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Breast Radiation: I feel very tight in rib area, anyone else?

Breast Cancer | Last Active: Feb 13 9:48pm | Replies (67)
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@jnorki

A couple of things to the whole post.
Yes, radiation hurt my ribs and my lungs. I had whole breast radiation for 24 treatments. My right lung is scarred, two months after treatment, I contracted pneumonia, right lung collapse, intubated for 8 days and hospitalized for 14. I know everyone is different - but it was too much for me and in retrospect ill prescribed. (I'm somewhat tainted in my views now - sometimes believing it's more about the money and not about medicine, sadly.)

I was on Letrozole for approximately 7 months. Over the first several weeks, joint and muscle pain increased and eventually became crippling. My Oncologist prescribed Cymbalta for pain for a couple months, but it had little effect. I was weened off cymbalta and left with no other option than to stop taking the Letrozole. I'm about 9 weeks free of Letrozole and about 60% better on the joint and muscle pain but have severe neuropathy in my right hand and moderate in my left. Two fingers have "trigger" finger which may never resolve without surgery.

I retrospect, I would have fought much harder against the radiation - My "numbers" were so close to having a very short treatment of 3-5 days vs the full boat. I also would have researched (and most likely refused) Letrozole - the side effects were so severe.

I'm in a watchful waiting mode with the onco dr. and prayerful to not have recurrent cancer.

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Replies to "A couple of things to the whole post. Yes, radiation hurt my ribs and my lungs...."
seanmac | @seanmac | Feb 8 3:53pm

I was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer after Larposcopy in april gone, it left my wife of 20 years extremely distressed, contemplating suicide if i die, 4 surgeons who preformed Larposcopy informed me two hours after op that I've stage 4, im infested with cancer, they did deep deep biopsies of organs, 3 weeks later at first meeting they miraculously said they can prolong my life to 5 years, we were delighted overjoyed tearful, 2 months of FLOT chemo then stomach removed and whatever else in August, released on 6th september, in an awful state, wife whose 45 years had a letter from her own doctor to attend A+E for a simple Xray, which showed spots on her lung, they kept her in hospital for tests and within one week of the day of my release from hospital, she was diagnosed with stage 4 aggressive kidney lung and brain cancer, she recieved two session of immunotherapy and in november her first dose of radiation to supposedly remove the small tumours from her brain, she was ok for a few hours after but then experienced severe headaches which they said was normal, one week after radiation she collapsed out of our bed at 9.30am, she had a brain bleed under the small tumour that semi paralysed her, unable to speak, they operated took tumours from her brain, she fought hard for 5 weeks and died in my arms just over a week befor Christmas in hospital under Palliative care, i believe radiation fries the brain, and they should operated to remove her small tumours as they stated they would do initially, thats just my story i like to share in relation to radiation, her second month anniversary is near, get a second opinion before radiation

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ginny100 | @ginny100 | Feb 8 4:29pm

Thanks for your response 🙏 . I also have nerve damage, Ulna Nerve, causing numbness and loss of sensation in my hand , little and ring fingers.
I find it all very disappointing as I was told by radio onc. it is very precise and will only focus on the cancer in my skin and would not affect my lung. Also some of my nails,3, became “dead” flaking, buckling and breaking. They are now, nearly a year later almost back to normal.
I am very concerned about starting on AI as the side effects seem so bad. I think I am leaning towards Tamoxifen as they say it doesn’t affect osteoporosis??? So difficult to make these decisions. I also have a husband with dementia who is worse than no help😱. Sorry about the complaints, I am having a bad day! Wishing you all the best🙏🙏

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