21 down and 2 to go!! - I have found Rads ok too. I have been fine for 3 weeks, and perhaps a little more tired this week (4th week) - probably mainly due to a 2 hour round trip as well as the zapping. Skin a little pink but holding out quite well.
Leigh - I am on the IMPORT high trial and was randomised for standard treatment which is 15 zaps to the general area and 8 zaps to the tumour bed. Option level 1 and 2 are 15 zaps ie 3 weeks, giving a slightly higher dose to the tumour bed and slightly lower to the surrounding good tissues. If you opt for the trial you are monitored for 10 years instead of 5 years which hopefully will be a good thing.
Good luck, you’ll be fine.
Lynn x
Hi Leigh congratulations on finishing chemo. I’m starting rads very soon I had an appointment to see the radioligist this week and thought I would be marked up but it was just a chat and the signing of the consent form I was told I will be having a scan first and rads will start in about 3 weeks.
Wishing you all the best and hope you sail through.
love your little dog as you can see I also have a Bichon he is called Tiggy such gorgeous little dogs.
I found it helped to take a drink of lemon to have immediately afterwards. It settled my stomach and I am sure it helped alleviate the tiredness before my drive home.
I’m another who found rads a doddle after chemo. I worked in the mornings and went to rads in the afternoon. It was an hour each way and drove myself but was extremely tired at the end of the month.
Just listen to your body. It tells you when you need to rest. It doesn’t take long to re-cuperate from rads though. I went on holiday the week after I finished and it did me a power of good.
I finished 15 rads recently. I have 4 children and work a little from home; I found it all very doable and can’t say I was more tired than I would be normally ! Certainly compared to chemo it was for me much easier.
Hope this is encouraging to those about to start or who are in the early part of their treatment. xx
Hi all - good to see some familiar faces even if I wish none of us were here in the first place.
I have had my first chat with the radiology department and am due for my planning session 9 April starting rads for 4 weeks on 27 April. I thought I was due to have 5 weeks but they said 19 sessions not 25 would do me so who am I to complain.
Re the cream that you say helps - do the hospital give you this or do you buy it ? if so what is it - E45 ? Diprobase ? I guess I can ask at planning but always want to be one step ahead.
Just taking the time to recover post chemo and the “break” till 27 April is very welcome.
the creams you mentioned are the standard ones used, as long as you are not allergic to lanolin, apparently. I’m due to start rads on the 1/4 (makes me a fool)! I just hope I’m one of those who breezes through it!
Hi all and good luck to you all going through or about to start rads. I had 3 weeks of it and stayed up at the hospital hostel for the middle week but drove myself the first and third,it was a three hour round trip and coupled with any waits made it a rather long day,however,I managed fine . Yup def make sure you really do drink plenty, I slapped on the aqueous cream a couple of weeks before,huge tub for £1.99 in Asda, then applied the cream 3/4 times a day during rads, a little and often I was told. Keep it in the fridge for a soothing cooling feel, Also cabbage leaves in the fridge (known for post pregnancy boobs)works great too. The more you can expose them to the air helps as well ,just be careful not to scare the postman !
Be prepared to keep “cooking” for 10 days after you finish rads and also a post active treatment low mood which affects lots of us. All the best for getting through this next stage.
Hello to all wondered if anyone else is having rads 3 times a week it seems you guys seems to have 5 days and weekends off. I’m having it 3 times a week for 5 weeks!
Also with the cream is it ok while having rads I guess you have to wash it off before leaving the house maybe the Arimidex is giving me cotton wool brain its just that as we can not use soap in that area I wondered if it washed off ok ready for the rads.
So far just signed the consent form. I read on the internet we should have rads 6 weeks after surgery as any longer could encourage it to reoccur as I had my surgery before Christmas its a bit worrying. thanks for reading and look forward to any advice.
I just finished chemo last week, 3 fec, 3 tax and about to start radio on the 7th April. It’s great to see that most of you weren’t too tired during your treatment.
I’m a self employed beauty therapist and have worked all through most of my chemo and was worried because I was told the radio would knock me out! I was planning to carry on working and have bookings throughout April so I’d appreciate your thoughts. I have been told it makes you feel quite low afterwards, have any of you experienced that?
I also have 12 months Hercerptin and 5 years Tamoxifen. Could anyone tell me when to expect to start them?
Hi
I know that everyone is different, but I didn’t find rads an ordeal at all. I actually started to go back to work in the mornings as mine were in the afternoon and I was completely fine, went on my own and drove myself everyday and I had 33! Bizarrely I actually enjoyed the rads, I made a good friend there who I enjoyed chatting to and there was a really good supply of magazines and occasionally chocolates! and apart from the ache of keeping my arm still it was pain free. I can’t have been too tired either because I decorated the living room in the evenings. I went on holiday a week after finishing them and I was fine and walked miles!
But everyone is different my neighbour went in the mornings when she had hers and slept all afternoon. But I had to pick my son up on the way home, so wouldn’t have had the chance to sleep even if I’d wanted to!
Here’s hoping that you will fly through yours too!
I put aqueous cream on before I went for each rads session. I had very few problems, just a bit pink, itchy and tight. Smaller-breasted ladies tend to fare better, I gather.
I, too, am concerned about the gap before rads. I had to wait 11 weeks after surgery. I was told that in my case it won’t make any difference. I even enquired about the cost of having it done privately to speed it up - over £8,000! We decided to trust the oncologist when she said it was not necessary to do that. I hope she is right.
Hi Ann thanks for your reply I have bought the aqueous cream ready I read on here that it helps to put the cream on some time before rads but as I still have not recieved my dates yet maybe I will wait.
Im having a CT scan first I had my last op on the 29th jan things were so held up because of the snow also they won’t do rads until it has healed well and as i had to have 3 drains I think I would only just be ready just hope it will be very soon.
I have been taking Arimidex for a month now so hopefully it helps to keep the cancer away.
Does anyone know if they scan both boobs or just the one affected silly really but worried it may be in my other boob although when I had my mamo in Nov I was told it was fine I read somewhere that when your big breasted as I am it can be missed all this is one long worry don’t think I will ever be the same again but hey just bring it on sooner the better.
Hi Paula,
Like Nicky I haven’t found Rads too bad at all - especially compared to Chemo. Last one tomorrow - hooray, 23 in all. Have been doing a 60 mile round trip each day and have been fine, although unlike you and Nicky I am not yet back at work.
I think all hospitals differ when telling you to take Tamoxifen - I was told to start it 3 weeks after the last chemo but I know someone on another thread started taking it after Rads, so you would need to check with your oncologist. Don’t know about Herceptin though as I am not having to have that.
Good luck with the Rads, sure you will be fine.
Lynn x
Hi
The first time i had treatment i worked in the morning and had treatment in the afternoon. I must admit i went to bed as soon as i got back from treatment as i was so washed out. I did however have two weeks off at end of treatemt as it had juts got on top me of. The second time i was off work as the area i had treated afected my mouth so was unable to eat a lot and was quite weak. I think it all depends on how you and your body hold up to the traveling and whether you have a family to run around after. I was lucky that my husband and children got on with day to day chores. Good luck.
Hiya, I am due to finish Chemo around 22nd June all being well, then onto rads. Not sure how much I will need but I had a micrometasteses (sp?) in 1 sentinel node so will be having rads to underarm rather than more surgery.
How long after chemo do they start rads? We have taken the plunge and booked a lovely family (much needed) holiday to Florida end of August so this gives me over 2 months from last chemo session. Hoping I will be feeling fairly normal despite Tamoxifen, we won’t be having a nice big holiday again for a while I should think!
I am due to start rads on the 13th April and will be 4 weeks and 5 days post chemo on commencement. I was told by my team they did not like to leave Rads more than 4 - 6 weeks post cheo. I have my prescription for Tamoxifen and am planning to start it this coming weekend. My Onc advised I start it 2 - 3 weeks after chemo or as soon as I felt well enough after final chemo. Been delayign taking it so far as although ‘chemo fatigue’ is still a bit of a problem I feel so well at the moment I do not want it to stop but realise I need to get the Tamoxifen going as well.
We have decided to leave our holiday plans until November when its off to Australia via Taiwan and hopefully any side effects from Tamoxifen will have settled somewhat!!! Can but hope they won’t happen!!! Enjoy your trip - we deserve it after all the c…p this disease puts us through:)