How soon after surgery does radiation begin?

helen e
helen e Member Posts: 223
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I will have a lumpectomy(?) on Friday 10/2 and won't know about chemo until the results of the sentinal node biopsy comes back. I have stage 1-2 invasive ductal carcinoma and will have to have 6 weeks of radiation. Can anyone tell me how soon that will start after the surgery? Guess I'm trying to put all my ducks in a row so I know what will happen next and when. Thanks

Comments

  • Angie2U
    Angie2U Member Posts: 2,991
    #2
    HI
    Hi Helene and welcome to the site. I haven't started radiation treatments yet, but, will very soon. My doctors all wanted to wait at least 6 weeks after my lumpectomy to make for sure that I was healed. I think that is kind of the standard. They mainly just want to be sure that you are all healed up from your surgery, whatever that might have been. Good luck!

    Angie
  • lanie940
    lanie940 Member Posts: 490 Member
    #3
    Angie2U said:

    HI
    Hi Helene and welcome to the site. I haven't started radiation treatments yet, but, will very soon. My doctors all wanted to wait at least 6 weeks after my lumpectomy to make for sure that I was healed. I think that is kind of the standard. They mainly just want to be sure that you are all healed up from your surgery, whatever that might have been. Good luck!

    Angie

    Well, I've had plenty of
    Well, I've had plenty of time to heal. My lumpectomy. I had it July 30th. My Oncology surgeon wanted it out before I went on vacation, which was Aug 23-19th. I had a General surgeon appointment on the 31st of aug, plus the medical oncologist. Well, the medical oncologist wanted me to do the Oncotype dx test. So this pushed it further along. Then I had some tumors under my left arm biopsied, my Oncology surgeon said they had weird cells, he wanted them out, so I know I needed hernia repair per the General surgeon. So this was supposed to wait until the possible chemo and radiation. Well, it changed with the weird tumors under my left axllia. NOW, I'm told I don't really need them out! Just to keep an eye on them, they aren''t cancer. My Oncology Surgeon thought they were lymph nodes, they weren't. The did some special stain,etc. now they are pretty sure they are neurofibromas, SHEESH! I told them from the get-go I had Neurofibromatosis. SO, I'll probably not start RADS until mid October. Maybe I'll be done by Thanksgiving. this has been a journey I wish didn't happen.
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #4
    lanie940 said:

    Well, I've had plenty of
    Well, I've had plenty of time to heal. My lumpectomy. I had it July 30th. My Oncology surgeon wanted it out before I went on vacation, which was Aug 23-19th. I had a General surgeon appointment on the 31st of aug, plus the medical oncologist. Well, the medical oncologist wanted me to do the Oncotype dx test. So this pushed it further along. Then I had some tumors under my left arm biopsied, my Oncology surgeon said they had weird cells, he wanted them out, so I know I needed hernia repair per the General surgeon. So this was supposed to wait until the possible chemo and radiation. Well, it changed with the weird tumors under my left axllia. NOW, I'm told I don't really need them out! Just to keep an eye on them, they aren''t cancer. My Oncology Surgeon thought they were lymph nodes, they weren't. The did some special stain,etc. now they are pretty sure they are neurofibromas, SHEESH! I told them from the get-go I had Neurofibromatosis. SO, I'll probably not start RADS until mid October. Maybe I'll be done by Thanksgiving. this has been a journey I wish didn't happen.

    My rads started a little
    My rads started a little over 6 weeks from my lumpectomy surgery. I just finished #19 last Friday. It is going really fast for me so far! I wish you the best!

    Sue :)
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #5
    Ritzy said:

    My rads started a little
    My rads started a little over 6 weeks from my lumpectomy surgery. I just finished #19 last Friday. It is going really fast for me so far! I wish you the best!

    Sue :)

    No one is in a hurry.
    I was diagnosed in late Feb., had surgery (breast conserving) the end of March, and started my radiation mid May. In between, I was waiting for test results, etc. I had 33 treatments which ended mid Aug because they had issues with the machine. I'm all healed up and on Arimidex for the past month with no real issues. It will be over before you know it! Good luck.

    Roseann
  • Piggies
    Piggies Member Posts: 26
    #6
    Radiation Start
    I had a biopsy on June 25, 2008. I was then diagnosed on July 7, 2008 with Stage 1 breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy on July 16, 2008. I did not need chemo as my Oncotype DX score was low (an 11) I started radiation around September 5th or 6th and finished around October 17th. I guess it was about six weeks after my lumpectomy. I had a vacation planned to Aruba in August 2008 and all my doctors were fine with me starting radiation the beginning of September. Good luck to you!
  • Tux
    Tux Member Posts: 544
    #7
    My radiation started 22 days
    My radiation started 22 days after the lumpectomy.
  • Noel
    Noel Member Posts: 3,095 Member
    #8
    Tux said:

    My radiation started 22 days
    My radiation started 22 days after the lumpectomy.

    My rads began
    about 6 weeks after I had my lumpectomy. My rads oncologist wanted to be sure that I was healed. Wishing you good luck!

    ♥ Noel
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #9
    Piggies said:

    Radiation Start
    I had a biopsy on June 25, 2008. I was then diagnosed on July 7, 2008 with Stage 1 breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy on July 16, 2008. I did not need chemo as my Oncotype DX score was low (an 11) I started radiation around September 5th or 6th and finished around October 17th. I guess it was about six weeks after my lumpectomy. I had a vacation planned to Aruba in August 2008 and all my doctors were fine with me starting radiation the beginning of September. Good luck to you!

    My rads started about 7
    My rads started about 7 weeks after my lumpectomy.
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
    #10
    Helene ☻
    I started my radiation treatments about 6 weeks after I had my lumpectomy. As someone said before, I think between 6 to 8 weeks is fairly common if everything goes ok.

    Love, Jeanne ♥
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #11
    Jeanne D said:

    Helene ☻
    I started my radiation treatments about 6 weeks after I had my lumpectomy. As someone said before, I think between 6 to 8 weeks is fairly common if everything goes ok.

    Love, Jeanne ♥

    I started rads about 6 weeks
    I started rads about 6 weeks after my lumpectomy surgery. You will probably be about the same. Let us know!

    Lex♥

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