Hi all,
I was diagnosed with dcis a few weeks back and have had wide local incision surgery which went really well.
I will be seeing oncologist Friday as I am having radiotherapy. I have no idea how this process works, will I go straight for radiotherapy after seeing oncologist? Will I have another appt first? Can anyone help and advise me n this process please? My son is getting married in March, will i be all done and dusted by then? Any advice or their stories would be so so helpful, thank you
Hello @Purple1982
If your appointment and plan is anything like mine (I was at the Christie in Manchester) was an appointment with an oncologist (I was really lucky as I found her much more engaging than my surgeon, and I was able to discuss and query my surgeon’s plan for hormone therapy with her) who took me through everything that was involved in having radiotherapy treatment and how many sessions she wanted me to have. She decided I should have 15 sessions based on my age 50 (her reasoning being that at this point in time all the evidence suggests that the more intense 5 sessions is equally effective but because it’s relatively “new” ie only 5 years old there they don’t know recurrence rates in 15/20 years time based on this treatment plan but they do know what it is for the 15 sessions, other oncologists may take a different view)
She explained everything in great detail and all the possible side effects. She also explained that I wouldn’t get my planning appointment (this is a longer appointment where you have a CT scan and they take very careful measurements and mark your skin: usually with tiny tattoo ink marks but I believe other methods are sometimes used, in order to work out exactly where the radiotherapy beams should go) in around 2/3 weeks and then start my actual sessions about a week later. She also explained how the fatigue can hit you and recommended to me how long I should ideally wait before attempting a return to work (her exact words were “if it was me not until I was crawling the walls and there is nothing else I’d rather do!” )
The timing of when your sessions will be delivered and how many you will have will be down to your oncologist and your hospital trust waiting times I’m afraid (my radiotherapy was in October 2021) so it’s very hard to say if you’ll be done by the time your son gets married, however if the wedding is on a weekend you shouldn’t have an appointment that day. I would say it’s entirely “doable” that you will be able to attend and enjoy your sons wedding but I wouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself and the chances of you still dancing the night away at midnight will be pretty slim, but then again….
AM xxx