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Hi Bottyburn, when i finished the treatment I was told symptoms peak after about two weeks and then things improve. I was given morphine if required which was so helpful but will add not everyone needed morphine and managed on over the counter medication. My blessing was not having to travel to and from the hospital for treatment and could just spend my time concentrating on getting better. I bought enough lotions and potions to fill a chemist shop but found good old fashioned Vaseline helped with the soreness. Please don’t think you will get all the side effects and speak to your nursing team about how you get get through this. Also you can find lots of tips on here if you use the search tool and your questions. 

Hi @Bottyburn welcome to the group. You've done well to get to this stage and feel ok, so whilst the radiotherapy effects continue to build for about 10-14 days after treatment, as you feel ok so far, I wouldn't expect that you would suddenly get much worse. As Jaycee12 has said not everyone will get all the side effects you are warned about.  It was during this period post-treatment that I was exhausted but this was mainly due to the fact that I had anaemia. Your body also needs to recover, I was sleeping the clock round at this stage.    Going to the toilet was painful for a few weeks after treatment but going over water helps a lot.     You can get a sitz bath/bidet bowel, which is a special bowel filled with water that sits in the toilet to relieve the pain of going.  Just make sure you get plenty of rest and look after yourself to speed up the healing process   Bev 

Hi Bottyburn,

Firstly congratulations on completing your treatment more so getting to this stage feeling ok! I’ll echo what’s already been said that the treatment affects us all differently, obviously with some similarities, & although the side effects do continue to build for a week or two after your last session this doesn’t mean you’re going to be really bad. I remember feeling this way, totally petrified, before I began my treatment & although it was uncomfortable towards the end it wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the horror stories I’d read. If you experience discomfort going to the loo as Bev has said try a portable bidet, I purchased mine on Amazon. I found soaking in an Epsom salt bath was where I was most comfortable some days. Also make sure you get plenty of rest, the fatigue was a biggy for me & I slept a lot over the couple of weeks following my treatment. 

Wishing you all the very best of luck in your recovery. Please come back if you need any support.

Nicola