Lung cancer

Hi i had radiotherapy 13 sessions, w all get different amounts, depends on the cancer.

It is painless, lay on the bed, bit like a CT  or other scans you may have had, as you may have already been marked up, they line the machine where,  the tattoos,  are thats what they call them.

You do not fill a thing, though over the course of the sessions, side effects can build up, and every  one is different. When i had mine, i see the radiotherapy Doctor twice with in the unit, check you bloods and a few other things.

ad ask how you are.  Just tell them is you are suffering from any thing, fatigue is, a big one for many,

Do to worry, nothing to fill and only takes a few minuets. 

Hi Lesley Ann

So very sorry that you have cause to be on here.

As Ellie has stated the radiotherapy itself is painless. 

The table can be a tad uncomfortable as you have to lie flat, so make sure they provide the under the knee support (it is like a cushion) which makes it more comfortable and ensures your upper body is flat on the table.  You will be asked to raise your arms over your head; this is so they are out of range of the radiotherapy target areas.

They will spend some time making sure that you are in the correct position so that the radiotherapy can be correctly targeted at the cancer whilst at the same time avoiding healthy tissue.

When the treatment starts, the treatment arm of the machine will move to the starting position and provide the first 'shot'.  It may then move around you to deliver further 'shots' from different positions. When I had mine the movement was the same every day.  Started at the right side of my chest below my armpit, then under the table into my back, then the left side of my chest and the final one into my chest.

Every time it repositions, you will hear a clicking noise; this is the treatment arm sort of opening and closing what I thought of as pixels.  This alters the delivery shape of the machine to match the treatment area as the angles  of the treatment arm change. So do not worry about the clicking sounds, they are good sounds.

That in my layman's terms is how radiotherapy is delivered.

At every session, the Radiographers will greet you and ask how you are feeling.  It took me a few sessions before I realised they were genuinely asking me how I was feeling and were not just being polite!  So it is very important that when they ask you are honest with them, especially regarding any side effects.  It wont stop the session but will ensure that you get any potential help.

The main side effect with radiotherapy is tiredness, which tends to be more pronounced as the treatment progresses.  Radiotherapy will continue to work on the cancer for some time after the final session (which is good), unfortunately this can mean that the tiredness also continues.

Sorry if this is a bit long winded.

Good luck with the treatment and I wish you the best possible outcome.

Kegsy x

Brilliant, answer says it all.