Hi everyone
If you are having radiotherapy this month, this is the place to ask questions, get support and chat to others going through it at the same time. If you are driving daily to appointments, don't forget to ask if they offer free parking (most do), and it's a good idea to keep moisturising the site of treatment, for weeks after too.
Here is a link to the Radiotherapy tips thread which contains all sorts of tips posted by breast group members to help you get through radiotherapy.
Good tips are: drink plenty of water; use plenty of cream and keep applying for a few weeks after. Radiotherapy can be tiring so rest when you need to.
There is some extensive information info about Breast Radiotherapy and Possible Side Effects both on the BCC website
There is also a useful Macmillan video here
You can use this link to refer back to the March Chat if there was something there that was useful. We will be closing it to new posts soon.
Wishing you all a smooth ride through this part of your treatment!
R
I'm in for my first radiotherapy this morning. Can't say I'm looking forward to it but hey ho needs must I suppose 
. Im just hoping I can hold my breath well enough as I have a cold and cough just now.
I also have an appointment at the breast clinic tomorrow after my second rads which is adding to my anxiety I think. I can feel a wee lumpy bit on my affected breast which I am so hopeful is just left over scar tissue from the therapeutic mammoplasty to remove the tumour back in October and nothing sinister. I just want this all done with now so I can have my life back to some sense of normality.
Hi
Just picked up in your post about the area under your collar bone. I continued using my radio gel until I finished the pot and then after that used Epimax cream (prescription from my doctor for an area of scar tissue elsewhere). It was about a year before the area which had been radiated - which looked like sunburn, gradually faded.
I also found that it was about a year before I could happily lift heavy bags of shopping without it really hurting when I laid on it overnight. When I had my final appointment with my BC nurse a few months after radio, she said "it's early days yet" - so I guess it probably is normal. The radio beams continue working long after the rads have finished.
Mine wasn't an itchy rash though (although it itched a bit), so if you find it too much, I'd suggest you either pop to your doctor to get a different cream or speak to your BC nurse to get a suggestion what type of cream would be best for it.
Happy Easter to you too 
Hi
As has already been said, depends on how far you have to go and how well you personally cope with radiotherapy.
I drove over 60 miles (there and back) to my radio - and I also didn't realise that parking was free, so had to find a side road to park in away from the hospital.
When I was there, one lady also drove herself daily after work, like me, but she said she'd been falling asleep at her desk and I did wonder how safe she was behind the wheel! Another lady I met was the same as me - perfectly ok. When I discussed things, the one thing I noted was the lady with fatigue wasn't drinking very much - she was only having one cup of tea during the day at work. I made sure I was drinking pints of squash, coffee and green tea and then treated myself to a large 'posh coffee' from the hospital coffee shop for on the way home. I am convinced drinking loads was what prevented my fatigue. They advise drinking plenty of fluids as well.
I did have lifts lined up for the back end (ie the last week) as I didn't know how I'd react, but didn't need them. So maybe worth getting them on the rota just in case you need them.
Best wishes,
