After treatment finishes

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Hi I had my last treatment (brachytherapy) last Tuesday the treatment was really painful and I had a lot of medication.  I'm just wondering if anyone knows how long I will feel sick tired light headed for I'm really struggling at the moment I'm very independent and I'm tired after putting washing out on the line my legs hips and side are hurting all the time sometimes I can't even walk its getting me down.

Any tips on how i can make my life easier what i can take or eat that will give me a bit of energy.

Thanks sam x

  • Hi Sam ( 

    I bet you’re glad that treatment is over now, but I’m sorry you’ve had a rough time. I didn’t have the brachytherapy but had the chemorads and I do remember the tiredness very well. I wasn’t sick or light headed though.

    It’s very soon after your treatment, and it takes a little while to feel more recovered from that-I’d say it was a few weeks for me. I didn’t push myself too hard or try to do too much at first-radiotherapy continues to work in your body after treatment finishes. If I needed a nap in the day, I had one, but that was easy for me as I don’t work. 

    Hopefully you’ll get some other replies if ladies did specific things after treatment ended that they can recommend. I can just remember the feeling of relief that it was all finished with. Give yourself some recovery time and don’t expect too much of yourself at the moment. Your body has been through lot and you need to have time to get over it.

    Sarah xx


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  • Hi Sam 

    I had brachytherapy at the end of February. 
    it gets better I promise! 
    I would say after afew weeks I started to feel much better and was able to return to work full time in may. The sickness feeling was the last thing to go for me. 
    hips and legs occasionally ache but nothing like it was. Rest when you need to.

    hope your well and well done for getting through it. Xxx

  • Hi Sam

    I was advised to include a good amount of protein in my diet because it helps with healing, especially important because of the trauma to the body caused by cancer treatment.

    I was also lacking in energy after my treatment.  I told my GP and had some blood tests done which showed I was low in vitamins D and B12 whereupon I was prescribed with vitamin D tablets and B12 injections.

    I was diagnosed with stage 2A squamous cell cervical cancer (node negative) in 2017 following symptoms: persistent, watery, yellow vaginal discharge then post-menopuasal bleeding.  My treatment was a radical hysterectomy followed by chemo-radiotherapy.  My long term side effects include lymphoedema and urinary retention which I manage with intermittent self catheterisation.
  • Thank you I've had a really bad day today felt sick tired and had a headache all day/night.  I feel like I have 1 good hour then 3 bad days but I will do as you say because I do tend to try and get the cleaning done or garden when I feel ok instead of just sitting down xx