Radiotherapy

All the best for your treatment xx

Hi Ellie, there are many side effects with RT, but you won't get all of them. When you start to get any side effects let your team know right away, and they will give you something for them, don't suffer in silence. When I was having my RT, my wife used to apply Aloe vera gel to my neck, (only after each session not before). It's good that you are having a RIG fitted, they are a lifesaver if eating becomes too painful. Keep us updated, any worries or questions, just ask. All the best for your treatment.

Regards Ray.

Hi Ellie  just remember it’s rare to get all the side effects. Pain killers become part of your day don’t be afraid to use them my blog below might help links to other sites there as well   The rig  peg ir in my case n g tube was a lifesaver. You can’t tell what side efffcts you may get but tell your team and they will help Dry mouth can be a long  standing  side effect I still have it at nighttime in bed but use xyimelts whhch hell. Taste May go but mostly comes back. Are you having chemo ? 
Take everything one day at a time before you kniut you’ll be in recover. 
Hugs Hazel x

EllieB65 said:

I'm.asking for any advice on going through radiotherapy.

A day at a time would be my advice. 
I had no side effects to speak of till the end of week two when my throat got a little scratchy. It all increased a little in the next ten days and I was trying to manage the pain with paracetamol. I was fooling myself and telling the radiographers that I was fine but it all came crashing down in week four. Proper pain relief and a nasogastric tube had me on the right course. 
After that  it was a case of putting my head down and refusing to let the treatment beat me. 
Don’t suffer. Tell your radiographers that you’re not doing well. They are your daily conduit to the rest of your team 
I too used aloe Vera gel in my neck in the car in the way home and I’m sure that stopped my neck burning. 
I didn’t get a dry mouth till after treatment end but I did get sticky saliva. Steaming my head over hot water and spitting a lot sorted that. 
Remember. No matter how bad you feel it gets better. I’m four years plus on and as good as I ever was, just a little wiser and more humble.  I know that must feel as far as the moon right now but a day at a time becomes a week, a month then a year 

Trust your team. They know what they are doing and they are good at it. 
My oncologist told me he would really fry the back of my throat ( nice bedside manner, that) that the cancer would take a year out of my life but that he would cure me. He did,  it did, and he did. 

Hi Ellie

Best wishes for the treatment. It is good that you are having a RIG fitted as that can be a lifesaver. Radiotherapy can be brutal but if you keep up the pain killers regularly it is manageable You don't necessarily get all the side effects and it does depend on where the radiotherapy is targeted. Mine was targeted on my jaw so I did not get the throat related issues but my mouth was very sore with ulcers on my tongue.  Week 3 or 4 seems to be the time when most of us start to get the side effects. For me it was radiotherapy fatigue, loss of taste so everything tasted like cardboard, a dry and very sore mouth. It is not an easy time but as the others have said take it a day at a time and you will get there. Be prepared that once radiotherapy has finished it takes a while to recover but I found that over time my energy returned and my taste improved although not completely in my case and the dry mouth became manageable.It's hard to put a time frame on recovery as it happens slowly but you get there.It improves over several months you just can't rush it.

All the best and keep coming onto the forum as questions arise.

Lyn

Thankyou very much. Great advice x 

Lovely bedside manner...Thank-you very much for the advice. Great to have such wonderful support from everyone. X 

Thankyou, that's good to know. It's a bit scary to hear all the side effects...but I know it's what I need to move forward. 

Thankyou again x 

Good advice there. I'll defo let the team know if I have any side effects. 

Great to have such wonderful support.

Thankyou again x