What am I in for?

[CarolynLee]

All the best for your first chemo next week. I'll be having me second one next week -AC as well.

Try and drink as much water as you can for the first couple of days. I felt so bad I thought I would feel like this for ever! But 2 weeks later I'm doing ok - except for a sore scalp with my hair coming out.

Be thinking of you

[Marydean]

Rads can affect the skin/tissue, so there can be some flow-on effects for recon. It doesn't mean you can't have a recon, but the surgeon might need to use a different technique. One of our members Jay66 had a recon done with quite extensive rads scarring, and she got a great result.

I'm sure you'll know more soon, til then, hang in there & good luck for the start of chemo next week .

[Babysaurs]

I start Chemo Monday. 4 rounds of 3 weekly AC and 12 weeks of weekly T.
One cancer was wealky positive for ER PR and HER2-
The other was ER- PR+ and HER2-
Will see my doctor next week before i start chemo so i guess ill know about RADs and hormone treatments then if needed.
Ive been referred to the genetic testing thing so will have and appt there in the next few months.

[JudyB]

Mostly if you have had a mastectomy you won't need radiotherapy unless like me your tumour was so large the likelihood of it recurring in the chest wall is high. Once you have had radiotherapy in one place you can't have it there again so unless there is a high chance of recurrence they don't like to do it as it leaves something else up their sleeve if it does come back. I believe that most people who have any node involvement will be advised to have chemotherapy although there are probably variances for that too. My surgeon was expecting me to have far more nodes involved due to the size of the tumour so maybe he was just being extra cautious. Every case is different.

[Janette]

I think generally your team will either suggest you need rads, suggest you don't need them or give you the choice based on your pathology results, age and many other variances. To my knowledge they weight advantage against side effects and advise accordingly. I did my own research on every aspect of my diagnosis but I did follow the advice of my team.

Radiation can affect your skin and can affect some forms of reconstruction but best to discuss this with a plastic surgeon or a rads onc.

[Babysaurs]

I not thinking of not having RADs what i was more asking was that if im told its not necessary can i opt to have it anyway? Id rather do everything i can now, then potentially wish i had later.
What effect does RADS have on recon surgery? Does it damage the skin enough to cause problem with recon?

[chrismelb]

Everyone experiences everything in a different way, this i have definitely learnt after being in the BC world since 2003.

[The new girl]

hi judy,I was the one who said radiation was a walk in the park compared to chemo,but that was my comparison I coped so much better,I did have terrible burns but still coped better than going through chemo.
What we have all been through is something we will never forget,before all this I had never really been seriously sick apart from having pneumonia a few years back and it went un diagnosed for 2 weeks I was getting so weak and sick until I decided to see another doctor......Rosa

[JudyB]

Lizzie, I didn't mean to sound harsh. Comparatively speaking radiotherapy was easier and my reaction to it was ridiculously bad. I was also still getting over some side effects of the chemotherapy and working full time so I guess that all made it more difficult.

[ruth1]

lets face it - none of it is easy and of course different people different effects. We all just somehow get by and through it all and out the other side eventually. Its the hardest time of my life and I only had FEC and nothing else.

[Lizzie]

Hi Judy
I know radiotherapy is hard and I too had an infection as my skin broke down, I just meant it was a lot easier than chemo for me . I ended up in hospital after 3 of my chemos with unspecified infections and lots of needles. Its all pretty cr*p to experience.
Its amazing how I can even think rads was easy....all relative really.
Liz

[JudyB]

I wouldn't call radiotherapy a walk in the park, I got horrific burns and an MRSA infection from it. I would still take the radiotherapy over it though I have to say. I had to stop for a week when I had the infection and it all did clear up very quickly. I managed to work through it with just the week off when it got too bad.

[Lizzie]

Yep totally agree that radiation is a walk in the park after chemo. I had the works (hat trick I called it) Take all offes of help, rest rest rest and know you will get through this .

[The new girl]

babysauras,with the lymphnodes involved it does still mean it spread past the tumour,I was the same,if they want you to have radiation as wel then you should,it's a walk in the park compared to chemo ....Rosa

[Tracey Gibney]

There are no guarantees with breast cancer so though it is great that you only have 3 nodes effected I don't think that will change your treatment plan. Usually once nodes are effected you will have chemo and probably rads. As Judy said size of tumours also play a role.
Hugs Tracey