Half Way Through whoop whoop

Hi Jennifer , good luck with your treatments and yes radiotherapy still works in your body for about a year so they wait for 3 months before scanning  then every 3 months for 2 yrs , I didn't get the snorkel just a mould of my chest and that what they used for their numbers of where to zap , every hospital is different as I've told you for my small recurrence I just had 4 weeks of radiotherapy,  no chemo .

Wishing you all the best .

Take care Sandra

Ah Sandra I did ask for you The doc   said I was getting it because it was near the nodules so that’s why .I m having so much more .Also my 3 tattoos in a line . I didn’t t realise it worked for that long! Thanks for the info .So your next scan is??

Hi Jennifer , thanks for asking ( I should have )  but I was on my own and this big wuss was upset that it was back , I have been discharged from oncology and it's now  respitory doctor I see , she is the 3rd one I've been through and apparently when I get my next scan in June I might have yet again a different consultant ! 

Yes for a year it continues to work so come the summer you need to keep that area out of the sun and wear a high factor should you not cover up  , I had no problems up here in Scotland keeping out of the sun , we hardly saw it.

Should you feel the area is starting to burn ask the nurses for cream , I got ZEROBASE for my skin which thankfully didn't burn but I could feel it hot .

Take care . Sandra

Morning Sandra I suppose as long as you are getting frequent scans it doesn’t t matter who you see after and I used to phone respiratory for my results if I couldn't t wait for a result .i might have a problem in the summer as I’m a keen gardener growing plants for everyone it keeps me busy and out of mischief! Lets hope i will be well enough to do it but at least in the garden you can just rest with a cuppa if you are tired .i actually downloaded an app to check good and bad cream and my daughter is a tropic consultant so she has filled me up with lovely healthy creams so i ve been lucky They have said i wont burn but i have a little problem swallowing so hoping that doesn’t t get worse .Just need to get through the next 3 weeks Stay well 

Jennifer 

Hi. I finished my radiotherapy (three weeks of SABRE) for stage 1 upper left lung cancer on the 15 December 2023. I was given 6 monthly check-ups right away. I asked the consultant oncologist why six monthly and not three monthly - he said because I had such a quick response where the lesion had shrunk nearly 50% with my first treatment, I would be able to go straight to six monthly.

I was also told that radiotherapy can carry on working for up to 18 months after treatment ends. People seem to get differing advice in different hospitals.  I also have to have regular kidney function tests within 3-4 weeks prior to my CT scan with contrast, but a friend who is going through lung cancer and is being treated in a different hospital does not have these regular tests. I was told by the specialist nurse that their hospital protocol guidelines recommends this blood test because apparently the contrast solution used can have an effect on the kidneys.

I had my second follow up last September 2024, and another regression in the lesion, albeit small, was noted, but the consultant radiologist had used the word "stable", with no activity seen. The radiologist said that sometimes what they can see could be dead cancer cells or inflammation from the radiotherapy, and it's a bit of a waiting game to get the full picture.

I have my third follow-up CT scan at the end of next month (March), hopefully things things will look a bit clearer then as it will be 14 months since my treatment finished.

Ann

Hi Jennifer,  yes scanned regularly and to be honest I wouldn't care if I saw Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck to get  the results as long as i could be told there's  " no progression " 

I did have a slight problem with my throat , it was painful to swallow,  apparently where they were targeting was near my throat but hospital gave me meds to help and I was on a soft diet for a couple of weeks but it cleared up after treatments finished .

Good you like to do your gardening and you should be less tired when it's time to get out planting . Also lucky you have a daughter that can help with cream should you need it , as I said I didn't bn just felt area hot so maybe you'll be the same

Take care  Sandra

Micky is good haha .Yes they already gave me some medicine at the  beginning so I’mneed to go through all the medicines! Good to know once you start chatting to people how the little things come out for us and others .its all manageable so far .At w/ ends because I don t have to go to the hospital  I just seem to collapse or relax maybes a better word for it .Anyway keep chatting 

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,  you seem to have all your ducks in a row with your creams and throat meds at the ready .

Yes weekends are to let our bodies rest before the next lot of radiotherapy so relax or collapse but just rest .

I used to get quite bored lying there pinned to the table so first I started counting , then I sang a song , not out loud or they'd think machine was breaking down , if you have a snorkel, close you eyes and  just think of the wonderful sea creatures you can see and feel like you are swimming with them . I'm thinking of the film Nemo and the song " keep on swimming keep on swimming "

Take care  Sandra 

Thanks Sandra  yes I ve tried quite a few things but that’s a lovely idea only thing is they have to keep saying breathe in and they count from 20 down to 1 then relax 4 breaths and start again so you can’t meditate but yes I try and think of nice things and I love water so good idea, 

jennifer

Hi Ann  , yes I've had blood test taken to check U&E   in other words the kidneys, I'm 3 monthly check it's because mine is a recurrance , the radiotherapy shrunk it but as oncologist said " it will never go away " so I just hope it stays dormant and doesn't wake up and go for a wander . My next scan is June as I just had one in December.  My lung also had inflammation the oncologist said I had a bad reaction to the radiotherapy .

I seem to live from scan to scan , you know I put things of " till after my scan" which I shouldn't do i should just live my life as normal as I can .

Hope all goes well for your scan in March 

Take care Sandra