Fab Feb Rads anyone?

I have my planning appt on Monday and was told to expect rads to start within 2 weeks of that, so it looks like I’ll be starting by the end of January, doing the bulk throughout February and finishing off in March with my mega course of 33 rads!  

 

Would love to hear from anyone who’ll be joining me as a Fabulous February Radiator :slight_smile:

I might be joining you!
I was told by my oncologist today that I should get my planning appointment within 10 days. I haven’t been told how many rads but my CNS mentioned a probable 3 week course?

Hi T for T I will be joining you in Feb. Have my rads planning 1/2 & start 15/2. 33 is quite a lot, I have 15. I think you’ll start before me, but we might finish about the same time.  Have you decided what you will wear under your clothes? I have been told cotton/silk crop top bras or camisoles & preferably no bra (eek) by my oncologist. Oh & no DO.  Not going to be a good look ?.  What did yours say? Did you have chemo or have you come straight from surgery? xx

Hi Ms Insomniac your post just popped up after I posted even though you wrote it before . . Wasn’t ignoring you! xx

Lovely to meet you Ms Insomniac!  Keep posting, we can get through this together.  Tat xx

And I didnt’t refresh the page before posting, so missed yours Bibi!  Welcome to the club ?. I haven’t been told anything about deodorant, clothing or anything else yet!  I’ll make sure I ask on Monday.  I’m dreading it, 33 is a huge number and I am expecting skin breakdown and tiredness, especially since i have a 30-40 min trip each way to the hospital!  I haven’t had chemo, so feel I should suck up the rads and not moan ?

You’re most welcome to moan to me all you like.  Have you had long to wait after surgery? I should think they will give you some special advice/creams for that many.  It may be that you get the same total amount as us, but in smaller doses. Is yours maybe in an awkward place? Mine was right at the side next to my rib cage, so a little worried about my lungs/ribs getting zapped. I am trying to put the thought that this is radiation we’re talking about out of my head & just get on with it. You have a long journey. Do you know the time of day yet? All mine are at 4.30pm. xx

You might regret encouraging me to moan, Bibi :wink:

 

Hospitals are so different in what they do and how they do it!  I have asked for mid afternoon apppointments as the car parks are quieter then and I can walk my dog in the morning.  It’s great you know already what time yours will be and can plan for that.  Have you had surgery and/or chemo?

 

My tumour was/is angiosarcoma, so not breast cancer but a soft tissue cancer that happened to be in my breast. I had an mx on 26/11 with the removal of my pectoral muscle. The surgical margin in one area was less than 1mm, hence the aggressive rads.  I was offered the choice of more surgery to take ribs to get wider margins, but it would mean a long recovery with no guarantee of a ‘cure’.  Angiosarcoma has a high rate of recurrence, so we’ve decided to keep the surgery as an option for the future, if needed. I’m also worried about my ribs and lungs, I’ve been warned my ribs will be weakened by rads.  There hasn’t been a lot of good news, but the tumour was on my right, so at least my heart is mostly out of the way!

 

This forum has saved my sanity because I can say things I can’t say to my OH, kids or family.  It’ll be good to support one another through this next stage… xxx

Well I would congratulate you on avoiding chemo, but a different type of cancer, which happens to locate itself in your boob, sounds like a double whammy of nastiness. I didn’t get clear margins in my surgery either & it’s a real kick in the teeth isn’t it? I remember that day as being one of my very lowest points, but I did go for the second lot of surgery.  Yours sounds like a difficult choice though if they were talking about removing ribs.  To be honest, both your options were awful & you made the decision which was right for you at the time.  

 

I chose 4-30pm for car park purposes too, but also because a couple of people I know said you turn into a dormouse during rads & I thought if I have it late I can go home, have supper & fall asleep.  Also if I am not too tired, can also do something during the day.  I hope it’s not a strategic error, as there may be more delays later in the day. xx

Hi Nicki

Thanks for that. Prefer a roll on to au naturel! How have you found it? Would you mind me asking if you were ok to drive yourself there & back? x

Hi Val I am on weekly Paclitaxel & finish a week on Monday (can’t come soon enough as I feel worn into the ground by chemo now). I got my tamoxifen from my onc this week & she said definitely don’t start until chemo out of my system, but she’s relaxed whether I start at the beginning or end of rads.  My hair is growing quite fast now & I can see an improvement week on week, so I think I’ll let it have a full month before I start taking the hair thinning tablets ha ha. She said, after the first lot, I should get them from my GP. xx

Nicki VERY impressed you’ve managed to keep working. Well done. What are you putting on the sun burn? x

Hi Val and welcome aboard. I have had two teams (breast and sarcoma) involved in my care and some things have shown up a lack of communication between the teams, leaving me to chase up appointments, info, etc.  Thankfully, my sarcoma nurses are really proactive and get things done, so I always go straight to them. Mope you can resolve your questions - don’t be afraid to keep pressing for answers xx

Hi ya x I have my app next week so I’m guessing mine will start beginning of feb x yuk not sure yet how many but was talk of 3 weeks still don’t no about chemo x so I guess will be told that to x just want to get going and try and move on x love jill

 

Hi Jilly Sorry to hear you need rads too. Good luck with your appt. Let us know how you get on. BBx

You don’t have much of a gap between chemo and rads, Val.  Hope you are keeping well and feeling up to starting rads so soon after your last chemo cycle.

 

Hi Jilly, welcome to the thread. I know what you mean about starting rads.  I’ve waited over 7 weeks since surgery and have a marathon course of rads, but keen to start so I can start counting down the days ?

 

Good luck for your appt Tats xx

Thanks, Bibi :slight_smile:  It was easy and quick!  I start on 2nd Feb, so by my calculations I have my last one on 17th March.  Definitely a marathon and not a sprint!  The radiographer confirmed that 33 have been prescribed because angiosarcoma is aggressive and needs a big hit.  I am expecting to have lots of fun with side effects… :frowning:  Oh, and I have now earned my name…my first (and last) 3 tattoos done!  Tat xx

Glad it was ok. Did the tats hurt? You’ll just have to take it day by day & we’ll be here to give you support throughout. Did u have a CT? I’ve finished chemo today ??, a little earlier than expected because of toxicity.  Feel blo*dy awful at the moment, but things can only get better. What I have found during the dark days of chemo is, that however awful you feel, night follows day, follows night  . . etc & eventually your last treatment comes around & it will for you too. I just hope it’s not as bad as you are expecting, xx

I do hope you start to feel better really soon, Bibi, and get your strength back ahead of rads.  I am grateful I haven’t had chemo too, I know it is in a whole different league to rads.  I’ll keep repeating that mantra to myself - sound advice, thanks :slight_smile:

 

The CT was done very quickly and once they were happy they had me lined up correctly they did the tattoos.  I couldn’t feel the one on my mx side or on my chest, but I did feel the one on my left side - just like an injection and over quickly.  After I got dressed I was shown where my rads will be done and and the procedure to follow.  The whole thing was very efficient; my cynical mind says it’s because they’re not fleecing you for parking while on active treatment :wink:

 

Hope you have someone looking after you tonight, Bibi.  Sending hugs, Tat xx