Radiotherapy

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Hi all

Anyone got any tips for dealing with cancer pain .

I use oromorph liquid and paracetamol and ibuprofen, and just started gabapentin, other stronger stuff ive tried but it's made me sick or hallucinating.

I've been waiting for my radiotherapy for weeks now ,as I had an emergency stay in hospital for 5 weeks with new stoma and abdominal surgery ..that I can cope with ,but the left leg started to swell as that's where the cancer is in the lymph nodes in the left hip.and its swollen the leg , but I could still walk .

Before I was rushed to hospital on the Sunday morning ,I was fine ,leg a bit swollen but I was at work on the Friday with my patients a clinic and a home visit and picked my son up from college.....

But sunday came and i collapsed and the leg got bigger after the emergency was over. Then they found a DVT in the left leg as well.. my god ,the pain ,and now i can no longer walk , and cant weight bare for long, pain too much and it just gives way .

im trying so hard to be positive, but with pain is awful and im frightened of taking too much and bloody over dosing myself , im as down as i have ever been in my life . Lets hope Monday comes soon .

they tell me you can feel a bit better after the first session of radiotherapy? Any info on radiotherapy and how it affected you ,wiĺl be helpful x

Kerry x

RayMK 1 hour ago

My radiotherapy in 2017 was described as 'medium dose' and carried out over 2 weeks, one daily session for 5 working days of each week. It was painless. I had only very mild after effects (loose bowel) which had settled down a week after the treatment ended. The treatment relieved my main symptom (bleeding) for about three months and also destroyed 95% of my 7cm bladder tumour. Further surgery (TURBT x 2) more or less sorted out the remaining parts of tumour well enough for me to be signed off on palliative care in 2019 and this has continued to date. You will find that radiotherapy and other treatment types will affect each patient differently. Radiotherapy will be finely tailored to address your particular areas of concern and symptoms. With my radiotherapy, the bit that scared me most was the need for three small marker tattoos upon which the beam was lined up for all sessions. I'd never had a tattoo before. I'm now much more used to needles and discomfort, thanks to cancer. Normally you will have a detailed chat with an oncology consultant or a specialist doctor/nurse before treatment begins. Ask questions so that they have the opportunity to explain what they are doing and offer generalised reassurance. You are clearly in a lot of pain, taking medication which is only having limited effect and hoping, like I'm sure we all are, that radiotherapy helps you to feel better. You are currently doing well to try to remain positive. From my own experience in 2017/18 I know it can be quite a struggle. Take each day as it comes. Best wishes for some positive results when you have been beamed upon. Ray xx

Podperson 1 hour ago in reply to RayMK

Thank you x

Good to know its painless ,don't think i could stand much more.

I think they did mention 10 sessions and I already have the tattoos in place ,so I'm ready x

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