** APRIL & MAY 2021 BREAST CANCER RADIOTHERAPY **

Hello BaileyLadyand Carlo41

interested to hear your experience re P and T .  I am due my first one without chemo starting on Tuesday. I last had one in December with Paclitaxel.  Then had a couple of months break while on EC.  Then concerns about heart function so not restarted.  Finished 15 days radiotherapy week and a half ago.  Just started drugs to protect heart function.  I can’t remember what Herceptin and Pertuzumab feels like, but I’m hoping it will be easy without the chemo.  

Im impressed you’ve had treatment so quickly all together.  Mine seems to have been dragging on for ages, but at least the most intensive parts are over.  

Baileylady I hope your skin is ok.  I used aloe Vera gel through radiotherapy, and now also use calendula cream once treatment stopped. (Apparently skin can carry on getting red for a while after treatment).  

Caroline, yes I was glad to finish chemo, and felt it was a relief to be starting radiotherapy.

Judith

Hi, I'm new to this thread but scanning through I recognise a few names from the chemo forum. I finished chemo 8 weeks ago and had a lumpectomy and 4 lymph nodes removed 3 weeks ago. I am recovering well from this and starting to feel normal again. Can I expect much in the way of side effects from radiotherapy?

I met the consultant today, he is recommending 5 days of radiotherapy which I'm relieved about as I have to travel quite a way for this. He also said use aloe vera cream, I've seen Aveeno cream mentioned in this forum. I have very sensitive skin since the chemo, I've just recovered from a reaction I had to the glue used during surgery. Does the aveeno cream work well?

Hello Hollythecat

I fished 5 days of radiotherapy almost 2 weeks ago and am waiting for the side effects to kick in, supposedly after two weeks. I didn't have to hold my breath and the worse part of it was having to lie with your arms up - both unnatural and uncomfortable. But it isn't for very long - happily. I caught the bus there and walked to the hospital. As it's in Bristol it's up a hill. So fatigue wasn't an issue for me. I use the blue Aveeno as I have dry skin anyway,  there is a choice of blue and green Aveeno. Like everything else, everybody's side effects are different. But like the last chemo, I was more than happy to finish. Some ladies have a back up supply of Aloe Vera cooling in the fridge, so far I haven't needed this I'm more worried about the Letrozole I'll have to take, as you can see from my posts. 

Good luck and always hope for the best

I wish you well

Hi Hollythecat, I finished 2 weeks of rads 2 weeks ago (1 week whole breast and 1 week boost) and didn't notice much in the way of side effects. I was told radiation peaks 2 weeks after you finish and I haven't noticed much difference since finishing. I worked full time throughout treatment and drove myself there and back. I had slight soreness and redness straight afterwards, but very mild and my scar went a bit more red. I used Aveeno cream throughout to moisturise and am still using it. The radiologist said the cream makes zero difference to whether you will have a skin reaction, but moisturising does tend to stop you itching any dry skin which could then lead to skin issues. 

I think the reduced time (5 days) is making people less tired as the travelling every day for a few weeks can be a bit exhausting.

Hello Hollythecat.  Good to hear you finished chemo and are making a good recovery after surgery.  

I finished radiotherapy 2 weeks ago, and found it quite straightforward compared to chemo.  I used aloe Vera gel twice daily during the three weeks of treatment, (I also started it a couple of weeks ahead to prepare the skin) and  have continued with it once a day, adding calendula cream in the evening. The skin has coped well.  Last week it all got a bit itchy, but has settled again.  It is still a bit dark red, especially in the underarm area, and I have to choose underwear carefully so it doesn’t aggravate it, but nothing too unmanageable.  Also remember to drink plenty of water during treatment.  I was tired after treatment but I think partly that was travelling a long way every day for 3 weeks.  I’m feeling good now, though have to be careful not to try and take on too much.

Im now about to start the next phase. Immunotherapy three weekly for a year, complicated by the fact I’m planning a housemove which will mean a change of hospital in a couple of months time.

Good luck with radiotherapy. Hope it goes really well, and it will be over sooner than you have think.

Judith

Hi Hollythecat

You will find that everyone has a very different reaction to RT and yours may be similar to some and completely different from other.  

I had a couple of reactions to creams I was using preparation, notably the worst for me was the Aveeno, green and blue.  Even had a reaction to the Flamigel I was given by the hospital. My skin has become extremely sensitive recently and now I only use organic aromatherapy oils I blend for myself.

For me the side effects definitely worsened after the 2 weeks post treatment. I wasn't prepared for the amount of fatigue I would experience. I'm attending a 2 day course at our local Macmillan centre to help cope with that. I'm also hoping the 6 weeks course of reflexology will give me a boost.

Good luck with your treatment and I hope you find something that suits your skin.

Best wishes

Dee x

Thanks to all of you for your replies, very helpful. It looks like radiotherapy is much easier to handle than the chemo was. I will start with aloe vera cream now, my skin is still recovering from my reaction to the glue used during the operation and hopefully this will help. Looks like there could be a delayed response, 2 weeks after the treatment ends, I will bear this in mind and plan some time off. I am planning a house move too I am hoping it happens a few weeks after I finish treatment. I'm staying in the same health authority area so will have follow up with the same team. I hope your immunotherapy goes well.

Hi Hollythecat Good to hear from you & glad to hear your surgery went well  We are definitely going through this together. I finally have my radiotherapy planning meeting tomorrow. I echo jejke’s sentiments about everything seeming to take so long in my area! 
Still, radiotherapy is the last of what I class as the ‘big’ treatments for myself and I’m impatient to get it done. 
I hope you get your radiotherapy dates soon and it all goes ok. Good luck to you & with the house moves. No house moves here, but I’m hoping to finally start a phased return to work mid-June, all being well! 
Take care

Hi all

Have been reading your posts regarding rads in preparation, not sure when I will start but I have my last chemo next week so hopefully it won’t be too long!

A lot f you have mentioned having to keep your arm raised for the treatment so have upped the exercises so this should be manageable.  Holding your breath seems to be other bit. How long do you need to hold it for? Not sure I will be much good at that part, 

stupid that after mastectomy and chemo holding my breath seems to be worrying me. 

Kathryn

Hi Kathryn

I am starting rads next Monday.  I've had 3 planning sessions, two this week and one last week.  The first one was a CT Scan of the upper chest in order to know where to place the tattoos they use to know where to direct the Radiation.  They also got me to practice holding my breath, which I had to hold for about 5 seconds.

I thought that I was starting rads yesterday only to find out when I got there that they were only doing the preparation for the Rads.  Again they got me to practice my breathing.  They speak to you through a microphone and tell you when to hold your breath and when to breathe again which only takes about 5 seconds.  I was assured that the machine stop giving you the radiation when you breathe normally again.

Hope this helps and best of luck with your treatment.

Best wishes

Daisy53