Starting radiotherapy tomorrow.

[deanna]

Hi. I have metaplastic carcinoma and am about to embark of radiotherapy tomorrow. I had a lumpectomy in November. Is there anyone out there who has also been given radiotherapy for this cancer, if so, how did you get on? I am wondering if it will help me.
Any info. greatly appreciated.
From a slightly apprehensive
deanna

[kawakiri]

I'll have to complain when I go for my review, I had to pay for parking.

[deanna]

Mark it is possible some hospitals don't have the same policy as mine. I wouldn't have known about the parking pass I could get unless I had asked. All the best.

[boxtops]

Kawakiri, ask at the desk - at the hospital where nibble's going, there's a finance office, for some, travel and parking costs can be claimed back. You have to fill in a raft of forms, of course...

[DaisyNonna]

No information but I will be thinking of you Deanna. Best wishes.

[deanna]

Kawakiri - I keep calling everyone Mark! Blame it on my condition :)
The friends who took me for my first 'zapping' went to the security place and got the parking permit for me. It applies to any car I come in all I have to do is mark the date. Next visit on Monday......
When I enquired about permits, the nurse at reception gave me a simple form which was easy to fill in and I had no problems. Mind you this is at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, might be different elsewhere.
Good luck.

[deanna]

Bless you DaisyNonna. dx

[deanna]

Hi everyone. All your recent messages are so uplifting. I appreciate all your kind comments It makes all the difference. Through this page I found a metaplastic cancer group on Facebook which I have joined and am amazed how many people have this type. In a strange way it helps to know I am not alone. When my mum and dear husband had cancer I took them for all their treatments and nursed them both too, it is really weird to be going through this myself and I suppose I am looking for the worse senario instead of keeping positive. I keep being told that treatments in recent years have improved a great deal and reading the comments here and knowing the good outcomes is helping me from being such a miserable so-and-so.
Thanks again.

[kawakiri]

Cheers, I checked online and it looks like I don't qualify for free parking. Ah well it wasn't that much and I managed to park on the road some days. It was the Christie in Manchester where I had my treatments.
I will ask if my reviews can be done at Crewe which is nearer for me as that's where i have my other review done, that should save about 30 miles travel.

[deanna]

How annoying Kawakiri - I was very fortunate.
I do hope you can get treatment nearer you. My dad was a patient at Christie's many, many years ago. I origionally come from Manchester, even though I live in Wiltshire now. Good luck with everything, please keep in touch. dx

[deanna]

Hi everyone. My third 'zapping' today - glad that's another out of the way.
Did I tell you all that I have joined the metaplastic cancer group on Facebook? I expect many of you are already on it.
Very helpful, friendly folk.
Healing hugs,
deanna

[ttfn]

Well done, deanna. Just keep ticking the treatments off your calendar. Pleased you have found a support group - it helps make the world appear smaller :) x

[anneasquith]

a support group, just petfect, im sure you will get/and give support, take care,

[DTCwordfan]

Best of luck, step by step; having your own goals to strive for are so important......we are thinking of you.

[tinkerbell23]

Hiya deanna!!

And how are you feeling!? Three over with already...you are doing do well...amd its nice to see you popping in to say hello!! You should come and chat in chatterbank too when you feel like it :0) xxxxx

[NoMercy]

If you had a lumpectomy then I doubt the cancer was too invasive to begin with.

Sounds like you will be getting something in the order of 40GY in 20 fractions, hence 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Apart from some skin erythema and fatigue, you should tolerate treatment well.

You may then be commenced on something like Tamoxifen depending on the HER2 status of the carcinoma.

Good luck with your treatment. X

[NoMercy]

Sorry, I think the Tamoxifen is for ER positive carcinoma. Sqad is the man to ask.

[deanna]

Hi everyone. Had my 5th session today plus a meeting with my oncologist to check that everything is going to plan. He also checked the new lump in my other breast and will check it again in a couple of weeks. Hopefully it is just a cyst. Because they found some lobular cancerisation round the superior margin during the second operation they are being extra cautious. Hello NoMercy, the Her2 test was negative so Herceptin is not an option and I was already informed that Tamoxifan is no use either. I am very optomistic that after the next 15 sessions everything will be fine. Having joined the Metaplastic cancer group on facebook and learning what some of the members are going through, I count myself very fortunate. Thank you everyone for your caring, helpful comments. dx

[tinkerbell23]

Hi D nice to hear from you!? Hope you are feeling well....you are certainly strong i can tell that from your posts xxx

[ttfn]

Thought about you earlier this evening, deanna, ¼ through your treatment and you sound so more positive. Well done x

[deanna]

Thanks tinkerbell23 and ttfn I am feeling so much better about the radiotherapy course now I am getting the hang of it. It is the unknown that was the problem not the actual treatment. As I think I said before, I nursed my mum and late husband with cancer and saw it from another angle. Is it bad that was relieved when the oncologist said that chemo. wouldn't work on my particular brand of cancer? I really was scared I might need it and hated the idea.