Now got to have 5 day radiotherapy

The best thing about RT is that it’s like a ‘finish’ to treatments. It does mean you have to hold your arms up whilst lying on the bed and only breath when told, but you can do it! I was given tubes of Medihoney to rub gently over the area afterwards. The Medihoney is £19 a tube on Amazon so hugely expensive but if they don’t supply it you can use E45 or Aveno. 5 days is unlikely to injure your skin compared to the 25+ RT I had! XxxX

I had radiotherapy and found it tiring but totally doable. I am severely asthmatic but coped fine with the breath hold technique.

I also have v sensitive skin so knew I was likely to have a skin reaction and I did. The nurses were amazing and gave me some gel and gel pads which really soothed it. I also continued to take the antihistamine tablets.

I hope this helps xxx

Hi Boro 

so glad that you got clear margins after surgery. Let me know how you get on with radiotherapy, I gave an oncology appointment later this month to see what treatment I now need. I know there is a long waiting list for radiotherapy where I live

Hi Boro

I found the 5 day radiotherapy very manageable particularly after chemotherapy. I didn't have to hold my breath as my breast cancer was in my right beeast. I used Aveeno moisturiser I had no skin issues but ribs were sore on and off for a few months and my nipple was a bit rubbery. This all settled down after about 7 months.

Best wishes

Lizzie

Hello Boro

Here's a hug first of all, you've made it through treatment so far xx

I had 5 days radiotherapy in February. The most stressful part was finding a parking space at the hospital! The actual procedure is quite daunting at first as the machine is huge, but a lovely Irish nurse said to me it's a big friendly giant! You are alone in the room but there was music playing and you can hear the team talking to you and counting down your breathing. The breathing was OK, although I was told to make sure I breath through my chest and not my tummy. The machine will stop if you stop the breath hold so you are as safe as you can be.

As it was just 5 days of radiotherapy my skin just started to get slightly warm and a bit red toward the end of the week. But, 3 weeks after starting radiotherapy my skin started to break down and I wad a bit of a mess...my tumour site was underneath my breast right by my rib and I'm not small, so the skin couldn't breathe too well. So I can't say enough, even after your treatment finishes, keep moisturising as often as you can, it will help keep your skin intact as the radiation continues to work. I used aqueous cream and kept in the fridge to feel cool relief.

I hope this helps a bit, it's good to hear others experiences and everyone will be honest and not fluff over things...you got this x

I had 5 day radiotherapy in August after a mastectomy ( high grade DCIS). Try not to worry - it’ll be over in no time. It’s very quick - about 15 mins per session. The hospital gave me creams to use. The main one was Zerobase which seems to have prevented any skin reaction - a bit of redness but that’s about it. The cream was quite messy - I plastered it on every morning and night. I don’t know if all hospitals do this or just some. I’m still moisturising to be on the safe side as still a bit red.