologist and he recommended radiation on my right side.

Since you are both ahead of me, I will be eager to track your posts on how things go for you. I wish you both easy treatments. My sister had radiation a few years ago and she had very few issues. I think they have made many improvements to radiation treatments in recent years so I expect that we will all be fine.

Take care.

I asked the radiation oncologist about coronavirus and treatment. She said they have contingency plans in place and patients will be able to continue treatment even if a staff member gets sick. She said I should focus on taking care of myself and staying isolated, which is easy enough since I'm a teacher and we are on the longest spring break ever. The silver lining in this mess is that I can go for my treatments any time during the day since we will be teaching online and we can choose our own hours for student contact.

I had my mapping this morning and it was uneventful, other than visitors are no longer allowed. I'm being treated at a cancer center next to a major hospital and it is usually a 30+ minute drive in heavy traffic with a crazy parking situation. It took less than 15 minutes today and I parked right up front.

The doctor and tech both said I should be able to start actual treatments in the next 7-10 days.

Striveforhealth, yes they did talk about protecting my heart and lungs. My center does DIBH (deep inspiration breath hold) and my heart was 1 cm out of the treatment field and I had no trouble holding my breath for 30+ seconds consistently. Their goal is 0.5 cm and 25 seconds, so they were pretty happy about that.

I have not really seen this posted much anywhere, but the radiation oncologist said she felt like the only long-lasting side effect I might have are weaker ribs on my left side. She said if I were ever in a car accident where the seat belt locked up suddenly and the air bag deployed, I might end up breaking some ribs but even that would be unlikely.

Welcome Everyone!

Just wanted to update that my plans for radiation are in flux and my planning session booked today has been cancelled/postponed.

My MO and I had a teleconference yesterday and he is ordering a Ki67 and bringing my case to the multidisciplinary (tumour) board for discussion on whether chemo should be offered for my recurrence. That is to take place next Tuesday (April 7) with a follow-up teleconference with me that afternoon with outcomes and recommendations.....

Back on the waiting train!

Hi all,

I finished radiation a week ago, and wanted to tell you about something called Mepitel film that protected my skin from burning.

After 16 sessions my skin looks completely normal, not even pink, under the film. However, a small part of radiated skin is exposed, where the Mepitel film peeled away close to the armpit. That skin is bright red. If anyone wants a photo to show to their RO I can private message it to you.

A study from New Zealand, where the use of this film was pioneered for radiation, showed a 92 percent reduction in skin side effects.

It's a thin film that you can order online or your hospital may have it. It's not too hard to apply, and needs changing anywhere from every few days to once a week. You keep it on 24/7, and don't do any skin care. It seems to work by reducing friction. You can shower with it on, although I always held a towel over it in the shower and aimed away.

I had a mastectomy, so I thought the chest wall radiation would really burn, since I have no fat under my skin to help absorb it. My hospital doesn't routinely use Mepitel yet, but my RO agreed to ask the wound nurse to apply it for me. The wound nurse had a supply of it, and he dropped by just before I had my first radiation treatment to put it on. (Nothing different needs to be done to accommodate for it during your pre-treatment modelling appointment.) He showed the radiation techs how to do it, and they changed the film for me whenever it was starting to peel. They all thought it was easy to do -- most of the techs had experience already with different kinds of film. Because my chest is completely flat, it was simple and quick, i.e. a couple of minutes.

You may have to politely insist to your RO that you should have it, but I think it's worth advocating for yourself in this way. Some on this site just went ahead and ordered it themselves and then learned how to apply it (it's just peel and stick, and use your tattoos for guidance).

Here is the NZ study. You might want to print this and show it to your RO. Studies in North America are in progress as a result of this one. Good luck, and feel free to ask me any questions!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24486117

Well, one week down and uneventful. I did ask my RO what would happen if I got corona and he told me that they haven’t had that happen yet, but they would continue to treat me unless I was in the hospital. That was a load off my mind. They would probably ask me to come at the end of the day, but I’m near the end anyway

Hello! I start on 4/7 and am anxious to get it going and over with. I had my consult/mold last week and it was uneventful and easy. They do marker at my place so I have four marks covered in clear tape. The staff was very nice and I feel like I’m in good hands. Best of luck to all of you!

striveforhealth, TrixieBlue, Floral and elc75, I'm glad you have been able to start your treatment. I found out today, that my first appointment will be on 4/28 and I probably won't start treatments until May. I'll have four weeks of treatment on my right under arm and possibly some extra radiation at the end if my MRI shows some additional lesions on my spine. My MRI was canceled for today and it probably won't be done until next month due to coronavirus policies at the hospitals.

callmeCookies, I wish you an easy time with the AIs. From talking to my mom and sister, they can be difficult for some women.

Brooklyn1234, I will ask my RO about Mepitel film. I'm curious how things are going for you.

Mudstick, the waiting is so hard! I'm thinking of you.

deanders, were you able to find some creams?

Eigna, how are you doing? Have you had your second treatment yet?

Hi everyone,

I may be joining the group. I have my RO consult by video on Thursday and will find out if I will need radiation and when it might start. I may be delayed until May or June due to the virus case numbers growing here in Michigan. Meanwhile, my MO started me on Tamoxifen.

I had my first one today too TrixieBlue and I also felt very safe and saw very few human beings! They did an extensive set of x-rays first which was the worst part because my arms were above my head and I couldn’t move. The actual radiation took 6 minutes. I was a little anxious going in and was getting chemo flashbacks but it honestly wasn’t worth getting worked up about. 1 down 29 to go.

I wanted to stop in and provide an update - After a discussion with the tumour board and the results of the Ki67 (17.2%) chemo is being recommended for my recurrence. I'll be moving over to the April chemo board, I guess. I'm happy to finally have a plan (start date likely still 2-3 weeks away), but of course very nervous about...well...everything!

I wish all you lovely women the best with your treatments. Stay healthy and safe.