First oncology appointment

Hi 

Yes you have a planning scan first and they ink tiny tattoos just like a pen dot to line the machine up with to hit the right area with the radiotherapy. It is all nothing to be anxious about they are lovely and talk it all through with you. Good luck it will be ok I finished x15 in June. and if I can do it anyone can xx

Thanks for replying. Im sure everything will be ok, just a bit in the dark with everything.

Hi Gertie15, areas may vary but in my case the first oncology appointment was just to discuss my treatment plan. It was 6-7 weeks after my surgery too. He recommended radiotherapy and hormone therapy so I signed up for both. I got my prescription for Anastrozole that day, and signed the consent forms for radiotherapy. I also chatted with the oncology nurse afterwards about a further sick note. 

The next stage was my radiotherapy planning stuff at a different hospital, which happened a few weeks later (not helped by Christmas and New Year), the waiting seemed endless but it came around eventually! At that visit I had the CT scan and free tattoos as well as a chat about the actual sessions. I got a list of dates and times at the end, and started soon after (3 weeks of rads back then in 2019, now it’s sometimes just 5 days, depending on each case and also some variation in different areas I think). 

But this is just how it happened for me, it may be that if you’ll have the radiotherapy at the same hospital as your oncology appointment, then you may have it all done that day. Mine did feel rather long and drawn out! Good luck with it all, love and hugs, HFxx 

Hi Gertie15 I had my appointment with Oncologist about 6 weeks after surgery,  she just explained treatment and I signed consent form. I then had planning scan mid August and treatment started about 10 days after that.  I already had tattoos from previous radiotherapy back in 2013 so they could line up with those. It was explained to me that recent trials have proved 5 days with same dose just as effective as over 3 weeks. I had 3 weeks plus boost last time as the area was lateral and 2nd op still didn’t give completely clear margin, so boost to that area. This time the area was much bigger so had whole breast radiotherapy.

All done now and follow up with her January, but I think delayed as I’m away for a couple of months. 

Maybe see what your Consultant recommends regarding creams etc. I’ve seen some people have been given Flamigel RT by their team. I wasn’t but bought it. So far so good. 

All the best for your treatment. Best wishes, Karen x

``My surgery was just over 6 weeks ago at a different hospital to the one where Ill be having radiotherapy, no one has mentioned time scale of scans etc yet.  Hoping its not too long now, just want to get it over and done with.