Radiotherapy - reassurance needed please

Hello Kate

I can't help I'm afraid because I'm about to have radiotherapy too. I do commiserate on the inability to plan though. I drive my nurse mad asking for timelines of when things are likely to happen. If you're driven like we are, it drives you nuts to hand over your life to a system that works at a snails pace!

I'm sure before long, plenty of lovely peeps will be along to help. Till then lots of good luck and read all you can on radiotherapy, I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think.

Rachel :)

Evening Ladies

My radiotherapy was to my throat so I can only comment on my own experience generally

Firstly the treatment was completely painless if slightly weird. I was strapped to a table with a mask on to make sure I didn't move my head. Normally I'd pay good money for that kind of treatment. However you won't have the mask and will either sit or lay down. I had 35 sessions of 7 minutes each. Yep at first it's scary but 3 days on I was on first names terms with the team and actually looked forward to it

Expect some burning like sunburn on the treated area but you will be advised what to put on it to ease this

As mine was to the throat the inside of my throat was badly burnt. You will not get this

Radiotherapy continues to work even after treatment stops so expect any side effects to continue for about 4 weeks after. They won't kick in for the first 2 weeks as the effect is cumlative

You wil meet loads of people in the waiting room who are all in the same boat and you can discuss with them too

The staff at the Churchill in Oxford we're utterly brilliant as im sure yours will be

Hope this helps

Good luck

Thank you Moonbats and Denzilpants - seriously I should have come up with an elaborate user name, what was I thinking? ;)

Helpful to know that the radiotherapy effects are cumulative. Maybe I should make the most of the first couple of weeks if I'm likely to have more energy then. Thank you.

Kate

That's a good idea

One of the side effects I suffered was extreme fatigue

Without wishing to scare you but beware of the psychological effect this will have

It may not affect you as we are all react differently but I found the emotional side far more difficult to come to terms with than the physical effects

Good luck girls, stay in touch and share your thoughts

Hi Kate I can only comment on my experience and it effects everyone differently. I had 15 rads after surgery. What I found helpful was the cancer centre I went to had a radiotherapy evening where they took you through the treatment from start to finish. They also took you on a tour of the radiotherapy rooms so you knew what to expect and also it was a chance for your partner or friend to see it too. i would highly recommend this if your cancer centre holds one.

yes it's scary at first you are lying on a bed with your boobs out and arms above your head but the treatment itself is painless. It takes more time to set you in the correct place than the actual treatment. to keep my mind off things I counted how long it took...I know sad.....50 seconds on one side and 40 seconds on the other and it took the machine 15 seconds to move from one side to the other!

Keep doing your exercises through out your treatment as this will help with your mobility and cording. I ended up with cording underneath my effected breast but with some more exercises and massages this disappeared. Use only the cream the nurses give you morning noon and night or the way they tell you to. You will get a red square on your affected area and it will feel like sunburn. My nipple was extremely sore but the lovely skin nurses were wonderful and will look after you throughout your treatment. I was given a cold pad which was my best friend for about 2 weeks.

I worked right through my treatment apart from the last two days where I was just too tired but I did work from home. I found getting outside relieved my tiredness a bit.

You might be a bit emotional at the end of your treatment but it's normal. Just remember everyone is different and the nursing staff are amazing. Good luck lets us know how you get on xx