I hope you have some support where you are ? I’m not surprised you are struggling on your course it will be hard to concentrate right now especially when you have the added difficulty of translating from a different language . I had radiotherapy to the right side the 5 treatments themselves were easy and I drove myself to and from them about 40 mins journey . They played music to me too which I enjoyed - different everyday and I couldn’t always identify it . I had some fatigue which developed about 3 days later - so if you’re on your own stock up with food first barely got out of bed for 3 days. My breast was red and slightly swollen for some time but eventually settled with intensive moisturising and a very supportive bra - it’s tempting to go into a crop top but try to stick with a supportive one . The skin that side looks a little different to the good side but not much. Like you - all of us really I was concerned about side effects but 2 years plus down the line haven’t experienced any lung problems etc. and I’m asthmatic . Make sure you do the post-op exercises rigorously and keep doing them at least 3 months after radiotherapy to stop the tissues contracting - that’s what I was told and I still do a quick set most days. Hope everything goes well with your upcoming surgery xx
Best of luck with your course. I hope it goes well with all you’re juggling now. I am still waiting to know what the treatment will be so can’t help with that but I’m sure you’ll receive information here.
Take care. A big hug.
I had DCIS and while it’s called pre cancer mine was also intermediate. I had a mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy. After the op they found 0.5cm of IDC but not enough to have chemo at the time. Also rem DCIS is a very early cancer so chances are it won’t be elsewhere but only the surgery can find out that once they operate.
I would recommend having the mastectomy as DCIS while very premature I feel is like small specs or cells that can grow. I found the surgery and reconstruction very painless and very well done.
I trust in France the health system is excellent and so even though your GP is not very accessible it’s the surgeons that matter. The very best to you, once you have a plan and are on track you will feel a lot more in control. Also I would travel the extra kilometers to have the best care rather than having a local hospital with less expertise so in this sense, you’re in good hands.
Some good advice is to go in with a list of questions and take someone with you too, because having an extra pair of ears is really really useful as they will hear different things than you. This forum is really useful for learning about your options and being able to gather all of those questions to ask.
Hope all goes well! And try not to worry or overthink and rem they caught this very early so try to focus on that!
Hi Carol
I’m also in France. I was diagnosed last September with invasive ductal cancer (ie it had spread beyond the ducts but fortunately no further). I had a partial mastectomy (2 operations) and then 28 sessions of radiotherapy and I’m now on Letrozole for the next 5 years. I don’t know where in France you are but there are a lots of us here with BC. If you use Facebook there is a fantastic support group called Pink Ladies in France.
I’m in the Vendee (85) and have my treatment in Nantes.
If you need anything just ask
Karen
Hello
Thank you everyone - and how brave you are and how hard it is really - and thank goodness we can support each other. I have also now applied to join the french pink ladies in France group
I am sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis too frenchgirl85, I am going to have an operation in Toulouse - I am keeping busy.
It’s great there’s a breast cancer support group to join which is based in France for people whose first language is English.
Seagulls
Yes beyond words
Hello
I have been really really supported by the Facebook group for ladies in France - thankyou frenchgirl85 for telling me about that. It’s a week now since my operation and all healing well and I have been staying with a friend and have now got some sleeping pills as I could not sleep - most nights ! So driving was getting dangerous and here in the French countryside it is essential to drive. I am wondering about investigating treatment in the UK, if as expected I am advised radiotherapy. This is mostly because my living accommodation is quite temporary- I sold my home in France in Dec. Anyway I am just looking into it, so I thought maybe better contact NHS England first, does anyone have any suggestions for this please? I have a British passport and have paid all my NI contributions for a full pension although I am 63 not yet receiving a UK state pension
Hi @cmiers14
It’s great to hear that you have found a supportive group in France and that you are recovering well post surgery.
Thank you for keeping the forum updated. Hopefully someone will have a similar experience that they can share with you. In the meantime please know that our nurses are here for you, here on the forum on the Ask our Nurses your questions board or over the phone 0808 800 6000.
Sending our warmest,
Lucy
Hi @cmiers14 ! Happy to hear you’re recovering well from the surgery and that you have such good support over there.
I wish you all the best and that you can get much needed sleep. Hugs!
what part of England are youplanning to come back to? Try and pick a breast cancer centre of excellence to have your further treatment in England. Good luck Seagulls
Hello
I spoke to the nurse over the phone and it was very reassuring to help me to find out about the treatment in the UK and that if I were in the UK and my results are clear next week as expected ( I get results on 6th Aug) then I would have one week’s radiotherapy - it is great to have this support thank you
I’m so glad to hear you found the support helpful @cmiers14
You know where the nurses are if you want to chat things through, and the forum is always here for you.
Sending our warmest,
Lucy
Hello again
I have to get my results tomorrow after a small lumpectomy after they found some non invasive cancerous cells and I will be lucky when/if they say that they are all clear and I just need radiotherapy. So I am actually writing as someone on another forum said they have cancer as a result of radiotherapy in the 1990s? How do I know what doseage they will give me? Also people say it can damage the bones ? What can I do to minimise the risks please? Thank you so much sorry if I seem negative best wishes Carol
Hello @cmiers14
Re your worry about radiotherapy - they are obliged to explain the treatment to you and answer your questions prior to arranging it and you will have to sign a consent form if you’re having it so don’t sign until you are happy that your questions have been addressed. They should explain the dosage to you but over the years as treatments have been refined to try to maintain effectiveness whilst reducing side effects the dosage has decreased and if you are having just one week it will be 29gy ( or 26 I can’t remember which ) which is a decrease from 40gy over three weeks which was standard up to a few years ago and still given in some cases. In the 90s people were often routinely having treatment for up to 6 weeks so the person you mention most probably received a much higher dose than they would be planning on giving you.
I think most people worry about radiotherapy and there is a section on it under going through treatment on here that might help. Perhaps if you post in the Ask the Nurses section they may be able to help with some of your other questions.
Best of luck for your results tomorrow. Xx
Thank you for wishing me best of luck and also giving me some idea of dosage.
Im.going on my own this time - leaving 3 hrs before the appointment - its a long way so I especially appreciate all good wishes Im receiving here. France where I am is apparently 5 wks ‘compulsory’ radiotherapy - Ill find out what I can and try not to sign anything yet
Ah I thought you said you were coming to UK for radiotherapy. My mistake . Safe journey xx
Hi I was researching if I could have UK treatment but it didnt seem possible in the time - translating everything. Thanks. Ive had good results - it was in situ - not invasive but they want to do radiotherapy - 5 weeks here ! Seems a bit … of a lot
Yes I know the feeling mine was invasive and very small but of a kind that rarely spreads outside the breast . On the one hand they talk about it as if it’s nothing but on the other hand they want you to have treatments that are not entirely without risk themselves ( I guess no treatment ever is ) - radiotherapy and in my case 5 years of anti - oestrogen tabs. I think the posh term for it is cognitive dissonance but put more simply it does not compute . I had the 5 radiotherapy treatments but abandoned the medication due to side effects and concern about the effect on pre- existing health conditions . There is still a little doubt in me about having given those up / whether it was the right thing though the surgeon thought it was reasonable - you need to think about how to live with that. The Nurses here may be able to help you work out your risk of recurrence etc , there’s a tool called Predict . Maybe you could speak to someone who has had radiotherapy in France ? BC is a common condition and though I wasn’t aware of it I already knew 2 people who had already had it which was helpful . Unfortunately you only tend to hear stories about complications of treatment - the people who have it and are fine don’t tend to post xx
Thank you it is a relief to discuss things in English. Yes cognitive dissonance, and also my results were given to me by an intern and the surgeon was there for about 5min and the intern also did my post op breast check. It is so streamlined - they are so busy. So I had hoped to discuss possibly staying near the radiotherapy centre but I guess I will have to work that one out. They said it will start within the month. It is the left side…heart side… I had a massage as I cant sleep and that sometimes helps (maybe now I will be able to sleep now I have results) and I gave myself a treat and the masseur has had the same op in 2004 I think it was and all fine since (including having had 5 wks of radiotherapy)