Finished

Hi Feather 653 ,

Happy New Year to you too.

Woo hoo!! Congratulations on completing your treatment. 

Be prepared to really take it easy over the next couple of weeks as the radiotherapy continues to build for approximately the next week or 2. My side effects peaked around 11 days post treatment & then my skin healed pretty quickly. During those 11 days the fatigue increased also so I napped a lot throughout the day. I found I was most comfortable during that time soaking in an Epsom salt bath or laying in bed. I rinsed every streaming channel available to man over that couple of weeks. 

Hopefully once your side effects have peaked your recovery will be a speedy one. Just remember we’re all individuals & so is our recovery so try & take each day at a time & rest when you need to as this will aid your recovery in the long run. 

Nicola 

Feather! I'm thrilled for you! YAY!!!!

I found the first several weeks after treatment very challenging. Like Nicola, I think I peaked around week 2, and it got better after that but very slowly. I think my recovery was slower than usual. I finished treatment in April '22, and by early September felt well enough to take a long car trip, although we broke it into chunks to save my posterior.

Rest up over the winter, and with just a little luck, you'll be frolicking by the end of spring!

Hugs

Suz

Hello Feather 653

You've finished!  I am sure you thought this day would never come!

Although I had quite bad side effects, nothing was better than sinking into my bed and knowing that the daily visits were over; the treatment (or that part of it) was complete.  I was lucky in that I had my family around waiting on me hand and foot and I too, had fatigue but the body is repairing itself from a very intensive course of treatment so I wasn't alarmed at that, I just slept - a lot!  I still visited the hospital for weekly checks as my sores took some time to heal, but my treating team were exceptional and I had an array of ointments and dressings and gradually I healed. 

I don't know if you have been given painkillers, be very careful if they are opioid-based as although I had diarrhoea during and at the end of treatment, the painkillers made me constipated - not a good idea when your skin internally and externally is raw and I stopped the painkillers completely three weeks after treatment ended.  So if you need pain killers, take Laxido (a stool softener) alongside.

Happy and most importantly, a healthy New Year to you too!

Irene xx

Hi Feather 653

 I'm only half way through my treatment and am getting more and more concerned as to how I'm going to manage the remaining weeks and post treatment. 

My radiotherapy symptoms are only really starting but I'm going to the toilet so often each day that I'm already really sore. 

Please let me know how you are managing over the next few weeks.

I hope you heal well and quickly.

Xx

Hello Andi72

Please ask the team treating you for pain killers, tell them exactly how much pain you are in.  They are normally extremely responsive to any request for pain help so please bring it up tomorrow when you go for your next session.  Also, I am sure you have know about the Sitzbath for bathing and not wiping with toilet paper, I use baby lotion and cotton wool if I am really tender and that is two years down the line.

Count off the days - it is amazing how once you reach the half-way mark how quickly they pass.

Sending hugs

Irene xx

Hi Andi are you using a sitz bath to help with going to the toilet and also sit in with some Epsom salts. Speak to your team regarding going to the toilet so much. Also you might have to watch certain foods that trigger regular bowel movements like lactose and caffeine. I had to stop eating citrus fruits and chocolate and kept a diary on what I thought were trigger foods.

Hi Jaycee12, yes I have been using sitz bath to help go. Wasn't so bad at weekend again when on break from treatment but this afternoon back to lots of trips to loo (& pain). I'll keep a food diary and see if there's anything that might be making things worse. Thank you for your help.

Hi Andi72 ,

I'm sorry you’re experiencing issues so soon in your treatment. Your treating team should be able to prescribe you loperamide for the diarrhoea you’re experiencing if it’s getting excessive.

A food diary is a good way to pinpoint sensitivity to certain things & I’ve used this in my early recovery but to me this sounds radiation related which is when the bowel gets really irritated due to the daily radiotherapy.  

I’m hoping you get some relief from this soon. 

Nicola