Radiotherapy

Panache, your account is reassuring and good to read. We all dread the unknown in any medical procedure and it helps to hear from others who have been through it.

I finished a 15 day course of radiotherapy, done 5 days over three weeks in April following chemotherapy and surgery. It did,nt take very long to do at all. The radiotherapists put you into the exact position each time and you must not move until it's over. It did,nt take long to do in my case but I expect it depends on what you are having it for. The hospital I attend does,nt provide creams or lotions but gave me a list of suggested ones to buy. I found Simple Rich Moisturiser the best of all to use. Applied it 3 X daily. After about 10 days I did start to feel sleepy in the evenings and it did increase. I became much more tired after the RT finished and found I could not do much or walk very far without needing to rest in-between. Mine did peel like sunburn despite using the moisturiser as I had quite a large scar area to be treated, eventually it settled down. I saw the oncologist again recently and was told the combination of the chemo and RT can make you quite tired and lacking energy for quite a few months and it is normal as your body repairs itself. The radiotherapists were really reassuring and put you right at ease from the beginning.

I had radiotherapy some years ago, completely painless, the only after effects were extreme fatigue. You will be fine ☺

Mrsmopp......I fully understand where you are coming from and first and foremost may I wish you well and a complete recovery.
Of course you are mid journey and all these treatments meted out are new to us at the onset, and I know well myself anything new which we do not understand can be highly traumatic.It is wise to get further views and learn all you can so that you enter this course of treatment with your head in the right frame of mind.

I have had several life saving cancers thus many operations and different courses of treatment.
Back in 1986 I had my third cancer,this was of a breast with operation followed by 6 weeks course of Radiotherapy.
I was totally unaware of all it meant,living back then in rather a remote area I did go blindly into it all.
However quite frankly I had nothing to worry about.

The worse parts for me was having to travel some 60 miles to the Specialist hospital,staying in an annexe with 8 others (male & female( from Mondays to Fridays......returning home for the weekend.
The treatment itself I found utterly pain free and takes only a few minutes daily........very much like an MRI scanner,you are in this one room alone with sand bags surrounding the areas that are not recieving treatment,whilst the treatment is delivered by machine controlled from outside.
You are then free to do your own thing until the next day............even travel in daily if close at hand.
The only real effects I found were tiredness as it progressed and at one stage my treated breast became highly inflamed for a little while.

Quite frankly in my case I met and made some beautiful lasting friendships and it was most cathartic being able to talk frankly to one another,voicing our own fears and foibles about the disease...............and everything else under the sun!!

It maybe worth while reading my blog "Is there life after cancer,You bet there is"...........because somewhere in it it gives quite an insight to my own personal walk with Radiotherapy.

I sincerely hope this helps and please feel free to P.M me if I can help further.
I was a counsellor in our own Cancer Centre (that a colleague and I actually planned and set in motion in the 90`s)
Good Luck.

Mrsmopp, thank you for starting this thread. I have had a diagnosis of a small, breast cancer lump and radiotherapy is part of the treatment. I was told 6 weeks daily treatment, but thought perhaps I had misheard. Here's wishing all undergoing treatment the best for the future.

Nobody in the family has tried radiotherapy and as what annsixty said, it's normal for us to be afraid but you'll get used to it eventually. I hope for your fast recovery and God bless!

Thank you for this info annesixty. My DH will be starting 7 weeks of radiotherapy in the near future. Naturally we are, like mrs mop, a bit apprehensive but your post has reassured us no end. Again, thank you

There is little to be fearful in having radiotherapy.
I had a treatment daily for five weeks.
Like you I was very worried the first time but it was fine and soon over.
It takes some time to get you in position but once placed the treatment takes no time at all.
You will feel tired after a couple of weeks but rest as much as you can.
Some people experienced slight burning but I had none at all, if you do you are given cream to use.
I haven't heard of burning recently so maybe that has been overcome.
I wish you well in your treatment and it's outcome.
After one session you will lose your apprehension.