Notifications

Clear all

Forum

Page 1 / 6 Next

Title

Views

Posts

Radiation experiences

First post and replies | Last post by Iamasurvivor, 6 hours ago

67

10

I have breast cancer and recently completed chemotherapy. I have surgery for a lumpectomy in a couple weeks. Following that I will have radiation therapy. I would like to hear from anyone who has had breast cancer radiation to know what to expect as far as side effects and how it compares to chemotherapy side effects. I’m told I will have 16 to 23 treatments, that will be 5 days a week Monday through Friday so it will last about a month. Thanks for your input.

By Lms7663 1 week ago
Hello! I did radiation. Side effects was fatigue mainly. I did chemo and double mastectomy first so it might of been a culmination of that as well or the fact it was everyday. I did not have skin irritation until later and was given sulvatine to help, but I was allergic to it and did not know. I just kep putting more on thinking it was getting worse. I am allergic to sulfa and they said it would be fine, but did not put it together until someone said her doc would not prescribe it due to that. I was just mainly worn out. Not ill or anyt...

By Kpitzer02 10 hours ago
Many side effects can be effectively managed with the right tools and knowledge. I am very fair skinned and worried a lot about "burning". Tips to avoid that are to go home if you can and immediately undress the breast area. Letting it "breathe" from clothing and put on whatever ointment/lotion is recommended to you if needed. Also, when you do cover it, try to use a soft cotton that will allow it to breathe as well and avoid bras while healing as they tend to hold in the heat. You can also apply cool (no ice) damp compress or take a cool ...

By Buttercup 10 hours ago
Sounds like you are having a similar treatment plan to mine. I did chemo, surgery (lumpectomy), and then 21 days of radiation and 1 year of target therapy (herceptin). I would tell you, in my opinion, the radiation was the easiest part of my treatment. Even though you go daily (Mon-Fri) the appointment is very quick and I did not experience any significant side effects. A lot of people are very tired from it, but I was not. I remained active during the entire radiation treatment. I drove myself there most days although family accompanied m...

By Iamasurvi... 9 hours ago
Hello - my radiation was 15 years ago but I'm happy to help with a response. I'd say the biggest side effect is fatigue. I remember I worked in S Overland Park and had to drive 25 minutes to my radiation center where my "zapping" would be maybe 7 minutes total. That was my Mental Fatigue (and irritation) but once I drove the 10 min drive home, I was exhausted as if I'd just run a marathon. It would wipe me out for a good 1-2 hour nap. I am Latina but fairly light-skinned so I did get very red around my upper chest and neck area - I was also irr...

By YoliV5590 9 hours ago
@yoliv5590 Did you know that you can get your radiation alignment tattoos removed for free? Rajeunir Medical Spas will take care of that for you at any of their three area locations—Lee’s Summit, North of the River or South Overland Park. It takes several sessions, so there’s that, but at least it doesn’t cost anything!

By janedoe7 8 hours ago
@janedoe7 I did not know that! Have you done it or know of anybody that did and how did it look post procedure to remove them? That’s so awesome they will do it for free. Wondering if I should leave them as battle scars (not very noticeable anyway) or remove them…..

By Iamasurvi... 8 hours ago
I forgot to say, I ended up buying non stick dressing to put in my bra to make sure my lotion would not stick. I don't remember what I applied, but I did it daily and I think that helped.

By Kpitzer02 8 hours ago
@iamasurvivor No, I actually didn’t have tattoos. They made a mold of my torso for me to lie in each time. (That’s just how they did alignment there.)

By janedoe7 7 hours ago
@janedoe7 that’s great!

By Iamasurvi... 6 hours ago
view all posts

First post and replies | Last post by User2008, 4 weeks ago

143

5

This is a new adventure

First post and replies | Last post by dld, 4 weeks ago

155

6

Hurry up and wait 🙁

First post and replies | Last post by Kpitzer02, 2 months ago

100

8

Side effects of Letrozole

First post and replies | Last post by Debi, 2 months ago

83

3

First post and replies | Last post by summers72983, 3 months ago

181

14

My Cancer Journey As Mom

First post and replies | Last post by thilner2015, 3 months ago

49

1

HER2 Triple Positive Breast Cancer My husband I just sat our 9-year-old down and told her. We explained what would happen and what toexpect during my treatment. We tried to mentally prepare for my change in appearance as well. Idecided the one thing I could control was to get ahead of my hair falling out, so when it started to fallout I had my husband and daughter help me shave my head.My husband had to take over cleaning, cooking, soccer practice, and friends had to drive my daughter toschool.My support system has always been wonderful. ...

By thilner20... 3 months ago

First post and replies | Last post by janedoe7, 3 months ago

80

8

Navigating Breast Cancer with Kids

First post and replies | Last post by aborniger, 3 months ago

57

1

Julie Rudman recently asked for advice on how to navigate breast cancer with kids for an upcoming podcast she's a part of. I wanted to share the answers I gave to her here as well, in case anyone else would find them useful. Mamas, you are stronger than you ever thought possible. Sending healing vibes to you all! Initial Communication and Coping How did you explain your cancer diagnosis to your children, and how did they handle it? My kids were pretty young when I was diagnosed. My son was about to start kindergarten and my daughter wa...

By aborniger 3 months ago

Painful Sex Treatment Options

First post and replies | Last post by Jenny_marshall, 3 months ago

75

1

Hi! For those of you that have problems with painful sex, especially due to a lack of estrogen (I had a hysterectomy at 37 years old and loosing all of that Estrogen caused a lot of dryness and vaginal pain with sex). I wanted to share info on the Mona Lisa Procedure. It helps to remove stenotic (badly scarred) tissue in the vagina. This scarred tissue makes sex very painful. I got the Mona Lisa procedure to remove this tissue. It was amazing! I also now do vaginal estrogen on a limited basis. These have truly helped with my sex life. Unfortuna...

By Jenny_mar... 3 months ago

Page 1 / 6 Next