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Radiation Therapy for breast cancer: What was your experience?

Posted by may2024 @may2024, Aug 3 7:48am

June 2024 underwent axilla dissection now radiation therapy is being recommended. Can anyone speak to what they experienced with this therapy, thanks

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dlst | @dlst | Aug 18 10:20am
In reply to @dlst "My experience with radiation was overall good. I had 20 sessions, the last four were boost...." + (show)
@dlst

My experience with radiation was overall good. I had 20 sessions, the last four were boost. My skin turned red like a sunburn and some areas peeled, also as in a bad sunburn, but with lots of aloe vera (98% - order online if you can't find it locally), Aquaphor, and Eucerin Intensive Repair, it was tolerable. By two weeks after the end of radiation, my skin was almost completely healed. Now it has been over three weeks, and it's practically back to normal - just some discoloration due to tanning, which I think will fade. Good luck!

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I should add that I did not have any excessive fatigue. However, I told myself to take it easy a bit. I took some naps in the afternoon - some as long as 2 hours, but other than that, I didn't make any change in my schedule. I did not have to have chemo and the radiation oncologist told me I would not experience as much fatigue, since I was going into the treatments stronger and healthier than someone just coming off of chemo, so that may be what made the difference. Also, I drank a LOT of water and other liquids. My goal was 90 ounces a day, and most days I met it. That was recommended by the radiation oncologist. I worked through the entire time and I am 69, in average shape, but my work is flexible and can sometimes be done from home.

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mecha | @mecha | Aug 18 10:52am
In reply to @dlst "My experience with radiation was overall good. I had 20 sessions, the last four were boost...." + (show)
@dlst

My experience with radiation was overall good. I had 20 sessions, the last four were boost. My skin turned red like a sunburn and some areas peeled, also as in a bad sunburn, but with lots of aloe vera (98% - order online if you can't find it locally), Aquaphor, and Eucerin Intensive Repair, it was tolerable. By two weeks after the end of radiation, my skin was almost completely healed. Now it has been over three weeks, and it's practically back to normal - just some discoloration due to tanning, which I think will fade. Good luck!

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Recibí radioterapia después de la operación. El radiólogo me dijo que la cantidad de radiación que había decidido aplicarla haría en un tiempo corto. Es decir que al ser más fuertes mí piel se vería afectada.Me pidió no faltar a las sesiones,y que después de cada aplicación me pasaste preferentemente hojas de áloe vera abiertas,de manera abundante la mayor cantidad de veces que pudiese.Asi lo hice y a pesar de la cantidad de radiación que recibía,nunca tuve más que un suave enrojecimiento,que desaparecía al día siguiente. Eso fue hace 20 años.

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catlover2020 | @catlover2020 | Aug 18 2:03pm
In reply to @einnoc "I agree with your story's assessment of the radiation being "okay" versus the pills being horrible...." + (show)
@einnoc

I agree with your story's assessment of the radiation being "okay" versus the pills being horrible. I had 33 radiation treatments and drove myself to every one, alone. It wasn't that bad. I took Anastrozole for 7 months. Brain fog. Mood swings. Teariness. Excruciating back and joint pain. Blurry vision. Brain fog. Vivid violent nightmares. And then, on 9/15/2022, my left knee blew out. I had been in a clinical trial for osteo-arthritis from its inception until it ceased in 2020 and had had numerous X-rays and MRIs of my fragile (bicycle accident) left knee. You would think that an oncologist---knowing that the aromatase inhibitors stomp out all estrogen in the body and will cause inflammation of injured joints---would not put me on any of the 3 A. I, drugs at all and perhaps go right to Tamoxifen (which I tried for 5 months) but no. When I tried to tell him of the insomnia that I had suffered for weeks because of the joint pain, plus the other side effects, he said, "Don't take it then" and got up and walked out, There was no discussion of the other alternative drugs and no compassion and his official statement (in writing) was, "The only side effect from taking Anastrozole is a little stiffness in your hands and fingers when you wake up first thing in the morning, and it goes away when you quit taking it." He only saw me 2x in 8 months, himself, and the "minions" (P.A.'s) would always say, "You'll need to talk to the doctor face-to-face about that." I was also never given an oncotype, standard of care since 2013, because he had told me (Dec., 2021), when I asked, "You don't need one." As a matter of fact, I DID need one, because it would have been used to plan my treatment and it would have given me a % for recurrence. Anything over 25 usually has chemo. When I finally got my onco score in 2023 from a different oncologist, it was 29 and my % of recurrence is 36%, because I cannot tolerate any of the adjuvant therapy drugs. I had to have 32 ml of an anti-inflammatory and 6 ml of Durolane injected into my fragile left knee and was in a wheelchair for 6 months (September, 2022 until March 2023.)

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I was given a prescription for tamoxifen. After tons of rescreach I'm not doing it.

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einnoc | @einnoc | Aug 18 2:30pm

If you have dense breasts, fight for the MRI.

Read these testimonials and you will see why (and will also have a better idea of what they cost.)
https://mydensitymatters.org/programs/my-story-matters/

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christylv | @christylv | Aug 19 9:17am
In reply to @sue417 "Hi I was diagnosed with d c I s stage zero er pr positive her 2..." + (show)
@sue417

Hi
I was diagnosed with d c I s stage zero er pr positive her 2 neg. Did 20 rounds radiation in 10 days. No burning but 5 mths later still struggling with fatigue. I tried tamoxifen for 6 days horrid side effects. I can't take AI . So done with that. I have a mammogram coming up in October really would rather have an mri. So going to ask oncologist. As i have dense breasts

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Did you try lowering your tamoxifen dose? I had some annoying period cramps when I started tamoxifen. My oncologist lowered my dose and now I am doing fairly well on the lower dose.

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1 reply
sue417 | @sue417 | Aug 19 9:58am
In reply to @christylv "Did you try lowering your tamoxifen dose? I had some annoying period cramps when I started..." + (show)
@christylv

Did you try lowering your tamoxifen dose? I had some annoying period cramps when I started tamoxifen. My oncologist lowered my dose and now I am doing fairly well on the lower dose.

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I was on the lowest dose. I literally could not function for 6 days. My oncologist said I had my surgeries and radiation. I was stage 0. Therefore the medication was overkill. It wasn't mandatory. I have fibromyalgia and hi sensitivity to drugs

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jeaniebean | @jeaniebean | Aug 19 10:13am
In reply to @jojo4cm "Hi @jeaniebean, Yesterday, in the "Radiation Therapy for breast cancer: What was your experience?" discussion, you..." + (show)
@jojo4cm

Hi @jeaniebean,
Yesterday, in the "Radiation Therapy for breast cancer: What was your experience?" discussion, you said you "had a terrible experience with anastrozole and tried 3 others, all with same results. I did find I could tolerate the pure one, with a bit more ease. i was allergic to the fillers in all the others."
I know everyone can have different experiences with these treatments, but please tell me which meds were the "3 others". And what was "the pure one" that you could tolerate?
Did the one you could tolerate add to your crippling effects?
Hope your "sort of fine" is really much better than it was.

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The first one I tried was anastrozole for 2 months and went downhill very fast. Then I tried Letrozole, same thing, the pure one was exemastane and the oncologist had to request no fillers. I cant remember what the third one was, but when you order with "no fillers" it is not covered in most health care plans. I had my husbands extended health coverage, but still had to pay $80 a month, compared to $12. I stopped after the last one after one week, and never looked back. The percentage that it would help was only 5% so I handed it to God. I was able to move better after 3 weeks of no drugs, and I did the rest with a whole plant food diet, no oils at all. I did The Starch Solution, stopped all herbals and all topical herbal oils. I am 4 years completely free, and 71 years old. The only affect I have now is full blown arthritis in joints and cant bend my fingers. If you are prone to having arthritis in your later years, the drugs just bring it on with a vengeance. If you look at side effects, I had every single one, mentally and physically. The oncologist was really pushing the drugs, but I just couldnt take them. She finally said it was too bad the govt didnt remove fillers altogether. After I stopped, she dropped me like a hot potato, no followups at all. But my Drs wife was on them and struggling, so he was really good to me, helping me thru. I lost 70 pounds and now I walk 2 miles a day. I used to force myself to walk 1200 steps in my house with a cane, now I daily walk around 50,000 steps. I will never get my fingers back.
The answer for me was radiation and then a solid way of eating with no oils. Oils NEVER leave your body. Read the book.

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Jane W. | @ladyofthelake1 | Aug 20 3:17pm

I am ER PR pos & HER2 Neg stage 1B Mamaprint .304 left breast 7mm tumor lumpectomy, 1 sentinel node pos & 2nd node negative. May 14, 2024 diagnosed, surgery May 29, 2024

Started radiation July 30, 2024. Full breast. Suppose to get 28 plus 5 boosts I think. I am at day 16 today. Slight rash under breast and chest wall. Sometimes itchy. Hanging in there. Taking Letrozole by Aurobindo

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tapgirl | @tapgirl | Sep 17 2:21pm

I wish I had seen your post sooner. If you are large-breasted and the radiation is directed to the underside of your breast the ComfortSlings products are game changers in protecting your skin. The company sells both slings, with cushions on adjustable straps that tuck beneath the breast, and cushions without the straps to tuck inside your bra cup. . I began wearing a single sling as soon as the radiotherapy began; by my treatment’s end, my skin had darkened slightly at the radiation site, but was otherwise unchanged. I had no pain, no broken skin. I can’t recommend these products enough! Good luck! http://www.ComfortSlings.com

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