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Questions about Radiation treatment? Join us on Zoom.
Our professionally facilitated In Treatment Zoom meetups are a great space to meet others going through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or reconstruction to talk face-to-face and get support while going through active treatment. You'll pick up great tips from others who've been there, gain immeasurable support, and learn…
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List of what to do/get/pack to prep for Radiation Therapy
Hey all, We would like to put a complete-as-possible list together of your suggestions for getting through Radiation treatment in our next newsletter. Can you start sharing your ideas here? Thanks so much! The Mods **********HEY ALL, HERE IS THE LIST, AS OF MARCH, 2015. Please let us know if we missed things, and/or you…
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Important Links for Newbies About Radiation Therapy
Some very helpful information can be found in the main Breastcancer.org site's section on Radiation Therapy, including: * How Radiation Works * Types of Radiation * Managing Skin Side Effects * Managing Other Side Effects of Radiation * Myths About Radiation Therapy * Breaking Research News about Radiation Therapy for…
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Crusty Nipple 3 Months after Completing Rads
Hi all. I haven't been here in a while after recovering from my radiation after 3 months. I just noticed this week that I started having stabbing pains at the surgical site, which caused me to pay closer attention to my breast. I noticed the orange peel look had returned to my breast and that a layer of crust had developed…
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Burn under arm 4 weeks into radiation treatment
so I am getting a little worried here because I’m supposed to be getting radiation therapy to both my left and right breast. Now on the left side, they are radiating the nodes under my left arm and by my collarbone. I had a mastectomy on the left side back in January and immediate reconstruction with an LD flap. My right…
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Starting Radiation October 2019
Is anyone else starting radiation in October? I was supposed to start today but it took them so long to do the x-rays and more markings that they mercifully postponed the treatment until tomorrow--which is October. I will be having 30 treatments over six weeks.
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Post Radiotherapy treatment
Hi everyone just a quick question. I finished Radiotherapy 2 weeks ago and I have a patch of skinon my armpit that is red roar and today has started weeping. Cannot get hold of Oncology team now til Tuesday. Any ideas for short term help Thanks everyone
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Nipple changes during radiation
I’d like to know if anyone has had a similar experience to what I’m experiencing right now. I am 2 1/2 weeks into radiation therapy, and my nipple is very VERY sensitive which I’m told is normal. It has also turned very dark. I have been putting biafine on the entire area after radiation, the past few days I’ve been using…
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Looking for advice on Throat issues during radiation
I had surgery for Stage III invasive lobular cancer of the left breast. There was also a Stage 1 small cancer in the right breast which was only detectable by mri. Mastectomy and reconstruction of the left breast via LD flap and lumpectomy of the right breast was performed. Oncotype very low so only radiation was…
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Partial breast vs. whole breast radiation for left breast
Hi There, I'm wondering if anyone has direct or indirect experience with partial breast radiation vs whole breast radiation for the left breast in terms of short and long term side effects. I'm a candidate for partial but I'd like to do whatever is least invasive especially for my heart and lungs. I'm also curious if…
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Radiation--Reduce Effects with Mepitel Film
Hello: I am Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, IIIC, triple negative. I am finishing radiation, 6.5 weeks with 5 boosts with bolus. I have used Mepitel Film, a wound dressing made of non-stick silicone. It helps greatly reduce the effects of radiation burns, i.e. dermatitis and moist desquamation (skin that weeps and bleeds from…
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February 2023 Radiation
I just had my pre-radiation therapy mapping session today. I have "pretty" red and blue marks on my skin, and they made a back cast made today to aid in getting me set up in the same position for daily treatment. They told me it might be a week or so before I am scheduled to start and to be careful not wash off. Is anyone…
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Started Radiation March 2023?
Hi, I'm Melissa and this is my second go around with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 9/2015 with stage 2 IDC. I had double mastectomy followed by chemo. I took Tamoxifen for 1 year, followed by 5 years of AI. Fast forward to Aug 2022 and I was diagnosed with a recurrence. Since I didn't have radiation last time, was wanting to…
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Rads + Lx Doesnt Improve Overall Survival forCertain Older Women
Radiation After Lumpectomy Doesn't Improve Overall Survival for Certain Older Women Feb 21, 2023 For women ages 65 and older diagnosed with small, early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, radiation after lumpectomy didn't improve overall survival. Read more...
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Shorter Radiation Schedule Less Likely For Black Cancer Patients
Shorter Radiation Schedule Less Likely For Black Cancer Patients Feb 20, 2023 Black people diagnosed with breast or prostate cancer were less likely to receive radiation on a shorter, or hypofractionated, schedule. Read more...
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Post-treatment Edema vs Chronic Lymphedema?
Just wondering if other people have had this experience. I'm 3 months out from lumpectomy/SNLB (2 nodes), 1.5 months out from 20 radiation treatments. One thing of note is that I have had bouts of extreme anxiety that I needed to treat with Lexapro for several months, prior to my BC diagnosis. Anyway, my question is: the…
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Pain in Breast 7 years post Radiation
I am seven years post radiation therapy on my right breast. I am very active and work out regularly. I have had very few issues. All my mammograms have been normal except showing fibrosis of the right breast. I was discharged early from my cancer doctors because I was not able to tolerate Hormone Therapy. Over the several…
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Radiation December 2018
I don’t think anyone has started this group yet, so here goes. Anyone else doing this over Christmas?
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Radiation, depression and cancelling treatment
I don't know if this is the right place, but I canceled my radiation for tomorrow. I'm thinking of cancelling indefinitely. I just don't want to do any of this any more. I was borrowing my mother's car because my son borrowed mine to get back up to college and my husband was too busy to drive me. Long story short, my mom…
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Starting radiation in January 2023?
i start radiation on 1/3/22 and am interested in connecting with others who are on a similar schedule. I just finished chemo snd was very lucky to have only modest side effects. Now dreading radiation even though almost everyone says it is easier than chemo.
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will be starting soon...now I'm nervous
Hi All. This whole thing still has me in disbelief. I seem to just be trudging along the path. and hoping. I am so very lucky, it was early, it was small, two surgeries but now have good margins. So the next step is radiation and talk to oncologist about hormone therapy? I am still learning terminology, still confused,…
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TCHP done, Partial mastectomy done, Now Radiation, then?
I'm not going to mince words: I hate cancer. I hate my doctors even more. I've had a hard time getting answers to questions and my oncologist flaked out for about a month, leaving no back up available, after he had some family issues. Which, I understand he's human and life happens, but there should be some contingency…
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Radiation After Lumpectomy Doesn't Improve Overall Survival.
Radiation After Lumpectomy Doesn't Improve Overall Survival Nov 22, 2022 Treating early-stage breast cancer with radiation along with chemotherapy and hormonal therapy after lumpectomy lowers recurrence risk in the same breast, but doesn't improve overall survival. Read more...
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Share inspiring messages/photos to help others
We've collected so many of your tips to preparing for and getting through radiation treatment, and are working on putting it in a PDF to share with you. To add to this we were wondering if you had a short "words of wisdom/inspiration" that you could share here to include as well. Also, any photos of you during treatment?!
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10 years post radiation--breast changes
I had lumpectomy, chemo and radiation 10 years ago. My breast has been slightly smaller and denser since treatment but not terribly noticeable. Since then I've had 3 more biopsies on that breast (all benign, thankfully!). I've noticed in the last year that my breast has shrunk significantly and become much, much more…
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Post-mastectomy radiation after pathologic complete response ?
Hi everyone - I'm trying to choose whether to have PMRT. I am in a grey area. I was node positive (probably 2 nodes), but had complete pathological response to chemo. Surgery found no cancer in breast or nodes. No one knows whether PMRT helps or harms patients like me. The guidelines go back and forth, but PMRT is the…
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Fall 2015 Rads
A shy hello to all the lovely participants on these boards! I was reminded by someone starting an 'August rads' thread that there may be others out there undergoing radiation this fall, and thought to start a thread for that/us/anyone who's interested. My sim/official intake's on August 26th, and I'll start rads on August…
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Heart damage from radiation?
I had radiation on my left breast 11 years ago when I was 41 and am concerned about potential heart damage. At the time, I asked my radiation oncologist because the cancer was so close to my heart, and he blew me off and said the way they do it now doesn't cause damage. This was February/March 2010. I do not have any…
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Post radiotherapy damage
Does anyone have damage from radiation? I have had two rounds of 30 doses of radiotherapy to my left chest: 2013 post lumpectomy for DCIS and 2018 post mastectomy for TNBC. As it was 5 years between my RO said it was ok. I now regret taking this course of action. Since my last round of radiation, I have had two recurrences…
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Radiation after Mastectomy
Hi all. I recently had my left breast mastectomy 5 weeks ago. I had a Pathological complete response to treatment so I am very blessed. I am now struggling with the decision to do radiation or not. The radiologist says it is my decision and if I do it it’s like an insurance. I was looking at the side Effects and saw that…
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Starting Radiation October 2021
Hello! Wanted to get a thread started for October radiation, I've met with my Radiation Oncologist and I'll be receiving 30 treatments. I also had my simulation this week and have my markers in place. Technically I start September 30, but what's one more day!
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Need advice on radiation decision
Hi everyone, My mom, 75 y/o, was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma Grade 1. She did a lumpectomy and decided against dissecting her sentinel nodes. Now we have a dilemma of whether to do: 1) radiation on a full breast only OR 2) full breast including axillary nodes OR 3) just a small part of the breast where the…
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Radiation recovery
Hi I know there is another thread but I thought, since it is 60 pages old, I would start a new one for those of us just finishing radiation. My hope is that we can discuss remedies to avoid, tight skin, discuss the emotional side of being at this point of treatment, continue to support one another and keep in touch.