Newly diagnosed

rogermoore

Good morning,

My wife of 45 years was just diagnosed with BC. The growth is described as being in the lower left quadrant and very minute, grade 1 ductal carcinoma. We feel the surgeon will recommend a lumpectomy with radiation therapy as a follow-up.

My wife is extemely afraid of the side-effects of radiation. Will someone enlighten her of the impact the radiation had on your daily lives.

I am a 7 yr survivor of prostate cancer so I kind of know what she is going through.

Thanks for your help

Roger

Unknown

Oh, Lord Roger. My heart dropped when I saw your name on this post. I am so sorry.
As you know, I lost both breasts to cancer at different times. Mastectomy is quite different from lumpectomy in some respects but I did have radiation following chemo.
I had very few side effects from radiation. Burning of the skin (your wife's onco will recommend easing ointments for this), and fatigue during the process. But I experienced no long term or disabling effects at all. The radiation was the easiest part of the whole process for me.
God bless, bless, bless your wife and you in this struggle. I am so sorry this beast had reared its ugly head in your family again.

mgm42

I just finished up my radiation treatment following a lumpectomy for Stage 1C invasive ductal carcinoma last week. My tumor was 1.7 cm with clear margins and no node involvement. I'm 66 years old. I had 25 treatments of the whole breast followed by 8 "boost" treatments of the area from which the tumor was excised. I did not have the "fatigue" that they talk about. I would nap for 20 minutes in the car riding home from treatment. (Thankfully, my husband was driving. LOL). I did have redness and two small areas that had burn wounds. They healed within a week and as of today, I'm ready to go. The first three weeks of radiation were a piece of cake. No side effects whatsoever. The last three, the redness increased, the little pinging pains inside the breast increased, and two burns developed. So, the last three weeks, I just pampered myself. I didn't wear a bra. I bought large comfortable sports bras which helped tremendously. Throughout this entire period, I took care of my 87 year old mother who suffers with COPD and is on oxygen 24/7. So, the answer is "no" the radiation did not immobilize or debilatate me. Just rest whenever you need feel the need. And, relax. It's over sooner than you think. Good luck. Marilynn

momoflove4

Roger, as of this past Tuesday (today is July 6th) and I just signed onto this website this morning and you're the 1st email I saw and I have the same exact cancer as your wife. I went in yesterday for a MRI (just to check to see if my cancer has spread out of my ducts). I'm in stage 1 of cancer but in stage 3 of the ductal carcinoma (which isn't good). Maybe you're wife and I can chat together since were newly diagnosed with the same cancer. I'm 46 and I'll be 47 July 25th. This is so bizarre that you're the 1st email I opened to read and here I am talking about my cancer for the 1st time besides talking to my family about it. My screen name is Momoflove4, (I have 4 children). Do you think your wife and I can chat as we go thru this together? I meet with my surgeon on this upcoming Wednesday to find out the results of my MRI and I'm praying it's not any more bad news, like the cancer has spread out of my ducts!

Unknown

momoflove4 said:

Roger, as of this past Tuesday (today is July 6th) and I just signed onto this website this morning and you're the 1st email I saw and I have the same exact cancer as your wife. I went in yesterday for a MRI (just to check to see if my cancer has spread out of my ducts). I'm in stage 1 of cancer but in stage 3 of the ductal carcinoma (which isn't good). Maybe you're wife and I can chat together since were newly diagnosed with the same cancer. I'm 46 and I'll be 47 July 25th. This is so bizarre that you're the 1st email I opened to read and here I am talking about my cancer for the 1st time besides talking to my family about it. My screen name is Momoflove4, (I have 4 children). Do you think your wife and I can chat as we go thru this together? I meet with my surgeon on this upcoming Wednesday to find out the results of my MRI and I'm praying it's not any more bad news, like the cancer has spread out of my ducts!

Welcome to the boards, momoflove4.
Wish you did not need to be here, but this is a great place to get help and support when you do need it.
Also, you might like to join us in csn chat. Many lovely people there who will be more than happy to share with you and laugh and cry and whatever else you feel the need for. Hugs.

Unknown

Roger, ask your wife's doctor about partial breast radiation. I was a candidate for it and it is much shorter and easier than radiating the whole breast. I only had 10 treatments(2x a day for 5 days)instead of 25 or 30. No burning at all. They use a very precise, higher dose radiation on the tumor bed and a margin area around it. It is very precise. Long term studies show that when cancer returns in the breast it is almost always within 2 centimeters of the original site. So, radiating the entire breast is actually overkill. Also, healthy tissue can only be radiated once. So if I were to get a second new cancer elsewhere in the breast(not a recurrence) then I could have another lumpectomy/radiation. With whole breast radiation, I would have to have a masectomy-that of which I would personally want to avoid. Everyone is different on that topic. Not everyone is eligible for the treatment that I had---only early stage, small tumor, and negative nodes cancers are appropriate. But check it out, your wife sounds like she could fall into that group. Think about it--when the tumor is very small, any stray cells would be within a a couple of centimeters. I was happy to have that area zapped and spare the rest of my healthy breast tissue from the radiation. Good luck and keep us posted! Eileen P.S. check out the chat room, there are so many people there to offer support.

mmontero38

Hey Roger: Was shocked to see your name on this board. So sorry to hear about your wife. I did not have to go through rads as I had a mastectomy with no node involvement. And really after reading these boards, every one has a different reaction to the same treatment. I am glad it was caught early. Have her join the group so she can post her own questions and we can chat with her in the room. My prayers are with you and send her a big hug. Lili

rogermoore

momoflove4 said:

Roger, as of this past Tuesday (today is July 6th) and I just signed onto this website this morning and you're the 1st email I saw and I have the same exact cancer as your wife. I went in yesterday for a MRI (just to check to see if my cancer has spread out of my ducts). I'm in stage 1 of cancer but in stage 3 of the ductal carcinoma (which isn't good). Maybe you're wife and I can chat together since were newly diagnosed with the same cancer. I'm 46 and I'll be 47 July 25th. This is so bizarre that you're the 1st email I opened to read and here I am talking about my cancer for the 1st time besides talking to my family about it. My screen name is Momoflove4, (I have 4 children). Do you think your wife and I can chat as we go thru this together? I meet with my surgeon on this upcoming Wednesday to find out the results of my MRI and I'm praying it's not any more bad news, like the cancer has spread out of my ducts!

Hey, Mom ~~ this is Susie, Roger's wife.
Well we are in a 'pickle' aren't we?? I am not
enlightened much but will share the website my
Surgeon told me to look up. He asked that we
study this website and have our questions ready
for him Tues.
www.NCCN.com then he said to:
click 'breast'
Lumectomy
Sentinel node biopsy
I found the site hard to master and massive information that may or may not apply to my case.
I will share w/you the pages I printed out to review and study:
Page 6,7,15,16,17,18,21,22,
Just tonight. as Roger has introduced me to this
ACS Discussion Board, am I finally realizing I
HAVE CANCER.
My husband is a 7 year Survivor of Prostate Cancer.
He was so stoic, brave and never second guessed the decisions we made.
I must admit, at this moment, I may never meet his standards.
Hope this gives you an avenue to explore.
God Bless, we will talk again soon. Susie

nbritton

mmontero38 said:

Hey Roger: Was shocked to see your name on this board. So sorry to hear about your wife. I did not have to go through rads as I had a mastectomy with no node involvement. And really after reading these boards, every one has a different reaction to the same treatment. I am glad it was caught early. Have her join the group so she can post her own questions and we can chat with her in the room. My prayers are with you and send her a big hug. Lili

hello roger being told that you have just been diagnosed with cancer is overwelhming. I was diagnose in early June I have decided to do my surgery first, I am one of the people who beleives in having there mammogram faithfully each year. I am still trying to get use to the fact that I have been diagnosed.

chenheart

Hi Hon! I too was shocked to see your name here on the boards~ hugs to both you and your wife!
I had radiation post surgery and chemotherapy~ and the radiation was the proverbial "walk in the park" for me. It honestly takes longer to get undressed for the procedure than the radiation takes! It is generally done daily ; Monday through Friday. That can be inconvenient, but I scheduled my radiation for early in the morning, so as to have the rest of the day free.
The burn to my skin was cumulative, and made it a bit leathery...I kept it gooped up with Aquaphor Ointment, and for the itch, I was prescribed Hydrocortisone Cream. The OTC variety isn't strong enough to tackle it, but the prescription strength is.

Best of luck to both of you~ as you know, this is not a journey we make alone...

Bless you for coming in and allowing us to embrace you and your sweet wife!

Hugs,
Claudia