Why do we all have differing amounts of rads? Do you get less if you,ve had chemo. Initially i was told i would be having 6 weeks of rads. I changed hospitals after first chemo and now i.ve been told i,m having 3 weeks .
Hi Maria, yes she is doing an MA in violin performance there. [Smiling proudly] I’ve hated having to miss some of the concerts she’s been in this year, but they’ve all seemed to be right after a FEC session. At least I’m going to her end of the year concert at the end of June, since rads don’t have such a big hit. It’s a two year programme, so I should be able to get to some concerts next year.
I’ve done rads without chemo before and it was so easy compared to chemo. It may be harder for someone whose body still isn’t back to normal, of course. The oncologist said the rads could be moved up to finish before the holiday, but I really thought that I needed more time, not less. There’s something to be said for ploughing through and gettin it all over, of course, for anyone who can.
I’m in a much better place psychologically now–I know that healthy eating and gentle exercise will actually get me somewhere now.
How many rads is every one having? It would be interesting to know. Do you know why your having the amount your having?
Sorry everyone for going off the subject
Cheryl your DD must be very talented, it’s not easy to get RNCM. I,m trying to coax my son to apply. All his teachers are quite exasperated because he is refusing to even consider music as a career. He refused to go to cheethams school of music also. He’s very talented - what a waste, but you can’t force them can you! Mind you i also think he’s going to leave school after his AS levels in June. I think he’s just fed up of learning.
I had Mx with good margins even though it was a large tumour, I am starting 15 Rads to chest wall and supraclavicular area on May 23rd. (also not to axilla as had ANC already).
I was told that WLEs get boosters to the tumour area, and that they give more doses at a lower rate to WLEs, so you end up with the same total Rads exposure, maybe to do with damage limitation to breast tissue?
Would be interested if you find out why you went from 6 to 3 weeks Mazbaz. I will be asking lots of awkward questions at my new patient clinic now !!
Maria, I’m having 15. I had a SNB and they took 6 nodes nearest the lump. 2 had cancer in them so the rest are being zapped. Apparently in my area they don’t remove all the nodes anymore as research shows radiotherapy has the same results as full removal and no nasty lymphodeoma. I think the chest wall around the cancer site gets done as well. Some people have booster doses added on but 15 was the recommended dose by my mx surgeon and that hasn’t changed. I can’t believe that chemo has finished! It hasn’t really sunk in yet.
Our son who is also musically talented (double bass) refused to do even GCSE music which would have been a walk-over for him and refused to do any board exams after the first one. He said he wanted music to be a pleasure, not a chore. He did play in orchestras, sang in choirs for a while, took part in a couple of children’s operas and was even a fill-in bass guitar player in a friend’s band (no great successes, but they broke even).
Our youngest, the one at the RNCM, went through a period of very serious stage fright which hampered her as a soloist and in auditions–she still finds auditions, especially blind ones difficult-- and she’s decided she really prefers ensemble playing. She also refused to consider Cheethams when it was proposed once and missed out on some things she would have liked because she funked the auditions.
Some kids really seem to need to find their own way in life. I only wish there were more alternative routes for those (often boys) for whom a non-stop march between school and university just isn’t suitable. Sometimes they need to find out for themselves what is important enough to work at. On the other hand, the music colleges may be a little more flexible regarding more mature students.
I’m sure worries about his future must be the last thing you need right now.
Gosh, Addenbrooke’s is a loooong journey but at least it’s a pretty one and I really hope we’ll get to explore Cambridge a bit. It took an hour and 20 minutes to get there today.
I’m having 15 plus four to the tumour site. I forgot to ask the exact areas but I’m sure my onc said I’d also be having them to the clavicle area - not sure about the ANC area - dang, I knew I should have written down my questions!
My daughter is also very musical (flute, sax, clarinet, viola, violin) but definitely didn’t want to do a music degree, to the huge disappointment of her teachers. She’d had enough of studying it and just wanted to play to enjoy it. She also loves acting so she decided to combine the two and is studying for a Music Theatre degree at UCLan. It combines singing and acting with some composition and instrumental work and she’s hoping to do some MD’ing as part of it. We’re going up to see the end of year performance in a couple of weeks - should be great! The UCLan Chamber Choir is formed from people on her course and they came 2nd overall in the BBC Choir of the Year just before Christmas. She didn’t audition for it last time as she had a streaming cold at the wrong time but she will next time.
Maybe we should get all our offspring together as a supergroup - my son’s also a pretty mean drummer!
We must work on a concert in aid of BCC. Maybe there could even be a guest appearance or two…
More seriously, I have suggested to my husband that given that a former member of the chamber choir died of pancreatic cancer, one of our soprano soloists has had adult leukaemia, the DiL of two of the founders is being treated for aggressive BC (diagnosed while she was pregnant with first child), wife of member died of cancer recently and perhaps more that we don’t know about, we really should do a concert for one of the cancer charities.
When I was DX a couple of good am dram friends decided it was one too many and decided to put on a concert - it made three of us in rapid succession, one of whom very sadly died just before Christmas of liver cancer. They got loads of am dram and musical friends together and we put on a Songs from the show concert for two nights in March.
We supported three charities - Chelsea’s Angels (a local children’s cancer charity), the Bedford Hospital Primrose Unit (where I had my chemo) and BCC - my choice, of course. We raised about £2,500 and I think the cheques have just gone off. There’ll be more to come as they’re making DVDs of the show to sell as well.
I,m certainly going to ask about number of rads when i go get my markings done on Friday. My margins on the cheat wall were only 3mm and presumed this is why i was told 6 weeks. Maybe i,m just remembering incorrectly - it was back in November and i, like the rest of you i suspect, was given so much information, it’s hard to take in.
I,m really pleased to have finished chemo, but can honestly say i didn’t find it as bad as i thought it was going to be. No doubt a few of you can remind me of some of my moans ha ha , but it’s strange how easily it is forgotten. Personnally i thought that it was hardest psychologically. I hope everyone else has had the same experience and not found it too tough.
Gosh jane, that is a long way. I hope you,ve got a few different people to accompany you.
I think i,ve stopped worrying for now Cheryl. He’s a good kid and he’ll eventually find the right path, but your spot on about boys needing an alternative route sometimes.
Thanks for the links - just watched/listened to the choir & your daughter and enjoyed very much. I have Welsh ancestry but have inherited NO musical talent at all- just the pick and shovel- most envious of your talents.
Had my Rads planning session yesterday and I must say that the people “dealing with” me were fantastic, very caring and happy to answer all my questions and take all the time I wanted- I was very impressed.
I will be having a 50 Gy dose spread out over 25 sessions to the breast (or what’s left of it) and SCF then the “booster” dose to the tumour bed of 13.5 Gy over 5 sessions.
The “tats” didn’t hurt and can hardly be seen, the waiting time was minimal, which is quite different from all the other departments I’ve been in, so I was pleasantly surprised.
I start on the 24th of May and if all goes according to plan I will be finished at the beginning of July. Hopefully by August I will be able to start job hunting - men and mice and plans spring to mind – but hope springs eternal!
Now if I could just get the feeling back in my feet and fingertips, have my fingernails turn white again and banish all the Tax aches I’d be a very happy chappy!
Hope all of you have good planning sessions too and may the remaining chemo SE’s be minor.
I think I’ve seen a post on another thread that Pattymi has finished Tax so has presumably finished the lot. Has anyone else read something from her recently?
I also think I’ve seen postings from Weena on other threads from time to time, so perhaps there will be an opportunity to ask her as well.
I’m not sure whether I’ve seen anything from any of the other unknowns elsewhere, so perhaps they have got on well and have better ways to fill their time. I hope so!
Isn’t it great that so many of us are through or nearly through?
Been for my markings for rads today. All went well but i have 7 small dot tattoo’s. Also been told that my ovaries have not been working for some time so instead of tamoxifen i’ll be having Letrozole. I,ve been researching wrong pills, damn! I,m only 43, gone through menopause and missed it, ha ha how did i manage that? Starting rads tues 24th and can start Letrozole right away.