Breast cancer treatment and diving

[sup]

I'm in the midst of breast cancer treatment which will be pretty comprehensive - I've already had chemo, bilateral mastecomy, and axillary lymph node removal. I will need to decide soon on whether or not I take radiation and hormone therapy. My medical team isn't terribly knowledgeable about diving and how it relates to the treatments they're offering. Are there specialists for this? Can I get a consult with Duke Dive Medicine before my appointment with the radiation oncologist to make sure I ask the right questions, or are there local dive medicine specialists I should consult with? If there are local people, how would I find one?

 

[TexasTaxi]

This won't be much help as EVERY cancer treatment is different ... my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer last July, and started chemo last August. 1st surgery in Janurary of this year ... a second to remove the rest of the lymph nodes (one came back with a trace of cancer) in February. She had a short break and then did six weeks of radiation covering most of April and May.

During most of that year, we didn't have much time to do anything except focus on her treatment and our son.

Her doctors cleared her to dive and we celebrated with a week in Roatan last month.
Not diving for a year wasn't fun ... but her health was first and foremost.

 

[sup]

No, that's a lot of help. Her treatment plan sounds very similar to mine. I'm going to grill the radiation oncologist when I see her about diving and tissue damage. She'd better have a good sales pitch because I've had so much treatment at this point and it seems like the chemo was a waste of hair so I'm pretty leery of more treatment. Unfortunately my cancer was aggressive and relatively advanced.
We're in desperate need of a vacation. It seems that is still a few months off at best.
Thanks for your reply!

 

[TexasTaxi]

My wife's was stage 2b.

The chemo was destructive, but it knocked the hell out of the tumor ... it did its job well.
The radiation oncologist told her to stay out of the water because the radiation does cause a sunburn type irritation that is prone to infection, and they don't want to risk any unnecessary infection, if they can help it.

The first time back in the water, we did 19 dives in a week. It was fantastic!
You'll be there before you know it!

 

[Rooster59]

Best wishes to you for success in your treatment. Cancer sucks. Never give up, never give in.

 

[flyboy08]

Horrible disease! You can ping members by....

@Duke Dive Medicine

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I'm in the midst of breast cancer treatment which will be pretty comprehensive - I've already had chemo, bilateral mastecomy, and axillary lymph node removal. I will need to decide soon on whether or not I take radiation and hormone therapy. My medical team isn't terribly knowledgeable about diving and how it relates to the treatments they're offering. Are there specialists for this? Can I get a consult with Duke Dive Medicine before my appointment with the radiation oncologist to make sure I ask the right questions, or are there local dive medicine specialists I should consult with? If there are local people, how would I find one?

Hi @sup , I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis. We're happy to see you in our clinic if you're local, or we can look for a diving medical practitioner near you. You can PM me your exact location (city and state) if you'd like.

In general, diving during/after cancer treatment depends a lot on how you feel physically. If lymph nodes are taken then there's the added possibility of impaired lymph drainage which can theoretically increase the risk of lymphatic DCS though I'm not aware of any case reports of this. If the cancer is advanced, the benefit of you being able to do something you love while you're physically able may outweigh whatever risks there are; that's a conversation for your diving medical consultant. I'll look forward to hearing back from you.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[KristenK]

Kick that Cs arse, sup! Visualizing a beautiful dive surrounded by colorful fish, majestic turtles, and flying rays is such a great meditation. Please let us know how you are doing. Prayers coming your way.

 

[Wookie]

Nothing but good healing thoughts for you Sup. You can beat this.