Hi Banksy,

That doesn't sound at all ridicuous to me. This is not something I have personal experience of, but your post struck a chord. Then I remembered there was a thread on here a few weeks ago about having these tattoos removed.

See www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../radiation-tatts-removed

Best wishes
Dave

Hi,

I had three tattoo dots for my radiotherapy for prostate cancer Two were on my side while one was on my lower abdomen. They have never bothered me, in fact mine are so small I can hardly see them.

I do understand your concern but mine have faded (They were done over six years ago) And I would expect your will too given time.

I hops your treatment goes well and you make a good recovery. Sending best wishes and kind thoughts your way, Brian.

Hi Banksy I hope you don't mind me responding but your post struck a chord! And no, you're not being silly at all!

I too had those same tattoos when I had my treatment (around eight years ago now). At the time I felt the same way and was really bothered about the one in the middle, even though - as you say, nobody else would notice. One thing has changed however and that is everytime I look down and see it now, it reminds me how lucky I am.  It makes me think about the future rather than the past and serves only as a reminder that I am still here and enjoying my life.

Give it a bit of time. It might take a while to get to that point but I really hope you do look at it a different way one day and think of it as something positive.

Best wishes

Sarah

That was really helpful, thanks.  I'll speak to my nurse about this and see if they'll agree to remove them. I only agreed to have them to save the NHS money by not having to re-measure every time, but I see from the link that some else refused and they covered them with plaster.  They might have told me!

Thanks for this Brian.  I'm glad yours have faded.  It gives me some hope.

Hi Sarah, I'm grateful you have responded.  It's the kind of support that makes a difference, to know people care enough to help.  I hope I'll feel like you do.  I think part of the reason I'm struggling is that, after my operation, I don't have cancer.  I just have years of treatment and I was desperately hoping to put absolutely everything behind me after the years of treatment ahead of me (I'm triple positive, so after the radiotherapy I've still got a year of herceptin and 5 years of Letrozole).  All along, I've mentally struggled with the fact that I'll never know if any of the treatment has worked, unless and until it either comes back to show it didn't, or the day I die of something else (and hopefully not the late effects of the chemotherapy, which have affected my heart already) Thanks for caring. Gill xxx

Hi Gill, you are very strong and positive, it isn't silly, it is very real and It is bound to be upsetting for you but  you can get past this, like sarah said you may end up looking at it differently.  Always here. Hugs to you, Linda xx

Thanks Linda.  If the worse comes to the worse I might look at getting a small tattoo to cover it.  I've always wanted not to have tattoos, but if I can't get rid of it somehow, I might have to.  At least then it wouldn't be an ugly mark (more than a millimetre across) that I can't bear to look at

Ha I was going to suggest that, my best mate has just had a masectomy and instead of hvg a nipple tattoo she is going to ask for a rose, think it's a fab idea

I spoke to my oncology nurse this afternoon, because I was chasing a date for my echocardiogram, which she gave me and I told her how I'm about this.  She's going to look into the possibility of getting the problem one removed for me afterwards.  I can't fault the care, especially if they can put this right for me.  I'm proud of the Welsh NHS - and wouldn't most of us be dead without the NHS!