Breast Cancer Now Forum

Sounds as if you have a really good Rads team supporting you Tookie, I actually started to burn on day three and had to wait until day TEN to get Flamigel - too little too late!! once you've completed RT if there's any more burning get FLAMAZINE - contains silver for healing, sending love xxx ... View more

Not tired, but sore ! Xx ... View more

Hi, I finished my radiotherapy ten days ago and had to do the breath holding technique (DIBH) as mine too was left breast, I tried to practice prior to treatment starting but it was so random!! You'll be told how to do the breathing when you go to your appointment for the tattoos so that should help to settle your mind, when you are undergoing the session the team clearly tell you when to start holding and when to breath out, when they set you up for each session you'll have a practice run too. Don't worry about claustrophobia, you're not in a machine - the machine is over the bench you lie on and moves over you, so you're not enclosed, the team are in contact with you throughout the whole session - which even with  the breath holding is over within a few minutes!! Good Luck - you've got this!! xx ... View more

Hi, I'm really sorry if my message raised any unnecessary alarm re your radiotherapy, I've got 2 girlfriends who sailed through their treatments without any problem whatsoever!! I started off using Aveeno but a French friend recommended the stuff they use over there for all radiotherapy patients, but I wasn't able to get that until day 6 - pity I did have it earlier on. All I can say is if you have any concerns raise them with the team and hopefully they would be a bit more attentive  than my team were. I'm going to see if I can be referred to a different surgeon for follow up surgery. Good luck,  when do you start treatment? xx   ... View more

Hi Sweetie, thanks for your concern, sadly no, my experience has been a total nightmare!  I reported concerns to rad team on day 3 of 15 sessions, I was truly horrified to be burning so early on in treatment!! I presented as an overweight, large breasted, very fair skinned lady with obvious childhood sun damage clearly seen on neck/ chest area - four alerts for possible burning probs. I also reported that my granny died from breast cancer/radiotherapy complications -she died from  septic radiotherapy burns aged 61 when I was three months old, as a 60 year old granny of 16 month old twins I was beside myself with worry - not one single person noted any of these red alerts or took them seriously ! I eventually got a skin review on day 10 and was begrudgingly given a very small 40g tube of Flamigel which lasted me 4 days plus one application, my BCN asked Rad. Dept. for more Flamigel cream which again was given 'to keep me quiet' !! On day 13 when nipple/ breast was very red sore I was given Kerralite dressings, On day 14 - skin review records patchy moist desquamation- told no need for any silver cream/ Flamazine until it broke down - go to GP, I was given Polymem dressing with no info re use. One week on excruciating stabbing breast pain, Very burnt purple/red raw patches underneath breast and generally burnt nipple/ boob, ended up chasing around the area (I live in rural North Yorkshire) on Friday night after GP was unable to source Flamazine cream, this should/ could have been given to me on leaving rad dept/Skin review as it was obvious that things were going to get worse before getting better. Feel incredibly let down by the people I gave my complete trust to, not a happy bunny at the moment and I still have to embark on the battle to get second op to 'match' good boob to operated/reduced one - which is a butchered job anyway - gosh I bet you wished you'd never asked !! XXX ... View more

Hi, thanks for this, managed to get 2 silver Royce P/S bras from Amazon- hopefully they’ll be fine, at this stage after first surgery my good boob will be the same size so I need a bra to fit now, they’re going to give me a prosthetic doodah to bulk out surgery side x ... View more

Hi Kip, many thanks for replying , I’ve finally managed to get a couple of random, hopefully comfortable bras from Amazon, as I said supermarket and stores such as M&S simply don’t do bigger cup sizes☹️ Xx     ... View more