December 12, 2025 - Radiation or not?

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 Today I had a telephone visit with the VCU Radiation Oncologist. He went over my pathology report again just so that I would understand what he was about to say. Due to there still being a 5 mm mass left at the time of surgery and the fact that my Rotter's Nodes were highlighted on the first MRI, he recommends that I do radiation. The treatment would be 5 days a week for 5 weeks. The purpose being to target any potential microscopic cancer cells that may be left floating around.... Do they know if there are any microscopic cancer cells left? No. Do they know if there aren't any left? No. This would be a "just in case" treatment. 

There would be no guarantees that the cancer would not return even with radiation treatments. Radiation comes with it's own share of side effects. He said that my fills would need to be undone for radiation to take place. Radiation therapy would also mean putting off the post-op "keep it from coming back" chemo meds as well as putting off any reconstruction since we'd have to re-do the fills... meaning everything would be pushed back at least another few months.

Here's my thoughts on it. 

My Rotter's Nodes were only highlighted on the first MRI, not on the second, the chemo cocktails did take care of the cancer and if I'd been able to complete the 2nd cocktail, I'm confident there would have been nothing left at the time of surgery. Additionally, I have around 9 more immunotherapy treatments left and the oral chemo meds to take for the next 6 months. Absolutely nothing can guarantee that cancer won't resurface later on down the road even if I followed all their suggestions....unfortunately. 

If my Rotter's Nodes had been highlighted on the 2nd MRI, I probably would do it. Will I kick myself in the butt later on, maybe, but my gut just tells me not to do the radiation therapy. I feel like it's just more crap being put into my body that I may or may not need. 

And, not to put words into anyone's mouth....I kinda feel like if the whole team thought radiation therapy was the next step, fills wouldn't have been fast tracked and I feel like my oncologist wouldn't have put in the order for the oral meds and the infusions to start back up... just how I feel, nothing remotely close was stated by any of my team. 

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