Radiotherapy

Hi, 

i am due to start in the next few weeks but thought I would send a quick reply.  There are several people who have had 5 days split so there is the weekend in between.

One of the best places for answers to the tiredness may be the April/May radiotherapy thread, I have asked a couple of questions there and they have provided some really useful answers and advice.

Good luck with your treatment. Xx

Hi Lily, I finished radio 2 weeks ago, they did 5 days,  every day. This is the new protocol in UK. They used to do 3 weeks treatment but studies have shown that the shorter treatment is just as effective. I have attached a link to one study that they based this decision on. I was advised to use aveeno twice a day, I had no side effects and drove myslef there and back, 40mins each way. The planning appointment is the longest one, about an hour. They will do a CT scan and put some small dots on the area to have radio. The actual therapy only last about 10mins. I found it no problem. The chest area went a bit red but not sore. Let me know if you have any more questions. I hope you are OK,  try not to worry, they will take good care of you. x

www.breastcancer.org/.../accelerated-rads-has-same-effect-as-traditional

Thank you Lara, will have a look . Wishing you the best for your treatment too . Keep safe x

Lily x

Thank you Netax for your explanation and positive vibes . I will get some aveeno  cream .

I wish you the very best . Keep safe ,will be in touch if I think of anything else x 

Lily x

Hi Lily2021, I finished rads 3 weeks ago and got 5 days whole breast, 5 days booster. I drove there and back and didn't notice any increase in tiredness at the time. I used Aveeno twice a day and am still using it to keep everything moisturised. The radiologists advised that creams make no difference to whether your skin will react or not, but they do help to keep it from getting dry which could encourage you to itch.

They also said that the radiation carries on working after you have stopped treatment and peaks 2 weeks afterwards, with your skin/cells fully recovered at about 6 weeks. I have been more tired this past week or so but am also on holiday so I think I may have crashed after everything that has happened, plus I'm still recovering from chemo which I finished in January.

I found radiotherapy very straightforward with no major side effects. My skin was a bit more red straight afterwards and the scar was redder, still not back to what it was pre-rads. I am a little itchy now, but am resisting and still applying cream. They said I could start using bio oil again 4 weeks afterwards so I'm looking forward to that.

The worst thing was holding my arms above my head as they got stiffer the more days I did, but I found if I just relaxed into it, it wasn't sore at the time. My mobility had been recovering well after the operation. I have continued my exercises and everything is feeling better again now.

Good luck with it, most people seem to be finding the shorter 5 days much easier from a tiredness perspective.

Hi Beatthebreast ,

Thank you for taking the time to write in so much detail . I feel a bit better reading all 3 responses. 

Best wishes for your continued good recovery . Tc x

Lily x

Hi Lily,

I completed 19 rounds of radio treatment on my right breast, about a month ago now.
I was very anxious before the treatments began, especially as I am fair skinned & easily burn in the sun. I also was just beginning to feel more normal again post operation & feared any further nerve or lymphatic damage,

I chose to do the longer & less intensive course of radiation treatments (5 days in, 2 days off - the weekends being the 2 days off) Luckily for me, I did not need to drive a car, as I had applied for a taxi card beforehand. Personally, once in full-swing of treatments, I wouldn’t have liked to have been driving, as I found right shoulder seatbelts uncomfortable across the area. Also, though I was fine mentally for much of the time, I did find that at least once a day I would hit a wall of tiredness & brain fog, which required a bit of a nap.

My biggest hurdle that I experienced in radio treatment, was the night after the 1st treatment. I was told that it ‘usually’ takes a few days in to feel any side effects, but in my case, the post op nerve twinges, tightness/swelling that I’d had, came back to torment (though not to quite the same degree as before) I’ll be honest, being that it was only one day in, that kind of freaked me out a bit & nearly didn’t return to the treatment table next day. But I did continue & the radiographers were really understanding & reassuring.

The 2nd hurdle for me, was about 8-9 days into treatment. My skin was getting the redness as expected (though without the burning sensation I would normally get from sunburn) & I found that I needed to moisturise & massage away tightness in the breast & armpit every night. One tip here... they say to avoid bathing, but as long as I had the water tepid, I found that having an Epsom Salt/Magnesium bath, helped soothe the breast & made it easier to do a gentle massaging of the area. I was religiously moisturising at after every treatment & keeping up the gentle stretching exercises throughout. I made sure that I washed & dried the skin before going in for my radio every day. However, I found that by the start of the 2nd week, my nipple & scar sight were getting quite red, angry & sore. I asked if there was any kind of cream/barrier available, just for those areas (not my actual lump sight) & they said no! They could only offer me an alternative cream to put on afterwards. I have to say, that some tears of despair did creep down my cheeks on the treatment table that day. So, that night I stayed up searching YouTube (of all things) looking for any info that might help. Thankfully, I came across an American Oncologist, who advised that clean & dry skin is VERY important before radiology treatments. She suggests using Cornstarch/Cornflour on any difficult to dry, damp areas (ie, pitted scars, under breast & in nipple creases) I gave it a go & you know what, this made a huge difference for me! Highly recommend it. Be aware, to only use Cornflour & not talc, as talcum powder can contain fine metal particulates.

I must say that I didn’t meet a single radiographer that wasn’t kind & considerate. The treatments themselves were very quick, though waiting times varied tremendously. Some days I was out in 30mins, other days it took 1hr & a half from hospital entry to exit. This depended on the demand for the day & how many beam machines were working.

It’s certainly not an experience I would like to go through again & I was glad when the last treatment was over. But, during it all tried to think of the radiation as being a healing rainbow of light, & any pain or discomfort that resulted, was a just sign of my body healing. I reminded myself that the treatments were temporary & my body would recover afterwards.

My skin did peel a layer or two after completion, but within two weeks my breast was healing beautifully, I could ly more comfortably in bed, as the nerve twinges had subsided. To look at my skin now, you’d never guess that I’d had radiation treatment at all. 

Perhaps some of this may help you through your upcoming radio treatments, though I acknowledge that the experience can vary greatly between individuals. I wish for you the smoothest of journeys possible.

Best of luck, KiwiK

Thank you KiwiK , for taking the time to write in so much detail . I really appreciate it .

I had my appointment today and they have recommended any moisturiser cream so going for Aveeno n to drink lots of water each day . 

I feel myself in a better space having had some honest experiences x

Wishing you the best for your continued healing ,keep safe .

Thanks

Lily x