After Radiation
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Hi Ladies.......................still get soreness in the cancer boob, and I finished Rads in the middle of June......................not to mention the lump that sticks out like another boob growing out the side...................scar tissue, who the hell knows...............that is what their saying,.
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Sherry! I am so, so HAPPY for you!!! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did someone say boob pain? :-) 5 1/2 months post-rads and still getting tenderness and pain as armpit and side tissue grows back...my breast is tender on the inside near my cleavage probably due to the residual lymphadema hanging in there. Still haven't been able to wear a normal bra, still wearing my compressure bra. It is uncomfortable for me to have anything under my breast, even elasticized soft cotton. Right now, just happy I don't need Motrin for pain! Going to get fitted for a "comfortable" heavy duty bra today. All I ask for is something low cut so I can wear my clothes again! My compressure bra is high cut...
Gina-really hope you start to feel better soon
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Thanks ladies you are the best
Gina sure hope since they have a name for your pain they can do something to relieve it.
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susanHG
I am still having some pain too.I finished rads on May 27.I finally found a bra I can wear all day.It is Playtex# 4159,no underwire ,very soft and I bought a size bigger than I usually wear .Not cup size ,band sizebecause i can't stand anything tight on me
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well sistas...i never went without a bra...those DD always got in my way...Guess what??????im goin braless..not all the time but since im in the country and no one sees me im goin braless and lovin it....ya gotta be comfortable right????thats what the BS told me...
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granny if it wasn't for other people that I'd scare with my fog lights, I'd be braless always!
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gina---im in the boondocks.no one can see me except the babies...i wouldnt dare do this if i was home...i also would scare the shit out of people where i live dressin like this.I didnt even comb my hair today....this is like a mini vacation for those huge girlies.never in my life was i able to do this.when i lived in Brooklyn i wouldnt even throw out the garbage without makeup....i dont even look in the mirror.ha.
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Hi Walley! We are three days apart. I ended rads on May 30th! I will definitely be looking up that Playtex bra, I just need something supportive for my lymphadema. I don't want it to come back, but I don't want to wear a compressure bra forever! It is kind of a weird feeling though, it isn't necessarily tightness on the skin, yet not really tightness around ribs. I dont know, just not comfortable! I want to throw the bra right off after a 1/2 hour
Granny- I only wish I could go braless, but it would hurt! Someday....
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SusanHG
I am D cup . I can wear this bra comfortable.I have bought about 5 or 6 bras.Finally found this one.I was having a problem with my ribs hurting. they did an x-ray but said it came back negative.It isn't hurting as much now but is still tender right under my breast.I hope this bra works for you,have a good evening:)
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Susan----if you would have been on this thread when i had the edema and had to wear the compression bra 24/7 you would have wanted to kill me....i moaned and groaned every single day.I complained that 1 only had 1 bra and how the hell can you wear 1 bra 24/7? then i sent away for bras that i had to call my credit co.because they would not take them back.i could go on and on.Dear God and in between my GS got engaged and i had to wear a real tight sports bra.I surely feel your pain...i even bought the genie bras which i havnt worn for a while either and loved in the beg.this is such a sore spot for me that i NEVER EVER thought the day would come that i could go braless.THANK YOU GOD. I never realized how comfortable it would feel.It will happen...it takes time.take it easy and breathe...this too shall pass.i never thought it would!!!!!!it will....0
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Yesterday my BS really upset me when I went for my results. She is not one bit supportive of me having a diep reconstruction. She just kept coming up with negatives but thinks implants would be really good for me. So I ended up making an appt with another PS in Austin just for a second opinion even though I really like the PS that I have been seeing because from day one he has asked me what I want out of all this and then he gave me his opinion. 2nd visit he asked if I had really thought about it all and if I still wanted to do it. Never once has he pressured me, he does not need to there are 6 PS's in the group and it takes months to get your first appt with them. DH wanted to know what the failure rate with implants would be because of my radiation damage. I could not remember so I called the nurse, she looked in my chart and he wrote a 60-70% complication rate and that includes using alloderm and something else that would decrease those numbers. Holy cow, I did not realize it was quiet that bad. The nurse is in on all the appts and she told me you have alot of discoloration for being so far out of rads and quiet frankly it will probably not get much better at this point. Of course I am not having it done until March and she said he can still reevaluate me for implants but she said honestly with all the cases she has seen she really did not think I would improve enough to be able to have implants but it can be discussed. So called DH and he said that's it not worth trying the implants and you are never going back to that BS again. He was with me and he could not believe how she spoke to me. He said it was all he could do not to come out of his chair. I have to say I have a wonderful sweet husband that through all of this not one time has he told me what to do. He has listened and supported me and given me his opinion when I have asked for it. He has thought all along that it is my body and my decision so for him to say I am not going back to that surgeon I am gonna listen to him. I'm still keeping my 2nd opinion appt because I figure it can't hurt.
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Sherry - It is too bad that your options were not laid out before surgery. I'm sure you would have made some very different decsions. I don't understand why some doctors won't do that. You would think they have an ethical obligation to do so. With that said, I hope this 2nd opinion surgeon will outline all your options and give you the pros and cons of each so that you can make a well informed decistion.
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Jo the first PS that I have been seeing has done that and I feel I have a really good grasp of my situation. I just feel like my BS was screwing with my emotions yesterday. And I really don't understand why all of a sudden she has such an opinion about it all. But I do think 2nd opinions are good and you never know what insight you might get from it.
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I bought the Genie bra, since I could get it at BJ's and not have to send away for it..........QVC also had it but I didn't feel like paying for the shipping back in case I couldn't wear it..................well the Genie is going back into the box.....................Let me say this................I need a "miracle", not a "Genie"..............................it was comfortable, but those poor "girls" looked like their get up and go.............got up and went........................so I'm on the lookout for a miracle.............................this is nuts..................
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Duckyb1
I tried the Genie bra....no good .Took it back.If you are an A cup maybe.I bought a Playtex#4159.
Maybe go try one on.I got mine at Walmart.It is comfortable,so soft,gives good support ,no under wire,I can now wear it all day.I even went and bought another one.:) I did buy the band size one size bigger,can't t stand anything tight now.Anyway maybe give it a try:) so
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This was posted on another thread and I thought it was interesting information. Published from the Journal of Clinical Oncology
Radiation Treatment for Breast Cancer Causes Cancer in the Other Breast
Young women who receive radiation treatment after breast cancer surgery are significantly more likely to later develop cancer in the other breast than women who did not undergo such radiation.
The findings come from a study, published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, on more than 7,000 women who were treated for breast cancer in Netherlands between the years of 1970 and 1986. All study participants were diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 71.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/026257_cancer_radiation_treatment.html#ixzz1dBQgrqaf0 -
Sherry - WTH - That article is disturbing. Just when you think you have done everything to prevent getting cancer again you read about this crap. Seems like we are in a no win situation at times. Thanks for sharing the information.0
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JO I am always reading and not too long ago I found where the NCI is actually looking at the long term risk of radiation and chemo but more specifically radiation. Seems in the past there were no long term survivors so they did not worry about the secondary effects it had on people. Now people are living longer and are having secondary issues be it additional cancer, lung, heart and other issues. Seems they have figured out that if people live 20 years they are having long term SE's. I figure there is a very good chance I will live to be 68 so what do I have to look forward to?? hum that is the question. If I had read that before radiation it would have been one more reason not to do it. But you do the best you can at the time with the info you have.
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Sherry - You are absolutely right. We do and did make decisions with the information that is given to us. We always hope it is GOOD information but who knows for sure. If I had known about this study and others like it before rads I probably would not have done it. But then again, we are told that without rads we also have an increased risk. We do do the best we can.
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Thought I'd jump in here. The study is indeed distrubing, however those women were radiated between 1970 and 1986. The techniques have changed a lot. My RO told me that they had found heart problems with earlier radiation protocols, but that they'd changed their methods to correct that. I do agree that the cumulative effects of radiation may be more than we've bargained for, and in fact more than is currently known. That's one reason I didn't choose the Canadian short span rads because they don't really know what happend when they give you more dose in short time frame.
In the long run, I still believe I've done what I needed to do to give me as long a life as possible. And, I think i'm not reading any more studies about things I've already had done.....cause it's too late now!0 -
mostlysew you are correct in that the protocols have gotten much better. They have figured out how to reduce the rads field and dosing which should help us all in the long run.
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Hi, jumping in on the study. I did a quick read on the article, and from what I can make out in between the big medical words is that the new cancer seems to be in the other breast. Am I reading that right? It is essentiallya study "overspray" radiation, which has been much improved since then? Still scary.
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SAB that was my take that it is in the other breast. However I know someone on one of the other threads that since rads she keeps having these pre-cancer growths on the skin of her rads side that she never had before. Makes you wonder
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Sherry - That would make me wonder too! Sounds kinda scary to me.
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Well, personally I think it a reasonable assumption that it does hurt us while it is hurting the cancer, so in some ways the study is a big "duh." I don't know about you guys, but on more than one occassion I was told to think of my skin reaction like a bad sunburn, that gets burned over and over again.
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granny-yes, I sure am getting tired of this bra!! I take it off to wash on the weekends, but since it cost 300 dollars (but not out of pocket THANK GOD) I put it in the hand wash cycle to be safe. Let me tell you, it does not get clean enough after wearing it 24/7!!! I am going bra shopping today and definitely picking up a Playtex at Walmart, thank you Wally!!!
Sherry-I had a similar encounter with my initial breast surgeon and PS. My BS was trying to convince me to get a BMX (why? I'm not sure...she told me that I could have some remaining DCIS cells left over, but isn't that the reason for radiation after all? I had extremely clear margins. anyway...) so I returned to the PS for a second visit to clarify things and I brought my husband along this time. He was just so unpleasant almost to the point of yelling at me for actually coming back to question him again about all the outcomes in each situation. I almost cried in the chair and promised myself I would never go back to him or my BS again. I am now at our local cancer hospital and feel so much more taken care of there, even though the place isn't as fancy and I am now among the masses of people. Every issue and question is taken seriously no matter how small. When I went for my visit last week, they actually went to my oncologist twice to check on specific rates of recurrence and new breast cancer in the other breast (I guess for me, the rate is 1/2 - 1 % every year for the rest of my life for a new cancer in the other breast). Also, I asked the question whether I have dense breasts or not and whether I need a MRI, so they actually went over to mammography to ask the radiologist. The answer was not very dense and yes, it is better to be safe and get the MRI.
To make a long story short (or a long story long
), I personally don't regret my decision to have radiation. I actually feel more comfortable for having it than not. I have the comfort of knowing that if by chance they missed some microscopic cells in the lymph nodes (SNB is not 100%) and since I didn't have chemo these were missed, that hopefully radiation blasted them. I don't like the pain and discomfort, but I also still have my breast and I am grateful for that. As far as rads affecting the other breast, the procedure has been so perfected over the years, I would say that it probably is so unlikely these days for it to happen. There is a risk for everything we do, whether it is for having a couple glasses of wine at a party or eating that big juicy steak on our birthday, but we make our decisions knowing all this because it is best for us at the time. Well, that's my take...
Susan
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susanHG
I think you will like the bra,like I said I went one size up on the band size.Only because I can't stand anything tight nowJust try them on:) Good luck! Playtex #4159
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I too am thankful I did radiation, just in case there were small cells left. I dont think this will affect my other breast at all, because you could definatly tell where the radiated area was. I feel like I did what I had to do, do stop ths FC.
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susanHG - I appreciate your comment that everything has risk associated with it - my mother-in-law went out for a big dinner on her birthday and had a heart attack on the way home! Fortunately they were right around the corner from the hosptal and quick thinking companions recognized the symptoms and took her in. Happy ending, but I'll bet she wished she'd ordered the salad.0
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Congratulations, Sherry!
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