September 2017 radiotherapy

Just starting a September thread for those ladies who are continuing and starting their radiotherapy in September…  You will get loads of help and support from the ladies who are already having rads.

 

Helena

Hi Helena.

Thank you for starting the thread.

I’m just in my last 3 week recovery period from chemo. So start Rads 11th Sept. I am having 15 doses and 8 boosts, so 23 in total, finish 11th October. I have already had my CT scan and tattoos done so all ready to go!

I was diagnosed in February, so this is my final part of active treatment. So far, I’ve had minimal side effects and have worked right through, apart from 2 weeks post surgery. So fingers crossed, rads go smoothly.

Good luck to everyone starting this month.

Sue

Hello, I got my dates today and, although I am starting in September, it isn’t until the end of September so most of the dates are in October.  So shall I sign up to this thread or the October one?

First of fifteen starting today - can’t wait for it all to be over so I can get my life back on track ?

Hi to all

 

I am so glad that this thread is here.

I am hopefully starting radiotherapy in September once all of my blood clot has come out as it decided to make an appearance through my incision a few weeks a go so at the the moment my name is Leaky. good thing my middle intial is an L. :smileyhappy:

I hope it goes well for everyone who like me is starting but mine will go into October and I have an exam on the 18th of October as am studying at the grand old age of 49 my accounting technician but this module has taken me 5 months instead of seven weeks due to a lot of things that have happended inclduing this little germ inside me.

 

Take care

 

Wendy xxx

Evening ladies,

Session 2 of radiotherapy today (21 more sessions to go) but had a quick question for those who have been on this journey longer than I.

 

I was told side effects are likely to kick in around session 5-10 but after just one I noticed my boob is quite sore. Not the skin itself but the tissue in general. It was more noticeable when I went to drive to work this morning because the seatbelt laid across the boob in question (over the top of clothes of course) but was just as uncomfortable when I had to drive to the hospital and then home again later in the day.

 

Anyone else experienced that?

Hi everyone. I have been on the chemotherapy March 17 thread but had my 2nd rads today so swapping groups! Good to have some company on this final stage of treatment. Best wishes to everyone else who is going through this part of their treatment. I will be finished on 19th September x

Hello everybody

This is my first post although I’ve followed the group since my diagnosis at the end of February - it’s been invaluable!

Finally, here I am at the rads stage, after a month of faffing around doing staging scans, then four and a half months of chemotherapy and surgery two weeks ago.  I started off with a diagnosis of triple negative including a postive lymph node, lump disappared completely from scans by week 4 of chemo, and had a pCR response confirmed last week at my one week follow up after surgery (had WLE, sentinel node biopsy and oophorectomy in same op as I like to be efficient :smiley: ).  They have now clearly decided I am wonderwoman and only gave me 9 days to recover from the op before having the radiotherapy planning CT… and rads start on 12th September - 15 and 4 boosts I think.  I am so glad I’m nearly at the end of treatment, can’t wait for the 9th October when I can walk out the door of the hospital and  hopefully not look back!

Hello, I’m new here and like Lizzie and Jojums and Mama-bear started rads on 30 August. It’s really good to have company!

 

Is anyone else having dibh, the breath-holding thing? (Keep wanting to call it gbh - well, I suppose it is all a form of greivous bodily harm!) I wasn’t given the magic goggles during my training session, don’t know why,  but have used them for the real thing. Wasn’t sure about them at first but now finding they really help me understand what I’m supposed to be doing. Not very keen on the nose peg though.

 

The advice I’m really struggling with is drinking 2 litres of water. I have to travel an hour and a half each way for treatment and that’s a long time away from a loo if you’re drinking non-stop. But even today when I’ve been mostly at home I’m finding it difficult. I don’t think I’m going to get anywhere near the target. I’m assuming coffee and tea don’t count but hoping herbal teas do?

Hi Merank,

I asked whether I’d have to do the breath holding as my lump was left sided, but they said no - I think most of the rads are aimed at my lymph nodes, the supraclavicular ones and the axillary ones, and it’s only the 3 or 4 boosts that are to the breast?  I’m not 100% sure, as when I asked they were a bit distracted by oohing at my fresh scars and debating among themselves whether it was too soon to do a planning scan.

I too struggle with 2 litres - I did it during the days around each chemo - so a couple of days before and up to a week after, but I am not a big drinker :smileylol: and usually my daily fluid intake is a cup of tea and a bowl of soup! So drinking 2 litres a day for over a month is going to be a challenge.  I bought one of those sports water bottles which is about a litre, and try to fill it and drink as much as possible in the morning, then add to that litre with cups of herbal tea, a coffee and glasses of water with meals.  As far as I know the thinking now is that it’s fluid intake, rather than water intake that counts for hydration so it doesn’t have to be water.

Absolutely, Helena.
TBH, I just carried on with fluids/drinks as I normally would with rads & just listened to my body. I didn’t make any special effort to take 2 litres & I wasn’t recommended to.
Just do what you feel comfortable with. All fluids count, but sadly not wine, of course ?
ann x

??? x

4 down, 19 to go.

Feel absolutely pooped today, so what do you do when you feel like you’re going to fall asleep standing up? You bake!

This has the potential to not end well.

What did you bake, Mama Bear? I love hearing about cakes!

I had a tired out day during chemotherapy, I ended up making 8 pots of blackcurrant jam, took me until about midnight!  I did sleep well…

I’m going for my rads planning meeting tomorrow at QE Birmingham. Any tips on what to ask etc?

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Hi ladies, hoping to join you all, I am starting on 22nd September after finishing my chemo treatment. Any tips? X

Hi anniej thank you for your reply. Better get myself prepared for tomorrow then. Where are you having your rads? Xx

Hi everyone.  I am nearly half way through my RT and am having a really low day.  Today was my second review appointment.  At the first they were running 90 minutes late and by the time I was seen it was past the centres closing time and half the staff were waiting for me to be seen so they could leave.  In same breath I was told that this was my space to dicuss any concerns, thoughts, problems and told “but it is week one so you wont have any” and ushered out the door.  Also told she hadnt had time to read my notes so didnt know who I was or what treatment i was having  Today I sit in waiting room again with no sign of the review nurse only to be told by one of the radiology team half an hour later not to bother wait unless I have a real problem - they will catch up with me next week if they can.  I know I am lucky in that I have no sore skin, no itching - just some pain and fatigue.  Feeling like I don’t count and am just a annoyance to be got rid of.  Not helped by my oncologist making it very very clear that I had DCIS and that this is not cancer so should be treated differently as I am “not interesting enough”.  Sorry to be such a misery but it feels a little better to get it off my chest.

Thank you ladybowler. Can I just ask, reviews is that an extra appointment at the QE or combined with one of rads appointments?