Treatment

[tlh]

Like so many before me, I have lurked around this site before actually joining. Until June 29th, 2006, I thought I was invincible. However, a trip to the Doctors office on that Monday changed my mind. An ultrasound on Tuesday, a consult on Wednesday and surgery on Thursday proved I was human. I had the orchietomy on my right testicle. Here's the excerpt from the path report: "Tumor is 1.0 cm x 1.4 cm x 1.0 cm in size. Tumor is limited to the testis. The epididymis and the tunica albuginea are free of neoplasm. No angiolymphatic invasion identified. The spermatic cord margin is free of neoplasm. Typical Seminoma, pT1, Nx, Mx (AJCC Stage 1).

After researching this site it would appear this is the best possible news I could have hoped for or received. The doctors all tell me that this seems to have been caught very early and that I am lucky. (funny -- I don't feel lucky to have cancer).

Here's my question -- The CT scans came back clear and so did the chest x-rays. I met with the Radiation Doc yesterday and he is suggesting three weeks of low dose radiation for a total of 2700 Rads. Does this sound like a typical dose and treatment course. I have gone back and forth about the surveillance vs. radiation but I am leaning toward radiation to increase my odds of destroying anything they didn't see. Also, when I questioned the Doc about using the protective case during radiation for my remaining testicle he told me they didn't use it anymore since any scatter radiation was likely to scatter and travel inside the body as opposed to outside the body and the ball case would be ineffective anyway. Anyone else ever hear of this? I am scheduled to start the prep work and "dry run" radiation late next week. If anyone has any thoughts on this treatment plan I would be happy to hear them.

Thanks again for a great site. It really helped reading the posts here. Especially those nights when you can't sleep because you've just been told you have cancer.

[huckchef]

sounds pretty much like the course of treatment is correct. i didn't have the shield either during treatments. from what i was told, they can control the area of spread much better than they use too.
it will be a over before you know it! best of luck and my thoughts and prayers will be with you!
brian

[UK Mart]

Same as me really - you'll be back to normal in no time - it's just a case of get your head down and get through it - it's bareable.

My treatment was a medium/low dosage over 8 consecutive working days - it's all a bit of a blur now to be honest although i managed a game of tennis on the saturday before i finished!

As for the scatter pad - i'd have thought they'd just concentrate on your abdomen as you didn't have any chord invasion so the 'nut cover' won't be necessary as they probably won't be blasting that area.

I think radiation is great for peace of mind - i had my first follow-up check up today and i'm more comfortable now knowing i've taken the precautionary route and cut my odds of a recurrance from 20% to 2% :)

[tlh]

UK Mart ---

What kind of side effects did you suffer from the low dosage? I'm a little concerned about this.

[UK Mart]

UK Mart ---

What kind of side effects did you suffer from the low dosage? I'm a little concerned about this.

Side effects at the time weren't actually that bad - I drove an hour there and an hour back on my own and through rush hour traffic most days so that tells a story in itself!

Probably half an hour after i got back, if my therapy was in the afternoon, I would be absolutely starving - my apetite wasn't too badly affected i don#t think. I drank a lot of smoothies at the time as I thought they'd be good for me - well, they didn't do me any harm! - now though, i can't really face drinking a smoothie for some reason... every day though, I would take an anti-sickness tab as i was going in to the hospital and pretty much pop a tablet as and when my stomach felt a bit dodgy. They are essential (and apparently very good for hangovers too ;) !)

Half an hour after i'd eaten, the first week of the radiation, i'd basically fall fast asleep for a couple of hours - regular as clockwork! Then i'd wake up, watch a bit of TV and then go back to slepp for the night - i slept loads!

I was fortunate enough to not have to work during treatment and went back about a week later.

I'd previously been told the affects were cumulative but for me, the worst day was the first and then it progressivly got 'better' as i got used to it.

Put it this way, I was expecting a lot worse!

[tlh]

Thanks for the update. I actually read your post about the tingling as well. Hope all is well. I have the option of working or not while going for radiation. Judging by everything I've read, I may opt to take the time off to sleep!!

[Sans rt1]

I will add a few thoughts. RT is a reasonable treatment option, but surviellance would also a reasonable option for you - if you are the kind of person that can deal with 20% vs. 3% odds. Benefit would be that you don't have to get treated (less future risk) if you don't need to. Mine was pT2 and >4cm so my odds were a bit worse so I did not really consider surviellence too seriously. But either way the decision is reasonable.

You will have effects from the treatment, hopefully they will be mild and you can function. Taking the time off from work is great if you can, but for me it was better to work part-time (office job not physically demanding) - I went in late, took my RT during lunch (15 minutes away), went back and worked a few hours then went home and took a nap. My manager and co-workers were great about covering for me. I did take a few days off sick, Fridays after 4 straight days of RT I was beat. I was too tired to really do anything, yet not tired enough to do nothing, so those were not good days for me (I am not a good sick person). You will have to be the judge of what works best for you.

It has now been almost 7 weeks since I finished RT, and looking back I can say that I actually enjoyed the days during my RT - yes, I was a bit tired and a little nauseated :( , but everyone treated me special and no one expected much of me :o .

Hopefully your RT will not affect you much. You are indeed lucky - you caught yours early - you will be cured.

[tlh]

Sans rt1,

Thanks for the info. When first presented with the option or RT vs surveillance, I was set on the RT to improve my odds. However, I am scheduled to start the middle of next week and the nearer it is to starting treatments the more I am apprehensive about my decision.

I do want to thank you for the optimism of being cured. Even though I hear the same reassurance from many of my friends and family, it seems to be a little more comforting coming from someone who has been there and done that. It's sometimes difficult to put on that tough exterior or brave face for your co-workers (I'm in the military by the way) because everyone assumes that if Lance Armstrong was cured in such late stages then I'm just as good as cured now and let's move on to new business. What they don't understand is that it's me, not them, that has cancer. They can't know the horror of the first time the doctor told me I had cancer. Or the tension you face when waiting for the pathology report. At age 39 I never imagined I would have to see a doctor that had "Oncologist" after his name. If it wasn't for this site and you and people like you this experience would have been 100x worse. Thanks again for the support.

[Sans rt1]

Yeah, it helps to talk with folks that understand. There's a time for being tough and a time like now when you are entitiled to a little understanding.

Cancer is a big deal, even if it is as curable as seminoma. There is uncertainty - slim, but just enough to eat away at you if you let it. A good friend of my wife's, who recently underwent surgery and chemo for breast cancer asked me this weekend if I had cried yet. I said no, that there was no need because it is so treatable and surgery / treatment was relatively minor (compared to her's). She insisted that no, I needed to deal with my grief, that I had lost way more than my right one in this ordeal. I may not need to cry, but I understand what she was getting at. It may be why I find this forum so theraputic (and a good place to look for information and answers).

I chuckle to myself sometimes when I think that a little over a year ago, my niece told me she was going to work for an Oncology Corporation. I had to ask her what Oncology was :o . Now, I have two of them!

[nowawies]

I'm having to got through all this in a foreign language I speak badly!! I mean I can even understand court rulings in Polish but unexplained onco-jargon in Polish ...
I tend to be sort of straight to the point with people in Polish, which they find culturally offputting. Like just after i/o - "What does cewnik mean?" ... which was quickly followed by me saying "there's no way you're putting a catheter into me mate!!"
I am very lucky with my colleagues at work - and they have been totally shocked by my openness as CANCER :eek: is strictly taboo in Poland. It's viewed as an automatic death sentence and only talked about post-mortem.
I don't mention the "testicular" part though - except to a couple of friends. That way some other people know, but know not to bring it up with me. I don't talk to the neighbours about it though.
As for being "human", well I too was in perfect health. 40 years old, kids about to hit teenage years, loving wife, no financial worries at all.

[Fish]

Hi Tlh:

Your odds of recurrence on surveillance might be lower than 20%. I was diagnosed with seminoma at age 42, my tumor was less than 1cm in size and there was no rete or angiolymphatic invasion. My oncologist estimated my odds of recurrence at 6%. I ultimately chose surveillance, not necessarily because of the odds, but because I could not convince myself to get radiated when there was no evidence of active cancer based on CT scans. The surveillance can be stressful, but knowing myself, I would have also have stressed about the long term effects of the radiation, so either way I have something to worry about. :rolleyes:

But you can't really make a wrong decision on this.

Best wishes.

[tlh]

It's funny how many different percentages you find when doing a little research. One of my Docs told me that without radiation there was a 20-25% chance of recurrence. Another one told me an hour later that it was more like 5% based on the pathology report. I asked the radiation Doc about the chances of secondary tumors from radiation and he said it was less than a 1% chance. I haven't found anything in the research that I've done that puts it that low. Stats are hard to rely on. I know. The percentages were in my favor for not having cancer being outside the 15-35 year old age group!!

It is all confusing but everyone in this forum has made it much easier. By the way, when I mentioned the single dose Carboplatin (sp) as an alternative to RT I was amazed at the number of Doctors who didn't have a whole lot of knowledge of what I was talking about and the ones that did dismissed it out of hand saying there wasn't enough evidence to back it up even though it's been done overseas for the last several years. Anyway, thanks for the support and help.

[Sans rt1]

I think we need to remember that our oncologists may only see one or two cases of this a year, so they are relying on their information sources. My oncologist faxed my information to Dr. Einhorn at IU for input on recommended treatment. Dr. Einhorn recommended surveillance over treatment eventhough I was Stage 1b with a large tumor, but cautioned my oncologist would need to evaluate whether I was the type that could deal with that kind of uncertainty and would follow through with follow-ups. Otherwise, he recommended either RT or single dose Carboplatin.

My oncologist kind of pushed the single dose Carboplatin over RT, but when I questioned whether single dose was adequate for my stage or if 2 doses would be better (I had done some reading up and seen both quoted but no real information on when one is recommended over the other), he seemed to lose confidence in that recommendation a bit and acknowledged that there was not a lot of long-term data yet on the single dose, but did not think the double dose was warranted. It was at that time that he told me that all three alternatives were acceptable, that I just needed to chose one. He sent me away with some websites to explore, which really did not help much.

One useful tidbit he did give me was that none of the statistics and odds we see quoted are really not all that great because many are based on small sampling, others are based on larger numbers of cases - but some are dated - meaning the RT field and dosages were larger than they are today - larger risk, but probably less chance of reoccurence - but the current smaller field data may not have enough time to really evaluate the odds and risks either. But he said that all in all there is great agreement in the relative odds plus or minus a small bit.

So, I chose to go with the standard RT. Right choice? Who knows, but it was a reasonable choice and I hold onto that fact and go on from there.

[tlh]

Sans rt1,

Thanks for the info. I figured a lot of the stats were outdated when I surfed a few sitles and not one of them had the same figures. I think RT is probabably going to be my option for the simple fact of peace of mind for myself and my wife -- who has been a rock through this by the way!! Like everything else involved with this, I just want to get it done and get past it. Talking here sure helps.

[UK Mart]

From my point of view, when i had my check up last week, the thought of a recurrence didn't enter my mind given the fact that my odds are now below 2%. Whereas if i'd just gone with surveillance i'd have been concentrating/been a bit concerned about the 20% chance of recurrance.

I have great peace of mind knowing that i have minimal odds of anything coming back - personally i just viewed the 20% as a bit of a risk.

[tlh]

I think I will also be reassured by the lower risk. It's just something I want to get done with and move on. I think that would be more difficult with a 20% chance of recurrence as opposed to a 2% (or less depending on the expert or article) chance.

[Sans rt1]

Sounds like you've made your decision. If so, relax knowing it is reasonable. Take care of yourself during the treatments and keep us informed. Hopefully you will have minimal effects from it.

I am glad you have a supportive wife to help you through this. Through my diagnosis, surgery, recovery, and treatment - my wife was amazing too. I think the whole ordeal actually brought us a lot closer together.

[tlh]

Thanks everyone for the advice and support. Although surveillance is a good option right now, I will have more peace of mind with the RT therapy. I go in next Tuesday for the marking and dry run and told I will start Thursday. I will keep you updated on the progress.

[Scott]

It's proven treatment, and you can feel good about your choice.

[Fish]

Best wishes for a smooth course of RT. It'll be over before you know it.

[tlh]

Some people that have gone through RT for one reason or another have told me not to eat the foods that I really like during the treatment. They have said that they will taste very different and even after the RT is done you will no longer have the stomache for them. Anyone else heard of this or have similar experiences?

[dadmo]

tlh:
When my son was on chemo he drank gallons of country time lemonade. When he drinks it now he almost gags. The taste reminds him of being sick.

[huckchef]

i didn't have anything change in what i had cravings before or after. i did though have certain foods that would up-set the stomach that didn't before. they can give you dietary guidelines if you ask for them. but the normal "healthy" foods should be good(fruit, whole grains, veggies, etc...)!

the most increased sense i had was smell. it increased dramatically. many things, like perfumes and household cleaners would make me call Buicks...... if you know what i mean!! :)

[Sans rt1]

I think everyone is different, but my nausea was not so severe that I had lasting aversions to any foods or drink. There were things that I craved or could not stand, but by a few weeks after finishing RT, my taste and food likes are back to normal.

During my RT, certain foods did not taste good to me - things like sandwiches or bread just turned me off - and forget coffee or wine. I really craved rich and spicy foods - things like heavy italian or mexican food. I let myself eat these things more than I usually would but tried to maintain a balance of fruits and vegetables.

I have no lasting aversions - but do report that my consumption of breads, coffee and wine is still far below my pre-RT levels - because I found I could live with less of these and think it is better for me long-term.

So, hopefully your nausea will be mild and your food tastes will be manageable. I think your body will let you know what it wants. If you need to, take the nausea medications (I never did). Drink lots of fluids as your body will be working hard to heal itself and you don't want to get dehydrated. Try to excercise regularly, but don't overdo.

[tlh]

I went to get my new tattoos today! During this visit I asked my Onc what areas he was looking at radiating. He told me the para-aortic region and down the right lower pelvis (right side orchietomy) kind of like an "L" shape. Does this sound about right? I go for the "dry run" tomorrow so if anyone thinks there are any other questions I should ask, please let me know. Thanks.

[Sans rt1]

That sounds like the dogleg. That may not be the current state of the practice, but is still done. Mine was the paraaortic only, just a rectangle from maybe about an 1-1/2 inches below the sternum to just below the navel, and is about 3 inches to 3-1/2-inches wide (a guess as I did not strip to measure it) with one side straight and the other kind of bowed. What I was told was that he designed this based on my body (the CT scans they did) layout to hit the lymph nodes and avoid major organs where possible.

My radation oncologist explained to me (and it was supported by the journal articles I have read since then) that the practice recently had been modified to omit the L part of the dogleg as most of reoccurences occur in the para-aoric lymph nodes. The benefits of this is that it reduces the radiation exposure overall to reduce the likelihood of future cancer (tumors and leukemia) from the radiation, and avoids the bladder and the prostate, so radiation is retained an option if needed for these areas in the future.

From my reading, the drawback not doing the dogleg is that the pelvic lymph nodes (the ones on the side of your I/O) are ommitted from treatment, and that a percentage (some studies have it in the 25-30%) of future reoccurences will occur in the pelvic nodes, not the paraaortic nodes. Hence, my followup will need to include periodic pelvic CT scans in addition to the chest X-rays because these nodes were ommitted.

I don't think your treatment is wrong, but many are doing it differently - it was the successful and proven method for years. I think some oncologists may not feel the para aortic only RT is fully proven yet. My radiation oncologist told me that it was the best option overall considering risks and success. I did not know about this site at the time and did not do a lot of research before making my decision, so I did not question any of this. You might want to question your radiation oncologist as to why he chose the dogleg pattern and how it might affect your chances for future radiation treatment to bladder or prostate in the future. There are risks and benefit to both patterns, but you should probably understand why he choose this for you.

[Sans rt1]

tlh - -

When do you start your RT?

I just had my first follow-up with the oncologist post RT, and got the expected "all clear".

After all of the agonizing I had done about the decision on treatment alternatives, my oncologist told me that he was glad I had chosen the RT alternative as it was the most reasonable choice for me all things considered. Boy, this is not how I remember our initial consultation (I wish he had made a strong recommendation as it would have saved me a lot of stress - but at least I did enough research to thoroughly understand everything for myself. :) )

We discussed his recommendations for my future post-RT follow-up. I was glad that it will include a yearly pelvic CT (because my RT was para-aortic only so the pelvic lymph nodes did not get zapped) in addition to the chest X-ray and blood work every 3 months for the first few years.

Anyway, keep us informed on how your RT goes. Hopefully you will have minimal side effects and bounce back quickly.

[tlh]

I was supposed to start tomorrow, but they wanted to wait until Monday so they didn't just go 2 days and then take 2 days off. We haven't really talked about post-RT treatment and follow-up. I'm not sure what the standard protocol for follow-up is so if you have any advice or suggestions I would be happy to hear them.

I'm glad to hear that your Oncologist said that RT was the most reasonable option. It makes me feel easier about my decision.

[Sans rt1]

That was probably a good suggestion - Waiting two days will not have any affect on your treatment.

Mine was just that way, started on a Thursday so 2 days with 2 days off for the weekend. It did kind of affect one extra weekend, but it worked great since my wife had planned a trip with friends to a cabin in the mountains for a long weekend months before my diagnosis, the schedule worked perfectly with my RT ending the day we were to leave (just stopped by on the way out of town for my last treatment - and it was good for her as she was able to see the facility and the others I had sat in the waiting room with each day - and the little ceremony they had when they gave me my "RT completion" certificate). So, eventhough I was a little tired and feeling a bit queasy, we were able to treat that weekend as a bit of a celebration.

You can think about follow-up later, enjoy your weekend.

[tlh]

OK, so I'm starting RT tomorrow and I'm more than a little nervous. How long (hours, days, weeks) does is take to start feeling the effects of the radiation? Also, they gave me a prescription for compazine for nausea. Should I take this before I start or wait until I need it? I realize that's its only 15 days of low dose radiation and that's not much compared to what many on this site have gone through, however, I've never had to do anything like this and I'm getting more nervous as tomorrow draws near. Thanks for listening and any info.

[Sans rt1]

When I had my RT, it was right away. I felt a dull ache in my gut right after - when I was changing back into my street clothes - it kind of felt like the after effect of someone punching you in the stomach after the pain goes away you are left with an mild ache in the gut. It was not bad, just enough to remind you that something happened there. Then about 3 hours later, I just started to feel real tired and needed to lay down for a nap. For me, it was the second day that I felt a little nausea - again mild and no throwing up, so I never took any of the medication - probably describe it more as queasiness which was pretty much constant but I functioned OK with it.

From the beginning I slept more at night, went from my 6-1/2 hours to 9 to 10 hours per night. About the 4th day, I started having lower back pain - which I think was because the nerves and muscles in my back were being affected - but also because I was sleeping so much. Again, this was mild and I only took a couple of advil the entire time of RT.

The biggest effect was the general feeling of tiredness and lack of energy. I functioned well, worked (although short days most of the time), still went to my kids sports games (but did not help with practices - stopped that when I had my surgery), actually spent more time than usual with friends and family (I was not being busy doing things, so I actually slowed down and enjoyed just being with people), and I did not much in the way of chores or yard work, etc.

The fatigue effects lasted probably 10 days after finishing - then my energy slowly returned little by little until I felt good about 4 weeks after finishing and one day about 6 weeks after RT I realized I felt absolutely great. Now at 9 weeks the only lasting effect is my back - it is much better but when I am very physical it aches a bit. I figure I need to build up the muscles there a bit more. The hair all fell out in the areas of RT, and that started after the RT finished, but now it has started to grow back.

I am sure everyone is different, but you will do great. Take it easy, let yourself be taken care of. I kind of wish I would have tried the nausea medication as I hear it really works, but I don't like to take too many pills and tend to like to tough things out - which may be why I finally went to the doctor at Stage 1b rather than earlier, so I think I have learned that is not always a good trait.

Good luck to you, and it will be over soon. You will bounce back quickly.

[Sans rt1]

tlh - -

How are things going after your first week of RT?

[tlh]

Sans,

Things are going ok after the first week. No real symptoms to speak of yet, with the exception that I may be slightly more tired toward the end of the week. Haven't had to take any meds yet and hope I don't have to. Just can't wait for this to be over and to put it behind me.

[Fish]

Glad to hear things are going well.

[Sans rt1]

Glad to hear it is going so well - it'll be over before you know it.

[tlh]

OK, here's the progress report. 9 treatments down (should have been 10 but they had computer malfunctions on one of the days) with 6 more to go. So far, just a little tired afterward and maybe a little queasy. I'm just looking forward to getting this over with. I'm not second guessing my decision to go with the RT, I'm just tired of going to the hospital everyday!! I do have a question, at what point can I tell people i had tc as opposed to telling people I have tc? Thanks for the support.

[Scott]

at what point can I tell people i had tc as opposed to telling people I have tc?Whenever you're ready. You can avoid the whole question by saying you're a testicular cancer survivor.

[tlh]

OK - I completed RT on 28 Aug 06. I didn't really have any bad reactions other than an upset stomache on occasion. I have been scheduled for 6 week follow-ups with my Rad doc and Urology docs. Also, my GP scheduled me to come see him too ( I think he felt left out!!) The breakdown was 2700 Rads over 15 days.

The only issues I have now are in my head I think. I'm tired of being a nervous wreck everytime I feel a pain in my body that I never noticed before. My rad doc said it's perfectly normal to be a little nervous because before I was diagnosed I wouldn't have even noticed the little aches and pains and now I feel EVERYTHING!! To make matters worse, I caught a pretty bad head/chest cold the weekend before my last treatment. Now everytime I cough and my chest hurts I freak out wondering if the cancer has spread. My Docs told me to take it easy because any Rad dose over 1600 Rads does weaken the immune system for a few weeks and that I was bound to catch something if I'm around large groups of people.

One last comment. My orchiectomy was on June 29th, 2006. Rt side. Up until yesterday I did some normal everyday chores but nothing to strenous. However, since I returned to work full-time on Monday, I have tried to resume my normal routine. Yesterday I made several trips up and down two flights of stairs carrying various office machines (printers, scanners, faxes, etc) that were probably heavier than anything I have carried since surgery. A few hours later I noticed a pain that would come and go in my front lower abdomen (just about two inches above and left of Mr. Johnson) area but on the opposite side of the surgery. Not very bad, but noticeable. Has anyone else experienced anything like this or could it just be some nerve pain or muscle pain from not doing anything like this for about 8 weeks? It doesn't seem to be bothering me today, but like I said, I'm a basket case for all aches and pains now. Any info helps. Thanks.

[Sans rt1]

Glad you are done with treatment and from the sounds of it you your body reacted pretty well. I had wierd feelings in my stomach areas for probably a month after finishing RT but nothing I could call pain - except for when I was helping the neighbors move furniture a few weeks after ending RT - my back was killing me and my stomach muscles were extremely sore, more on one side than the other. I think the RT affected the muscles and nerves a little in that area and it takes some time to get back to nornal.

Yes, your concerns are probably mostly in your head - but don't take that wrong - we have all been there too. I remember telling friends I feel like a little old lady, evaluating every pain and ache and wondering if it is something I should be concerned with. Remember, you caught it early, you chose the proven treatment with a good track record of successful cures. Yes, there is a chance of a reoccurence, but it is so very small, so you need to try not to dwell on it (again, easier said than done - I think about it every day, but I try to put it out of my mind). It sounds like your doctors have you on a frequent follow-up, which should make you feel better about things (I had to argue for a little more frequent ones with my doctors, but when I explained my concerns they agreed - probably were humoring me, but who cares). Of course, you have to be the judge of what is going on with you, but it is probably time to try to relax and get back to normal (again, easier said than done - be patient and try not to be too hard on yourself, you have been through a tough couple of months, for goodness sakes!)...

But, congratulations on completing your treatment!

[Fish]

Glad to hear you weathered you treatment well. I too am much more likely to pay attention to small aches and pains, and at my age they're coming a lot more often. I think it's completely normal after a cancer diagnosis - as long as you don't become obsessive about it.

I don't think it can be said too often --- don't underestimate the psychological/emotional effects of having cancer. Take some time and be good to yourself.

Best wishes.

[rjs]

TLH -
Looks like you are well on your way to getting back to normal. I had the same treatment path you selected and understand your feelings completely. I would tell you even one year out I have occassional muscle sorenesss around the incision site. I am told this is not uncommon and the discomfort I have is not great, but it does come about when I do strenuous activity. I train for triathlons so I often have hard work-outs and sometimes feel the muscle sore in my side. I have been told this is not uncommon and not something to be overly concerned about. You are still closer to your surgery so the discomfort is more common than it will be as time passes.

Stay strong and positive. Congratulations on making it to this point.

[tlh]

I completed my last rad treatment two weeks ago. It seems that right after my last treatment I developed what might be (after some research on the web of course) something called Proctitis (syptoms are there and it says on form is radiation induced). I had the PA treatment and also the pelvic rad. Has anyone else had any similar experience with something like this? If so, how long did it last or did you have to get it treated by you Doc? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

[tlh]

I stressed out and called my doctor right after I posted. He assured me this was normal if you get the "dogleg" rad therapy and usually goes away on its own after a few weeks. While I'm not real happy about the effects, I am more relieved that this is normal. I will keep you updated.