Sarah was diagnosed with stage 1 infiltrating (or invasive) ductile carcinoma November 10, 1998. The tumor was found through mammography, but it took two surgical biopsies (and a second surgeon) to remove it. During the first surgery, the wire used to locate the little stinker fell out and the surgeon made two incisions attempting to find the tumor, taking a considerable amount of breast tissue in the process. HE MISSED! And then wanted a follow-up mammogram within a month of the surgery. OUCH! The follow-up mammogram showed the same lesion in the same place. He was fired and another surgeon brought in. She found it immediately (with only one incision). The pathology report indicated that a .9cm well-differentiated infiltrating ductal carcinoma was excised, leaving one positive margin. There was also lobal cancerization present in situ and associated microcalfication present in the tumor. The tumor was nuclear grade 2 and estrogen/progesterone positive. A partial mastectomy and sentinal node excision was performed on December 1, 1998. No nodes were involved and there were clean margins. Sarah chose to follow up with radiation treatments (25 whole breast and 10 boost). After the second day of treatment, her skin began to redden. Radiation burns began to show themselves as tiny blisters within the fourth week of treatment and by the sixth week, there were huge blisters under the breast and in the underarm area. The blisters broke before treatment ended and the Radiation Oncologist prescribed Silvidene and Domboro Soaks. The burns grew in severity for several weeks beyond treatment and it was another six weeks before healing began to be obvious. Swelling of the breast (lymphedema) has continued to be a problem and only after several sessions with a certified manual lymph drainage therapist has the swelling begun to decrease. Sarah is on Tamoxifen as a systemic treatment for five years and is currently NED. Sarah is happy to coach anyone who has a similar reaction to radiation through the painful and debilitating treatment period.