How long after MX do you have radiotherapy?

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Sorry - I know this has been asked before - but can’t find the thread.

How long after MX surgery do you normally have to wait before starting rads (assuming healing process goes well etc?). Got my surgery date through and just trying to work out when, roughly, I’ll finish rads, but don’t have an appointment with my onc for ages…

x

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Hi there,
Having checked you’re a neoadjuvant chemo girl, as was I. I had my mx on 2nd Feb and started rads on 12th April. Should have been 5th but an admin foul up delayed it by a week. Planning was 25 March. Roughly 6-8 weeks seems about the average.

Are you having lymph clearance? I guess you probably are. The key thing is when you can get your arms above your head and hold them there without pain. I started excercises the day after surgery. When I saw the radiologist 2 weeks later she laughed at my arm movement but it was fine in good time for rads. She did say if you arrived for planning and you couldn’t get your arm(s) up they would just defer a week at a time until you could, and give you extra physio if you needed it.

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Blimey. That’s AAAAAGES! I was hoping to be done by Christmas. Deffo wont be then. Bums.

Thanks Rev! I’ll make sure I do my exercises too.

x

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Sorry…

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You are kidding Rev?
I hope I can get started asap. I need to get on with putting this behind me. I thought the guidlines stated 31 days?
Double bum! (_!_)

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Ha! All your fault, Rev!

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Double sorry… maybe it’s different in England…? NICE counts for nought in Scotland as far as I can tell… I think a lot of people have to wait for slots even south of Hadrian’s Wall… Maybe you’ll be lucky? Hope so!

Edit: found this link to a thread on average times to wait… share.breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/average-waiting-time-for-radiotherapy-to-start–t29614.html

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Hi,

I had Mx and auxillary clearance on 18th July and started radio on 25th August (5 and a half weeks after). I did have to see the physio to try and gain some more movement in my arm and to get it into the right position for rads.

I was really pleased too that radio was only over 3 weeks (having it to the chest wall and superclav (I think that’s what it’s called) I have the same overall dose as those on a 5 week plan but it’s administered over 3 weeks.

Hope you don’t have to wait too long for your rads girls.

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Forgot to say- Brilliant that you’ve got your date through for your surgery Sandytoes!