Hello everyone 
Hope you are all doing well. Would love to hear your experiences and treatment plan you had after completing neoadjuvent chemotherapy and mastectomy. My mum will have her first post mastectomy follow up appointment this coming Monday and on Wednesday got also an appointment to see the oncologist. I’ve been told before her surgery that she will have radiotherapy after the surgery. Anyone else had similar experiences.
My was diagnosis with inflammatory breast cancer in April, she completed 7 cycle of neoadjuvent chemotherapy and in October she had her single total mastectomy with axillary node clearance
1 Like
The radiotherapy should be 15 sessions over 3 weeks. Depending on where the cancer was, she will have it to her chest wall and maybe to the nodes under the sternum (internal mammary chain) and collar bone nodes (supraclavicular fossa or SCF). Ideally for ibc it should be 4-6 weeks after surgery but that is often a push as departments are so busy.
Make sure she has a bolus to the chest wall. This is a jelly sheet they put on you to make sure there is sufficient radiation to the skin as with IBC there will have been cancer in the skin. IBC is rare so this isn’t always done but it is best practice for us.
I’m based at Oxford and there are useful videos on the OUH radiotherapy pages showing you what to expect. Radiotherapy videos - Cancer Services - Oxford University Hospitals
She may have to try doing a deep inspiration breath hold and there is an organisation called respire with videos to practise. RESPIRE Project
There is an excellent support group based on Facebook called the IBC network UK. I really recommend joining as you will get lots of specific advice and support. https://www.ibcnetworkuk.org/
It sounds like your mum has had great treatment so far. I found radiotherapy the easiest part but the daily travel can be a lot. It’s a strange experience as you are lying on your own whilst the treatment happens, but it is quick. The effects carry on afterwards for a few weeks. For me this was fatigue and peeling skin. Good luck for your mum, but please do look at the IBC network, I have found them so helpful and knowledgeable.
1 Like
Thank you for the information. Tomorrow going to the hospital for her post surgery follow up appointment, so I guess we get to know more info about next treatment 
1 Like