Let's talk about radiation

Editgrl said:

Acting (locally)

Thanks for your information, Anne.  I do have a couple of questions.  I was going to ask the radiation oncologist next week, but since we have this thread...

Did you have a scan between chemo and radiation? Did you initially have tumors outside of the uterus or cancer cells in your pelvic wash?  

I was diagnosed with Stage 3c, Grade 3 carcinosarcoma, very aggressive.  While the tumor itself was contained in the uterus, they found cancer in some of the lymph nodes they removed, but my pelvic wash was clear.  I'm trying to figure out if the radiation is targeted, what do they target when there is no met? I'm not speaking of brachytherapy here.

I understand chemo being systemic.  I guess all of my experience hearing about radiation from people I've known is that there is a specific target they are aiming at.  Otherwise, it seems to me like using a sledgehammer on a thumbtack.  

I would also like to hear from slender women who have undergone pelvic radiation which is what my doctor recommended.  He already warned me that because of my size, i would probably have significant side effects.  I'm trying to decide if this treatment, at this time, is worth the risk.

Chris

Chris,

I am on the slender side and my radiologist raised the issue of side effects from radiation because of this. 

I will tell you I started by asking him why I even had to have radiation since 'the equipment' was gone?  He said it is targeted (which we have already heard) and for the brachy that cancer can come back in this area.  Ok, I am not sure of that, but I was doing everything I could to put this in the rearview mirror.

He did talk about being smaller and how radiation would effect my digestive track.  I was completely freaked out about not being able to work with debilitating diahrea! I really was a wreck.  I did sit down with a dietician who had given me a powerpoint on how probiotics can help the digestive track during radiation.

The study, seems barbaric actually, was about 60 women being treated with radiation for cervical cancer.  The ones who did NOT take probiotics were hospitalized with dehydration and had 'loose stool' in high numbers.  The comparison to the women who took probiotics and did not have these side effects were shocking.  I had been taking them before all this started and I really had very few side effects. 

I also forced myself to eat protein daily to help the bone marrow in the pelvic area that was getting the radiation. (IMRT is targeted radiation.  They did do a CT for planning purposed of the IMRT and I always had to have an xray before each IMRT to match up the plan with how the body was that day).  I stayed away from highly processed soy, soy protien isolates, as the body treats that like estrogen and hormones cannot be used on my form of agressive cancer, UPSC.

I shared the study with people I work with and one woman started taking them because of it.