Fear of radiation after lumpectomy

@shorty0650: I was in a similar situation 11 months ago. Same breast, same type cancer, 12 mm, so a little smaller than yours. Based on the ONCO type score, my oncologist and my radiologist agreed that radiation would not significantly change the outcome, so I decided against it. Also, I was told that the decision regarding radiation is not urgent, you have several months to think about it and change your mind, with no consequences (so I’ve been advised). Regarding ER blockers, I, too, read the horror stories and bad reactions that some patients have had. I did experience some fairly noticeable joint pain in my hips for the first 6 to 8 weeks, but then it subsided. So far no recurrence, either of cancer, nor joint pain. And - I was diagnosed 1 month before turning 72, so a very similar case.

Thank you for the information. My mom died of breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy followed by a long course of radiation and 6 1/2 years of Tamoxifen. The side effects from these two treatments destroyed her quality of life and she got a recurrence despite following the full regime of treatments her Dr.'s prescribed. I know that if I refuse the treatments, my family will be super upset, but I don't think I'm willing to have my quality of life destroyed as my mom's was for the time I have left! 🙁 I have not yet seen the radiation oncologist or a regular oncologist - only the surgeon, so we'll see what's up after I meet with them. Has anyone out there ever tried the supplement Artemisinin (Sweet Wormwood)?? It is supposed to "dramatically kill breast cancer and leukemia cells while leaving normal breast cells and white blood cells unscathed. It has very few and mild side effects, but I can't find any testimonies of anyone who has actually taken it.

Thank you for the information. My mom died of breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy followed by a long course of radiation and 6 1/2 years of Tamoxifen. The side effects from these two treatments destroyed her quality of life and she got a recurrence despite following the full regime of treatments her Dr.'s prescribed. I know that if I refuse the treatments, my family will be super upset, but I don't think I'm willing to have my quality of life destroyed as my mom's was for the time I have left! 🙁 I have not yet seen the radiation oncologist or a regular oncologist - only the surgeon, so we'll see what's up after I meet with them. Has anyone out there ever tried the supplement Artemisinin (Sweet Wormwood)?? It is supposed to "dramatically kill breast cancer and leukemia cells while leaving normal breast cells and white blood cells unscathed. It has very few and mild side effects, but I can't find any testimonies of anyone who has actually taken it.

Just a note about artemisinin. Here’s further information
- Can Artemisinin Treat Cancer? https://www.healthline.com/health/artemisinin-cancer
Bottom line
“ Artemisinin is as an effective malaria treatment and has been studied as a cancer treatment. Early studies show promising results, but research is limited. Also, no large clinical trials have been completed.

If you have cancer, you should still pursue traditional cancer treatments. Talk with your doctor about experimental treatments, such as artemisinin, to get more information specific to your case.”

I am sorry to hear that your mom went through that and it came back anyway. I am sure you miss her. It is very hard to see someone we love hurting and declining. We all have to make the best decision we can based the information we have at the time. I am sure your mom tried to do this as well. I started my journey 17 years ago and I can tell you that the available information has grown exponentially since then. Sadly, science still cannot always predict who will have it return and when or who will die. There are statistical probabilities but no guarantees. I can say that radiation did not really affect my quality of life that drastically. It did give some some very severe fatigue, but compared to the chemo I took first, it really was a walk in the park. Tamoxifen kind of had some constant gifts of hot flashes and a general aging that I had not expected, but nothing too awful. I know in online conversations, we usually hear from all the people who had awful reactions but that really isn’t the norm. Please consider everything and make the best decision you can for yourself. Only you can know what is best for you.

I am sorry to hear that your mom went through that and it came back anyway. I am sure you miss her. It is very hard to see someone we love hurting and declining. We all have to make the best decision we can based the information we have at the time. I am sure your mom tried to do this as well. I started my journey 17 years ago and I can tell you that the available information has grown exponentially since then. Sadly, science still cannot always predict who will have it return and when or who will die. There are statistical probabilities but no guarantees. I can say that radiation did not really affect my quality of life that drastically. It did give some some very severe fatigue, but compared to the chemo I took first, it really was a walk in the park. Tamoxifen kind of had some constant gifts of hot flashes and a general aging that I had not expected, but nothing too awful. I know in online conversations, we usually hear from all the people who had awful reactions but that really isn’t the norm. Please consider everything and make the best decision you can for yourself. Only you can know what is best for you.

I was wondering if you had any long term side effects from either the radiation or the Tamoxifen? My mom's breast looked almost normal after the lumpectomy, but a long term effect after the radiation is that it started to shrink until it almost was not there and looked like a botched mastectomy and the nipple disappeared (inverted?). It was very painful, even to have the water in the shower touch it. (So we had a hard time getting her to bathe!) She had many other physical and mental side effects including confusion and loss of memory, severe hot flashes, something she called the "squiggleies" which would present like restless leg syndrome but worse in her spine and abdomen, leg cramps, insomnia etc. - just to name a few. I am definitely going to see the radiology oncologist and listen to all options, I'm just really scared!

I did not have anything severe. When I had radiation, there was some severe fatigue. There was a burning of the breast and the greasy salve was not helpful. I bought a bottle of pure aloe Vera with no alcohol and kept it in the refrigerator. Using that a few times a day made it bearable to continue working. All the deformity in my breasts were from the surgeries.
I took tamoxifen for 5 years, and then anastrazole for even more years. I had the hot flashes and maybe a bit of what your mom called the squiggles. I found that staying hydrated really helped with that, it was mostly noticeable in my ankles at night when I wanted to sleep.
The only long term side effects I have had are related to the chemotherapy that I took.
What about this frightens you the most?.