Savi radiation treatment
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Hope your treatments were much better and the pain has subsided. One more day to go! Good luck with your visualization technique. I usually just take deep breaths, close my eyes and “go to my happy place” as they say....
Works well at the dentist, too!
I remember feeling pressure when the SAVI was removed, the doctor pulled it out with one swift motion. He put lidocaine at the insertion site because he had to twist it a little because the skin had healed around it a little. Then he smoothly yanked it out with one motion. I felt instantly relieved of the pressure in my breast.
It will be great when this is all over for you
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Thanks for being there for me IrishGirl. Just have tonight and tomorrow morning to get through and then I'm done! I'll be taking 1.5 pain pill in the morning. Doc said two would be ok, but I'm afraid I'd get sick. Tonight I had a bad case of the dry heaves and that was after fighting it for a couple of hours. When I finally gave in, I didn't have anything in my stomach to throw up. It was awful...so explosive I was afraid of dislodging my SAVI. I am so ready to get this over and done with! I do appreciate all your support though. I'm normally a happy positive person but this stuff has me feeling more grumpy then usual, that's for sure!
By 8:00 AM I'll be Savi Free... Well, at least my breast will be. I'll still be the proud owner of the Savi device itself. They are going to clean it and bag it for me to take home as a very expensive souvenir of this whole ordeal!0 -
Yea, Dustien! I hope your removal was quick & painless. SAVI-free is worth celebrating; I'm getting the balloons & noisemakers!!!
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Dustien,
Sorry to hear that you were so sick last night. I don’t know what caused that. I had no reaction like that. You have had a really bad time with this, but again, it is over and done!
By now the device is gone! I was not able to bring mine home as a “souvenir “. Now that this is all over, you can start to feel normal again and enjoy the upcoming warm weather. Get outside and enjoy!
Sending a warm, enthusiastic hug your way! Time to celebrate, but take your time and don’t rush activity. You may be tired from the experience for awhile and healing takes time.
Let us know how you are doing.
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Well, I came in to post about the successful removal of my Savi and got side tracked. I can't lie, even with 1.5 Percesets in me it still hurt more then anything else during this process, but the intense pain was short lived, less then 30 seconds I'd say, and they it was over. Anyone can stand that.
I am soooooooo glad this week is over. It's been the toughest week of all. Thank God I'm now cancer free, savi free and on the mend! Thanks to all of you for being there listening to my whins and gripes! I wish I could have been more positive but I'm afraid I'm a wimp when it comes to pain. Everything up to this has been pretty smoothly going. But though this week was the hardest and had me second guessing doing the Savi Proceedure instead of the Whole Breast Radiation, now that it's done I'm glad I went this way. I'd have another week to go with the WBR.
I also think, long term, there's going to be less side effects and quicker healing then the WBR would have given me. And I've not had to take anything more then a single Tylenol since the proceedure. I find that quite amazing. Hopefully this is the end of having to take the strong pain meds! Plus, I finally get to take a regular shower tomorrow! Wahoo! How good is that going to feel???
Thanks Irish Girl and everyone else who gave me support and helped me though this! You're definitely the best! And, Irish Girl, I will be thinking good thoughts of you while I'm out there enjoying that lovely spring you talk about, as soon as it finally gets here! Do a search of "Spring Forward How Freekin Far" and check out the darling bird graphic someone came up with. That describes spring for much of the country very well right now. ;-) The next week is supposed to gradually warm up till it's beautiful! Can't wait!0 -
Yahoo! I bet that shower was awesome! Hope you languished there and and took a long time to enjoy it.
I agree the whole breast radiation may have had some unwanted side effects. In fact my RO suggested that I not do that, because it may affect the heart and lungs because it goes really deep, whereas the SAVI is targeted to the cavity where the cancer was.
You may have a “skin reaction” in a couple of weeks, like I did. The RO said it is normal. It presented as a discoloration and itchy, scaly, skin. My doctor told me to buy hydrocortisone with aloe and slather it all over the area. The hydrocortisone helps relieve the itching and the aloe helps with healing. I also used neosporin at the wound site to prevent infection and help healing. I had the itching and peeling for several weeks, but am happy to say that the skin and wounds healed and I have only a tiny scar. However, the nipple on that breast is darker than the other,(my skin reaction was mostly around the nipple, and that was where the SAVI was pointed and where I felt the most pinching and discomfort while it was in). But, all things considered, I feel fortunate.
Still waiting for Spring, though
Hope your healing goes smoothly. Keep posting so we can see how you are
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loved the bird graphic, too! Lol. So true
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I actually decided to put off the shower an extra day because my breast was hurting. Tonight I'm hopping in that baby though, and probably won't be coming out till morning, or until the hot water tank goes dry, whichever happens first! LOL!
Thanks Irish Girls, for the warning about the skin reaction. I'll grab some of that Hydrocordisone with Aloe to have on hand just in case. I image it will be useful for many things and good to have in the medicine chest arsenal. I, too, have been putting Neosporin on the wound when re-bandaging it. I swear by that stuff and buy it every time it's on sale. It's gone on every little wound my Granddaughter's had since she was born...at least when she's at Grandma's house. ;-)
Here's hoping spring comes soon for the both of us Irish Girl...and for those poor birds too!0 -
Dustien, hope that first shower was lovely and that the pain has disappeared. Did the hot water last as long as you did in the shower?!!!! Sorry you didn't have such a great experience but glad you're done. If you're like many of us, the twinges of nerve pain with be with you off and on for awhile, but hang in there, they do lessen and go away!! All the best!
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Hey, Dustien,
How are you doing?
I agree with Ceanna. You may get twinges of nerve pain for some time. Ceanna was one of my “SAVI Sisters”who encouraged me every day while I was going through this. Many of the women wrote to let me know what to expect and even gave me hints on how to be a little more comfortable while the device was in and what to expect while the healing began.
Without this forum, I would have felt list and confused. Thankfully, the support I received made the ordeal more bearable.
I hope that you are well in your way to healing and remember we are here to support you.
Let us know how things are going.
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Thanks all! I really appreciate all the support. It did help to make this all a bit more bearable. Just to have someone to post to who cared made more bearable. Sounds like I had it harder then many...but that could have been because of where my tumor was? It was at 6:00 at the bottom of my breast. You can't even see the scar, either from the surgery or from the Savi as it's hidden under the fall of the breast. The breast weight bearing down on the Savi may have had something to do with it being so painful I'm thinking. Then there's myself having a low tolerance for pain to begin with.
I'm so pleased to say that it's nearly been a week now. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM will be almost one week to the minute when my Savi was removed. This last week on the mend has been great and it's getting better day by day. I'm doing fine. I've had a shower every day and am now ready to let a day go by without taking one. I'm normally an every other day shower gal, and am ok with getting back to the swing of my old life before cancer hit!
Next step.... next Tuesday I meet with the oncologist and talk about Tomoxafin. I'm hoping I can hold off taking it as I've a camping trip coming up in May and don't want to be experiencing side effects then. I figure if they can waiting 5 week after surgery before giving me Radiation, I can wait 5 weeks after Radiation (or longer) before starting Tomoxifin.0 -
Hi, Dustien,
Glad to hear that you are feeling much better and are on your way to healing. Sorry it was a bad experience for you, but I guess it is kind of an uncomfortable experience for all of us. When you think about it, you have a foreign object stuck in your breast for several days, you get hooked up to a machine twice a day for five days and then have it pulled out. It is a surreal experience.
My surgery scar is also under the breast at the six o’clock position, and not noticeable, but the SAVI scar is near my arm pit at the side of the breast. The SAVI was pointed downward to the nipple at the four o’clock position. The SAVI pinched and my nipple was sore for the 10 days it was in. But, all things considered, I would do it again in a heartbeat, even with the skin reaction, because full breast radiation can do more skin damage. (One of my best friends had a double mastectomy at the same time that I was going through this and the full radiation burned her skin like a horrible sunburn). So, I am glad I had this option.
I did not take tamoxifen, so I will leave it to others in this forum to let you know what to expect.
The good news is that your SAVI treatment is don, SPRING is reportedly here, and you are going on a little vacation in a couple of weeks, Yay, You!!!
Enjoy!
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Dustien, I'm thankful with you that your Savi journey is over! YAY! It IS so helpful to have a place to turn for support from those who have "been there."
Best wishes on the next part of your journey, Tamoxifen. I started letrozole (Femara) 3+ weeks ago, 3 weeks after Savi radiation ended. I'm learning lots from the Femara forum on here, and I'm sure you have or will discover the discussion for Tamoxifen. I'm thinking that side effects will NOT hit you immediately, enough to affect your camping trip. I've had some hot flashes (tolerable) and some joint pain, but I'm unsure whether the pain can already be from Femara. I've started taking Tylenol arthritis, which helps some. (It is just Tylenol, higher dose, extended release, taken every 8 hours if needed.) Pain is worse after I've walked/exercised or kept my 2 little grandchildren all day, with lots of lifting! So far, pain is not present all day long nor every day!
Good luckto you!
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Hi, everyone. I started a new thread because I was unfamiliar with how this site worked but am posting this in the existing thread, as I should have in the beginning.
Has anyone waited more than 6 weeks between surgery and the SAVI? I had a partial mastectomy on 3/21 (My surgeon says they're not really lumpectomies because they take more tissue than the lump alone--in my case, a LOT of tissue.) for invasive ductal carcinoma. I was blessed with clear margins, no nodes.
I was supposed to have the SAVI device placed last Thursday, 3 weeks post-op, but the surgeon's office had neglected to contact my insurance to get pre-authorization, so I was sent home. Now they've messed up again, and it looks like it will be after sometime after the 6-week mark before I'll get the device and start radiation. I was told 6 weeks was the maximum interval. I'm sure it varies from patient to patient, as people heal at different rates. However, this delay is making me uneasy. I can't have conventional radiation, so it's either the SAVI or a mastectomy, which I do NOT want.
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Hi, Fern,
I waited about five weeks post surgery.
What was the result with you? Did you get the SAVI? How are you doing
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I am scheduled to have the SAVI inserted the day after tomorrow (Tuesday 5/22/18). Reading this discussion leaves me with a complex mix of trepidation (anticipation of pain) and determination (as in “let's get this over with). Not really sure what to expect. Unfortunately the Memorial Day holiday is smack dab in the middle so I have to have the SAVI device in for a new extra day.
Advice, anyone?
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Hi, PatsyKB,
I went through this last year. I was diagnosed in June, had surgery in July and had SAVI put in in August. I had the device in for 10 days. It was inserted on a Thursday, simulation/setup was done on Friday and I started the twice a day treatment on Monday.
My radiation facility was very organized. I never had to wait more than a few minutes before they brought me back for treatment.
Having the device inside is uncomfortable. I thought that it sometimes felt “pinchy”, because the pointed end was at my nipple, and we all know how sensitive that area is! There is no way that you can forget that you have it inside you, but it is not unbearable. Just be careful not to bump it (unfortunately, no enthusiastic hugs or puppies or kids jumping up on you), and wear a good bra. It was suggested to me in this forum that I buy two that fasten in the front, and that was a great suggestion. That way I always had a clean one available. I found this forum to be informative and supportive as I went through the treatment.
It will all be over soon! Just count down the days.
I am sorry that you have to go through this, but you have found the right place to ask questions and find support. I posted on it every day as I went through treatment and received encouragement and advice from others that went through it before me.
Good luck as you go forward with the SAVI treatment. Please let us know how you are doing. I am so glad that I had the SAVI as opposed to full breast radiation for six weeks!
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thanks so much for the reassuring rundown of what to expect, Irishgirl711. It has helped to smooth my emotional waters. I don’t like to go into things feeling anxious and my response to my cancer diagnosis from the outset has been stay focused on facts, what “is” and not “what if,” maintain my confident/positive pragmatism and get through this.
So you helped a lot. Because we live 2 hours away from where my medical team is we’ll be staying at a hotel the whole 8 days...fortunately, centrally located in Phoenix and very lovely and situated on a beautiful grounds. Husband insisted so that if i feel really crappy I can feel crappy in comfortable surroundings. I think I’ll keep him 😊
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ps. Adding to the fun of beginning brachytherapy on Wednesday: it will be our 37th wedding anniversary. In the spirit of optimism, I made a dinner reservation for a favorite restaurant. We’ll see how that goes.
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Patsy, I'll add my encouragement to Irishgirl's. You will be aware that you have the SAVI in but there is only mild discomfort. The week will pass quickly, side effects are almost non-existent & you will be back to your normal activities in no time. Scheduling a session or two with a hairdresser (washing & blowdrying your hair will be difficult) will raise your spirits so be sure & do that. And maybe look for a fun movie to see this weekend to distract both of you from what's going on. I think you'll be able to celebrate your anniversary with that special meal; it's nice that you have something to celebrate!
Happy Anniversary! (Sounds like your DH is a keeper!) Keep us posted - we're all sending positive thoughts. You've got this!
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Congratulations on your anniversary! (I, too, celebrated my anniversary (42nd) during treatment.
Your husband sounds wonderfully supportive. You may feel fatigued during treatment, but that is normal. Take it easy, rest, enjoy your surroundings and the company if your hubby.
Sending good vibes your way.
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Patsy, the anticipation of what might happen is often the worst part. During the insertion, you will be numbed and you will be aware of the device while it's in, but I did not find it overly painful. I was on an antibiotic while the device was in place to prevent infection. The nurses will dress the wound after each treatment, but be sure to ask them about what to do over the long holiday weekend. You will not be able to shower so be sure to take along some large wet wipes and arrange for someone to help with your hair--especially since you're going to be in a hotel (maybe your sweet DH would like to help you!). Otherwise, try to take along or arrange for your hotel room to have a handheld shower--maybe a handicapped accessible room?
Pain and fatigue vary by the person. I personally had little fatigue and minimal pain--more just uncomfortable. I wore a breast binder and a fleece jacket (it was winter) and no one I didn't tell knew anything was up with me throughout the treatment.
Perhaps think about going home during the long holiday weekend. You will appreciate the comforts of home. I live 45 minutes from my treatment center and choose to drive myself in each day instead of staying nearby my treatment center, but did have 6 hours between daily treatments. I did everything I normally did and between the twice daily treatments went to bookstores, had lunch with friends, took a walk, and light activities. Yes, beware of kids and dogs jumping up but other than that, life went on pretty normally for me. I'm sure you'll be able to enjoy your special anniversary dinner!
The advantage of SAVI is less chance of rad burns and the shorter time. You will be glad to have it over with by the end of May instead of thinking it would be six weeks or July if you went the other route.
Let us know how you're doing and please ask as you have more questions. Take care. Ceanna
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Patsy,
Ceanna gives good advice. She was one of my best advisors and cheerleaders when I went through this (thanks again, Ceanna!).
The hand held shower is important, since you can’t get the SAVI wet. I agree that washing your hair by yourself will be difficult. I did not go to a hair salon, but it is a good idea. I did wash my hair in the kitchen sink, using the shower nozzle, but even bending over a little was uncomfortable, but not impossible.
Just take it a day at a time and take care of yourself and let your husband pamper you.
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Patsy, hoping and praying all goes well tomorrow and that you find your hotel a comfortable place to relax. Bring along a good book or two!! Take care and enjoy the pampering!! Please let us know how it is going!!! We're with you!!!
Irishgirl, thanks for the kind words. I had good advice and like to pass along what might help others as you are so obviously also willing to do. I noticed you asked about Fern on 5/11/18. She had posted on the other ongoing SAVI device thread on April 24 that insurance had denied her SAVI, her surgeon wasn't on her insurance company preferred list, and, because of other health problems she couldn't have traditional rads. I don't see that she's posted since and I have wondered, too, how she is doing. Fern, if you're out there, let us know how you're doing!!
Edited for typo!!!!
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Ceanna, Irishgirl711, JKL2017 - all great reassurance and advice. The hand held shower's a great idea (I think our hotel has one in each shower but I'm not positive...if not, then wash cloths will do). Salon shampoo & blow dry? Brilliant! I checked with the resort - they have assembled a list of the closest, best shampoo/style places and will help me arrange that when we check in. Thanks for the suggestion on going to the movies - hadn't thought of that, but air conditioned theaters in Phoenix in late May are great places to be when it's 100+/-. I did pack 2 books I'm reading (a mystery, "Disgraced" by Gwen Florio; and "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a gift from a dear cousin - it is far more poetic and amazingly thoughtful and insightful than the title sounds); and we have our cribbage board and cards. Oh, and my journal - I'm a TERRIBLE journal-keeper and poop out after a few entries usually but this time I'm actually find it cathartic.
Armed with your support/strength/advice and a healthy sense of humor and determination to get through this and on with life.
hugs all around.
And Ditto re: Fern, who re-started this thread. How are you and what is your status??
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best of luck, today, Patsy. We will all be thinking about you! Sending (soft) hugs your way
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Thank you thank you!
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Patsy,
Hope that the surgery went well and your treatment is progressing. How are you
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Just discovered this forum, wow, thanks gals, lots of good info. I just started day 2 of radiation with SAVI today. I guess I wanted to share my experience; I had to have two surgeries several weeks apart, as the margins weren't clear the first time. The SAVI insertion was, well, kinda nasty. The nurses said it was one of the hardest they'd seen, as did the nurse who inserted the wire for the surgeon to follow for my lumpectomy. The pain was pretty horrible; no sedatives, just some lidocaine around the site. Lots of pushing, shoving and second attempts; NOT fun. I was a mess after all that. I have been told now that due to a breast reduction I had a long time ago, there was lots of scar tissue, and that stuff is not easy to penetrate. I would have THOUGHT my surgeon might have taken note of that and given me something to make insertion easier. Alas. Hmmmm. Made me want to stick a Sharpie pen into a delicate part of his anatomy and inflate it! Anyway, I'm getting used to it, I guess....but it hurts all the time, and now I also have a three day weekend to look forward to before I finish up next Wednesday. I'm debating what to tell my radiologist when removal time comes....if they just say hold your breath and kinda pull it out, I think I can handle that. But if it's drawn out and hesitant, well, ouch. I'm not a baby, but honestly, I could hear crunching as he pushed that thing in. The poor nurses were pretty upset too. Wonder why he didn't give me something...?
Sorry to whine....my radiology team and my oncologist are nice folks. Not crazy about my surgeon. Needs a bit of empathy training. But I'm grateful for this abbreviated radiation course, and glad I qualified. Having horrible night sweats now....any tips on that?
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Hi, huntingal,
Sorry you are having such a hard time with this and you are having pain. Perhaps you should be taking something to relieve the pain prior to going for treatment, and when the pain flares up?
I, too, had a hard time with the “pinpoint” marking for the surgery, with it having to be removed and reinserted a few times. You are right, only lidocaine on the exterior! Ouch!
My surgeon did numb the site prior to insertion of the SAVI, so other than a little pressure, I did not feel anything at all. It did sound like it was crunching through tissue, but I did not have breast reduction surgery, so I did not have scar tissue like you.
I will say that removal was quick and easy, and I hope the same for you. The doctor put lidocaine at the site, and waited until I was numb.
He deflated the device and had to twist it a little to free it from the skin that had begun to heal around it, then pulled it out in one quick movement. I immediately felt relief from the pressure of having that device inside me.
I will caution you that when they had me sit up to dress the wound, fluid gushed out and landed on my pink pastel jeans. (Yuk), So I would suggest you not wear light clothing on the day of removal. I was able to get the stain out, luckily. They were my favorite Summer jeans! My blouse stained a little, too, but it was black and pink floral pattern and it seemed to wash out too, and was not noticeable anyway.
You may also want to take some ibuprofen or something prior to the last treatment, just in case, but I really did not need any other medication afterwards. My husband took me out to dinner and bought me roses on the way home to celebrate! The wound for me healed quickly, (LOVED the first full shower post removal). I put neosporin on it and changed the dressing daily and it healed completely within a few weeks. I only have a small scar.
I did have a “skin reaction” ofpeeling and itching skin for a few weeks thereafter. I was told by the RO to use hydrocortisone with aloe liberally and it did help a lot.
Relax over the weekend. I had a weekend layover, too and it is inconvenient, but bearable. Just be careful, take pain meds if needed, and maybe enlist the help of friends and family to pamper you for a change.
Best of luck next week. This will all be over in a few days and you can finally be done with all this. We are here if you need to vent or ask questions. You know you got this, right?
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