HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - GIANT STICKERS/X marks for radiation to chest wall & supraclav nodes...

Kathy S in Tokyo · 08-17-2008, 07:11 PM

Hi Sheila,

I had radiation and zapped the cancer in my supraclavicle nodes and have had no problems with that area since then. That was where my recurrance showed up. It looked like I had half a necklace of huge pearls around the left side of my neck. The nodes under my collar bone all the way to my armpit were affected so this area was radiated but they were very careful to avoid my left lung. I was glad to see the before and after images of the nodes. I had chemo after that to catch traveling cancer cells but was disappointed when spots of cancer resistant to that chemo started showing up in my right lung. I'm happy to see from regular scans that the nodes are all still clear at any rate.

In Japan they are phobic about tattoos; only gangsters have them and tatoos are grounds for non-admittance to spas, pools and a few other places. The radiologists were shocked when the heard that I'd been expecting tatoo marks as they "don't do that" here. They had a dish of scarlett ink and tickly brushes to semi-permanently mark me. This meant that I was a walking Picasso for 6 weeks. Lucky for me it was cool and I could wear turtlenecks.

How are you doing these days?

08-17-2008, 07:11 PM	#6
Kathy S in Tokyo Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: From Syracuse, NY but living in Tokyo, Japan for 26yrs Posts: 132	Hi Sheila, I had radiation and zapped the cancer in my supraclavicle nodes and have had no problems with that area since then. That was where my recurrance showed up. It looked like I had half a necklace of huge pearls around the left side of my neck. The nodes under my collar bone all the way to my armpit were affected so this area was radiated but they were very careful to avoid my left lung. I was glad to see the before and after images of the nodes. I had chemo after that to catch traveling cancer cells but was disappointed when spots of cancer resistant to that chemo started showing up in my right lung. I'm happy to see from regular scans that the nodes are all still clear at any rate. In Japan they are phobic about tattoos; only gangsters have them and tatoos are grounds for non-admittance to spas, pools and a few other places. The radiologists were shocked when the heard that I'd been expecting tatoo marks as they "don't do that" here. They had a dish of scarlett ink and tickly brushes to semi-permanently mark me. This meant that I was a walking Picasso for 6 weeks. Lucky for me it was cool and I could wear turtlenecks. How are you doing these days? __________________ Kathy S in Tokyo (44) 11/2004 partial masectomy (clear margins) - ER/PR++ HER+++ 12/2004 Tamoxifen 11/2005 Clavicle & neck lymph nodes mets 30 Days rads, 7 months CEF-T Chemo 6/2006 mid chemo lung mets oral toremifene 10/2006 changed hospitals 12/2006 Tamoxifen and monthly Zoladex 2/2007 Dramatic growth of mets! Stopped Tamoxifen and Zoladex 3/2007 Began weekly Herceptin 6/2007 Added weekly Taxol to regime 4/2008 More lung mets - stopped Taxol 5/2008 Xeloda - 3 weeks on 1 week off 8/2008 Got a port! 9/2008 Stopped Xeloda, started weekly Navelbine 12/2008 Tumor progression, stopped Navelbine 1/2009 Taxotere begins again, once in every three weekly Herceptin IVs 3/2009 Added Zometa pelvic bone met, lung tumors progressing, stopped Taxotere/Herceptin 4/10/2009 Whoa seizure! 6cm&3cm brain mets. craniotomy and gamma knife surgery 5/15/2009 Started Adria/Cyto stopped 9/15 due to progession. Brain mets back 10/28 surgery more gamma soon