Radiotherapy

Hi Woowoowoo and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

As the online community is divided up into different support groups, and radiotherapy can affect you differently depending on where in the body it's being delivered, it would be a good idea to join the cancer group for your type of cancer as then you'll connect directly with others who have had the same type of radiotherapy as you're having. 

You could either let me know what type of cancer you're being treated for, and I can then give you a direct link to that group, or you can look through this list to find the type you have.

I had radiotherapy for 10 days for breast cancer and the only side effect I had was a slightly irritating rash, which cleared up with a course of cortisone cream and some antihistamine tablets.

It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

Hey Latchbrook

thank you so much for replying and all the pointers. I guess you can tell I’m a newbie. I have breast cancer. I’ve had a lumpectomy and sentinel nodes removed so far. 

Hi again Woowoowoo and don't worry about being a newbie. We were all one at some point and trying to find our way around this community 

I had a lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy last April but then had to have chemotherapy before my radiotherapy. Of the three treatments I found radiotherapy the easiest. All you have to do is lie down for a few minutes while the machine does it's stuff and then you're off.

You'll find plenty of people in the breast cancer group who've had radiotherapy and clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there. Once you've joined you can start a new post in the same way as you did here, and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.

I'm happy to go into more detail about my radiotherapy experience if you want to know anything more

Thanks again. I’ve reposted but yes I’m happy to hear your experience  if you’re happy to share. I’m trying to determine if I need to get any support in place I guess and will it affect my work? And how tired will I be? 
thanks

I had already retired before I was diagnosed so didn't have to think about whether I'd be able to work during treatment or not. 

Before I started radiotherapy I had to go for a radiotherapy planning session which lasted about an hour I think. I first saw a radiotherapy nurse who explained what side effects I might have and gave me some general information about what would happen when I went for treatment. She also recommended that I applied a moisturising cream twice a day to the area that was being treated. I had already got some E45 and she said that that was fine to use.

I then went into a room and had to lie on a 'table' while a scanning machine took various measurements. Two radiographers popped in and out of the room to place marks on me with pen so that they could take accurate readings. These marks didn't need to stay on as the type of scanning equipment they had at the hospital I was being treated at meant that the machine could work out where the radiotherapy needed to be delivered to from the scans it had taken and didn't rely on markers being left on your body.

I should say that while I was on the machine I was naked from the waist upwards, as you might expect. As it was the left side of my breast that would be receiving the radiotherapy they got me to practice holding my breath for up to 30 seconds. This apparently moves your heart out of the way!

I was told that the actual radiotherapy should start about 3 weeks later and I duly got my appointment through the post.

Each day that I had to go I turned up at the oncology unit about 15 minutes before my treatment time. Normally I went in on, or very close to my appointment time and they were only running really late on one occasion.

The first time that I went I was also given my appointment times for the remaining 9 sessions and told to speak to the receptionists if any of the times were inconvenient. I was also given a hospital gown which was mine to keep for each of the sessions.

When I was called through I was told which number room I would be treated in and then left to get changed into the hospital gown. I only took the upper half of my clothing off as they only needed me naked from the waist up. I'd then sit outside the allocated scanner room until they were ready for me, probably about another 5 minutes.

The radiographer would come out and fetch me and I'd be 'arranged' on the table. They'd then take a few images to make sure I was in the right position and, if not, come in and rearrange me! Once everything was ready the machine would start up and they'd tell me when I needed to hold my breath and when I could exhale. I would have to hold my breath twice and then that day's treatment was finished.

I think that if you allow about an hour to be there that's all you need and, if you go in on time and they are ready straight away, you can be in and out in about half an hour.

I didn't feel tired at any stage during treatment so would have been able to continue working if I had been working and found that I could carry on at home as normal without any support.

As I said before, the only side effect I got was towards the end when a rash developed on the breast that was receiving the radiotherapy but that quickly cleared up.

Right, I think that was everything!

I had just logged in, with the same concerns, when I saw your reply to another lady, Thank you for the information, it’s really helpful. I start radiotherapy in two weeks time. I don’t feel so appnsive now.

Hi Optimistic l 

I'm so pleased that my reply to Woowoowoo has helped you prepare for your forthcoming radiotherapy.

The online community is divided up into different support groups and the best way to get the most out of it is to join the appropriate cancer group. I don't want to presume that it's breast cancer that you're being treated for just because that's the radiotherapy I was talking about, so if you take a look through this list you can choose the appropriate group for you to join. Alternatively, you could tell me the type of cancer you have and I can give you a direct link to the group.

Once you've joined, you can start a new post introducing yourself and ask any questions you might have.

I wish you all the best with your treatment.

x

Thank you. Great info. I’ve just started my radiotherapy this week and I’m having a very similar experience. The lady giving me my treatment has told me I now need to be covered in the sun or wear factor 50 suncream. Is that permanent or just for the treatment phase? 

Hi Woowoowoo 

I'm pleased to hear your treatment is going well.

I was told that I needed to cover up and not expose my chest to the sun for 12 months after radiotherapy finished.

Hair loss for me 

I’ve found a great custom human hair wig maker in Hampshire Uk and she’s amazing I showed her my hair before my treatment and she’s making me a wig as we speak