starting rads on 10th nov

[Mel51]

Morning,
Hope all of your rads sessions go smoothly and ate on time today. May there be a parking space available when you arrive, just to slide into as if it was made for you! Let's face it, fate owes us at least that 🙂
I'm doing well. Day 9 today and a little pink but skin holding up still. A few shooting pains in the evening, but that's normal I'm told.Struggling with sleeping the last two nights, so looks like this weekend will be another snooze fest!
Busy day today: rads, haircut then Kylie!! I'll pay for it tomorrow I'm sure!
Have a good day,
Mel51

[Boa]

Hello Everyone
Just checking in early to say good morning and wish you a good day. Yes, holding your arms above your head can be a bit uncomfortable and yesterday after the treatment my breast seemed to be a bit tender. The parking in our hospital is horrendous but if you are attending the Cancer Centre there is a special car park and you can usually get in even if there is a bit of a wait.
Boa

[deelush]

Hi Sodastream and welcome to the november rads club.

sorry to hear youve been having such a poop time, but glad to hear your getting all sorted now and still smiling,  we are all hoping that the rads will be a much easier joirney than surgery and chemo, fingers cŕossed any way. Hope it all goes well with the breathing technique for you, must be difficult.

take care 

deelush x x 

[Sodastream]

Hi all, I hope you don't mind me joining your thread. I was diagnosed with Metaplastic breast cancer in April which is a rare aggressive cancer. I had loads of problems before treatment which saw me end up hospitalised 3 times. Touch wood since treatment started it's been pretty plain sailing. I survived chemo then had a mastectomy and am still smiling.
Today I went for my planning meeting and start on 24th. It was a bit surreal as I'm doing the breath hold radiotherapy due to having cancer on my left side. It was weird lying there with goggles on and having to hold my breath for 15 seconds and keep the line in the box which I could see in the goggles.
Positivethinker I too am having my treatment at Guildford and will be there at 4pm for the week beginning 24/11.
I'm hoping this part of the treatment will be easy. Sheryl x

[deelush]

2nd one done, just got back. Had a bit of a wait in the department, but was  in and out with my treatment , my chest does hurt a little bit right in the middle but I'm not sure if this is down to the fact that you have to lay still with your arms stretched back behind your head, might mention it tomorrow see what they say.  Hope you all doing ok ladies ,

deelush x x

[Forties]

Hello

I hope that you get chance to speak to your BCN soon as they are usually very good at explaining things especially unwanted treatments!  I began my radiotherapy this afternoon and I am having rads above my clavicle too.  This was mentioned to me several times as a possibility and then there seemed to be an on and off situation between the consultants in the MDT!  I'm having the rads just above my clavicle because I had a few positive nodes and surgery only removed nodes to level 3 below my clavicle.  I've heard that surgery above the clavicle is very risky as there are vital arteries, your lungs and wind pipe etc in this area so they treat possible cancer here by rads.  I'm sure your BCN could clarify this for you.

My  first treatment was more dignified than my planning meeting although they still needed to draw on me again as they said they couldn't see the tatoos!  I had an hours delay but thats much better than the 3 hours I used to get waiting for chemo.  I feel ok about the treatment today and the staff were trying hard to make me feel relaxed.  My arm went completely numb though holding the handle at an awkward angle for half and hour.  Anyone else finding shoulder and arm movement a problem?

Hope tomorrow goes well for everyone.

[deelush]

Hi Boa

Glad your feeling better about it today, i suppose to us its our dignity thats bothers us, to them we are just another body to treat, harsh but true. Well at least it was over and done with quickly today. Ill be getting my self into the shower just now and getting ready to leave, its going to be dark by the time i leave home to go so i'll probably leave early plus want to try avoid rush hour traffic and hope i dont need to do the grand prix round the multi storey car park agsin today lol .

deelush x x

[Boa]

Hi Deelush

I'm not sure if it is different here in Scotland but nurses and radiographers do part of their training at university and the rest on the wards so they are just part of the team. The only way you know they are a trainee is the colour of the uniform! If a doctor has had a student they have always asked. Anyway, the young man lined me up today so I have got over that little bit of nervousness! In and out in 15 minutes and I was half an hour early. Lots of parking. Wednesday must be a slack day.

Boa

[deelush]

Hi Sml1903

Your welcome and thanks. Please do get it sorted so that it isnt causing you any stress,
deelush x x

[deelush]

Hi Boa

If there are trainee or student nurses in attendance they are supposed to ask your permission first for them to attend, if your uncomfortable with him being there please let the staff know, it shouldnt be a stressful experience, there is a notice on the hospital tv hung on the wall that states on differnt days "we have student nurses taking part in the hospital today, if you object or have any concerns please let your nursing staff know prior to your treatment". They have to respect your wishes and dignity at all times.
deelush x x

[SML1903]

deelush

I did see the consultant last week on arrival for my planning appointment and he showed me where to go and told the staff I was there lol. If Id known then I would have asked him about it. I am certain it was never mentioned at any of my consultations as neither my husband or bcn who is always present at my appointments with all 3 consultants cannot recall it ever being mentioned. I will speak again to my bcn tomorrow, as she is off today and then phone up the consultants secretary and make an appointment to see him. Thanks for listening to me. Hope your radiotherapy goes well today. SML xx

[Boa]

Deelush

That's  a great idea about the tops and the cards. Until yesterday we had to check in at our own little bay but from today we have to go to a 'main desk'. We get changed in a cubicle in the treatment room and have a sheet of tissue for modesty walking to the treartment table! I have to say my team has a young lad as a trainee radiographer and I feel quite embarrassed at all this!

Boa

[deelush]

SML1903

sorry to hear your having to deal with the shock of something that you were not aware of, do people not understand how it affects us by keeping details from us when we should be told, i would be wanting to ask the consultant the question of why were they not removed and hopefully getting an answer that puts your mind at ease, it not good enough to simply so they were cancerous with out any further explanation, its your body and you have a right to know why the deciaions were made on your behalf, there may be a perfectly good reason why they were not removed, but you need this information to understand it, i would deffinately be on the phone asking to speak to him/her dont carry on worrying, its not good for you to worry.a little reassurance goes a long way.

deelush x x 

[deelush]

There are 11 treatment rooms at my hospital all with their own little waiting area, the top i wear for the procedure is supplied by the hospital and its stored in a box at the end of each session with your own number, so when i arrive today it's, , appointment card into the box outside the room i am being treated in, so they know i am there, then collect my top out my box, then into changing room, then wait to be called in, then its back out get changed and top back into box. Its a very good system, the top i have to wear has press studs down the front and across the shoulders, so i get onto the bed the the ladies just unpop me and fold my top down to just below my breasts, when finised they fasten me back up and away i go, , simples lol.

deelush x x

[Boa]

Hi SML 1903
That must have been a bit of a surprise. I haven't any experience to share on this but hopefully someone can comment.
Boa

[SML1903]

Hi. 

When I had my planning appointment last Thursday I was told that I would be having rads to the area where the tumour had been and also to my clavicle area but not the area under my arm where I had the lymph nodes removed. I contacted my bcn because I had not been told anything about node involvement in my clavicle area. She has just got back to me after speaking to the consultant and apparently I did have cancerous nodes in my clavicle and neck area. This has come as rather a shock to say the least and I am now wondering why they were not removed when I had surgery like the other nodes. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? 

[Boa]

Hi Forties

Hope all goes well tomorrow.

Boa

[Boa]

Hi Deelush

Good to hear it went well and they are so acommodating. In our hospital there are 7 rads machines! So there are lots of people waiting but we wait in small waiting rooms. Then called through for treatment, slip off our tops and on to the bed. Was delayed today because of an accident but got there on time. I asked what to do if I was really late and they said not to worry just turn up.

Boa

[deelush]

Hi ladies

I'm, back from my first session, so 1 down 22 to go ;/

i left a little earlier than i needed to as wasnt sure about traffic in this horrid rain we are having, it was a good job too, as i had to drive round and round the allocated car park (free parking with a ticket if your a rads patient) for about ten minutes to find a place. Its a multi storey carpark and i hate them i went up all levels to the top then back down again and ended up with a space at the bottom, typical. 

I walked into the dept at 10.40 my time slot was 10 50 and they were running a little over but i got changed had a sit down and waited, was called in had a quick chat got sorted then had zaps and i actually left at 11.47

so wasnt too bad, i am by nature quite patient when it  comes to treatment appointments and delays etc, as long as i can get my daughter to and from work withourt problem then i dont mind waiting, my times for the rest of the week were sorted whilst i was being treated and they fit in just fine this week, she took my daughters shifts for next week as she said i needed to be given a bit of priorty over times seeing as i was resposible for my daughter, which i thought was lovely of her, (she actually wispered so noone would hear lol)    but by the looks of it all the other patients in my treatment room were pensioners so i guess she was just thinking they would be more flexible than me, made me feel quite special, lol there were three ladies today doing my treatment and they were all lovely and introduced themselves to me, wish they wore badges on their tops with their names on as i forgot them all vy the time i had left lol.

so tomorrow im in at 17.20 traffic will probably we worse coming home than going but hey what can you do about it we got to have our treatment.

hope your all doing ok and everything is going to plan, take care

deelush x x 

[SML1903]

Hi Forties. Sometimes it really does help to write things down as it's a way of expressing feelings and ladies on the site can relate to what you are going through and how you are feeling. So glad it helped!

I start taking Anastrozole the day my rads start so I think it's going to be difficult to know if I get side effects if they are caused by the rads or the medication. I don't start my rads until the 27th and finish 3 days before Christmas. Good luck with your first rads tomorrow.

[Forties]

Hello

It felt really good yesterday to write how I was really feeling about the undignified rads.  I'm not sure whether it was the toll of ten months of treatments talking or the Tamoxifen ( lack of proper sleep, hot flushes, irritability) but at least I know some of you might have experienced similar feelings and your supportive comments are great - thanks.  I did try my rant on a close friend but the empathy was just not there and I've apologised since.  

I hope everyone's appointments go to plan today.  I realise now that mine begin tomorrow so I have another day of waiting.  I might begin some Xmas shopping before I get too tired from rads............

Take care everyone.

[deelush]

Thanks Boa 🙂 xx

[Boa]

Deelush
Hope all goes well tomorrow.
Boa

[deelush]

I had three ladies in my planning and ct scan, all were lovely introduced themselces and asked me if i had any questions and if i understood what was goin to happen during the scan, they were very considerate and made me feel at ease, i hope my tretment staff are equally as pleasant and caring. I'll find out tomorrow .
deelush x x

[Boa]

Hi Forties

I can understand what you mean about undignified time at the rads planning. Unlike others I have not had chemotherapy (Iwas borderline and decided that at 64 I wasnt going to put myself through it for a 2% improvement.) Of all the appointments I have had the planning session was the most strange. Everyone polite but at one point there were four people in the room (all female) but no one introduced themselves.

Anyway, first rads visit today. Arrived far too early and had a briefing on what to expect so the whole visit took 1 1/4 hours plus travel time. But Tomorrow there will be no briefing so it will be quicker. And I can plan better when to arrive. Session itself OK but told not to use any creams and that the professional will decide if/when I have to use anything.

Boa

[SML1903]

Hi deelush. Thanks for the welcome and hope your first session tomorrow goes well. I am half exoecting the hospital to phone and change my appt again. First it was the 24th Nov then 25th then 26th and finally 27th so I think if they do try and change it again I will say I would really prefer they didn't. As it is I will finish on Dec 22nd. SML x

[deelush]

Hi SML1903, welcome to the november rads club, sorry to hear that you too have had some nasty problems to deal with, but hopefully thats all behind you now, just this last hurdle to get over then you too can start to move on and look forward to christmas, take care and keep us posted

deelush x x 

[deelush]

Hi Forties and welcome to the november rads club, sorry to hear your  having  such a poop time dealing with different things, but hopfully this is the last hurdle to concur then we can all enjoy christmas and hopfully  be in a betrer place by then than we were several months ago. I got diagnosed on valentines day and it seems such a long hard year cant wait to see the back of it,.

take care hope it all goes well for you , keep us posted

deelush x x 

[SML1903]

Hi Forties.

Like you my cancer journey began in March grade 3 and node positive. I also had months of chemo, FEC-T followed by a WLE and anc. I did have problems with a seroma which I had to have a minor surgical procedure on and then it became infected so had 2 lots of antibiotics to clear that up. Sorry to hear you have problems with your arm and shoulder. I seem to have good shoulder and arm movement but numbness in the top half of my arm, in the axilla area and in my breast but still hoping it will wear off eventually. I start my rads on the 27th Nov and went for my planning last week for 18 sessions. The staff were all very pleasant and only 3 of them which included one man. I was expecting it to be harder than it was so was relieved when they made it so easy for me. I am really sorry you had such a difficult planning session and really hope your radiotherapy sessions are not so difficult. Good luck with your first treatment tomorrow and the other 14.

[Forties]

Hello

Thought I'd join your blogs for a little support as I begin my 15 sessions of radiotherapy tomorrow.  My cancer journey began last March and I've put the odd message on here along the way but I'm feeling angry at cancer right now and want to vent it!  My diagnosis was a grade 3, node positive 27mm tumour so I had 5 months of poison aka chemo with all its horrid effects, followed by a lumpectomy and node clearance with its scarring and weak arm and shoulder and now I've come to the final hurdle  of undignified radiotherapy.    Although my other treatments and appointments have involved examination's by various staff in a small consulting room, I found my planning meeting of me bare chested and exposed in a huge  freezing room, 5 staff, men and women, all drawing on me and sticking labels on etc very humiliating and I'm dreading my 15 sessions.  I've been pretty positive throughtout my treatments so far but this feels like cancers way of making me feel my worst!  And I haven't even faced the skin side effects yet.  Obviously, I need to keep reminding myself that I know rads have a statistically proven effect on reoccurrance rates.  Anyone feel traumatised by radiotherapy? I guess I have to just grin and bare it!!!!!!!!!

[Daltocat74]

Good luck all starting today! X

[deelush]

Thinking of you all today 🙂

Deelush x 

[Boa]

Hi Mel
Thanks for keeping us in touch. No wonder you fell asleep on the sofa if you were working hard making a Christmas cake. Hope all goes well this week. I'm off today for the first session.
Boa

[Mel51]

Forgot to answer the questions I was asked! Doh - chemo brain!
I got all of my appointments at my planning meeting and was given Diprobase to use throughout treatment. I used e45 on the run up to the treatment to get it all moisturised up!!

[Mel51]

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay in replying. It's been a busy few days. The rads this week have been fine but quite a few delays and I always seem to turn up early 😃. Skin a little pink but not sore, but the hospital told me its be the end of the second week before any reaction will start. Let's hope it's minimal! I've been trying to limit the amount of water on the breast area and limiting showers until gym days and applying the cream three times a day. We'll see if it works.
I didn't think it was having much impact on me physically, but I was in bed on Friday night at 10.30 and slept until 9am - wow! Been a long time since I've done that! I also fell asleep on the sofa for an hour Saturday afternoon whilst the Xmas cake was in the oven! I now feel refreshed for a new week of rads.
Hope you're all getting on well. How's everyone's skin holding up?

[Boa]

Hi Diane
Welcome from me too. We can exchange experiences tomorrow. I have been on letrozole since diagnosed and have 15 rads visits. My tumour was about the same size as yours. I was borderline for chemo and herceptin but decided not to take it. Onc was happy with decision.
Boa

[deelush]

Hi Diane, welcome to the november starters, sounds very interesting the type of rads your having, i unfortunately wasnt offered anything other than 15 + 8 so 23 in total, I'll be finished by 11th December so hoping i dont suffer too much as thats only two weeks before xmas, good luck for tomorrow and let us know how you get on.

deelush x

[positivethinker]

Hi ladies

I too start my radiotherapy tomorrow (10th) so can I tag along to the group of fellow zappees?

I'm having my treatment in Guildford and am on the IMPORT HIGH trial 2.  I have the intense radio in the tumour bed in the same session as the regular radio to an area surrounding the tumour bed then no radio to the remaining breast.  My total number of sessions is therefore reduced from 23 to 15 so I shall be finished by the end of November. My journey without traffic is about half an hour each way and apart from tomorrow at 11.20 I'm hoping most of my sessions are at about 4 p.m. so I can go home and take things easy for the rest of the day.  I had my 10 mm Grade 3 tumour removed at the end of August so I've had quite a wait for radio.  The surgeon found some LCIS surrounding the tumour but I decided not to have a re-excision, so that delayed starting the radio.  My onc said that as I had choices and was referred to him, the decision to have radio and Letrozole was a good one so I'm keeping very positive.

Won't it be wonderful to get the radiotherapy out of the way and put the procedures side of all this behind us.

Diane xx

[deelush]

Ok thanks look forward to hearing how it goes, take care and all the best ,
deelush x x

[Boa]

Hi Deelush

That's unfortunate but if they told you it might happen then that's not too bad. I'll let you know how I get on at my appointment on Monday.

Boa

[deelush]

Just got a call from my hospital , my rads is being delayed by one day, (i was informed previously that there may be a possible appointment change so no great surprise there)  so will be starting on Tuesday 11th now instead got 11.50 a.m time slot so should be all good to go on tuesday .

deelush x

[deelush]

Good to hear your doing ok,
deelush x

[Daltocat74]

Fab thanks Deelush 🙂 Arrived for second appointment way too early again but the team are just lovely and make it all very easy. 10 minutes or so for the treatment and the only bit that's slightly uncomfortable is holding the position in the arm rest but it's only minor. 2 down, 17 to go! mel51 - hope yours went ok. X

[deelush]

How you doing Mel51 and daltocat x

[Boa]

Hi Daltocat
Glad it went well.
Boa

[deelush]

Thanks yes getting closer now, glad you got on ok again today
take care
deelush

[Daltocat74]

Thanks Boa and Deelush. It went well - arm got a bit achy holding the position so long but the radiotherapy team were just lovely and completely put me at my ease. It's all a bit Space Odessy with the machine and couldnt feel a thing. just pleased to know what to expect now. I can see that the daily trek is going to get boring very quickly but at least everything's moving in the right direction. Good luck with yours - not long to go now!

[Boa]

Hi Deelush

I like early starts too but the drive into Edinburgh at that time is horrendous and I couldnt rely on trains and buses.

Boa

[Boa]

Hi Daltocat

Hope it went well. let us know how you get on. It's a bit of a drive for you and I can imagine that you will always need to have leeway in travel time.

Boa

[deelush]

Oh dear daltocat74,
best of luck hope it goes ok
deelush