Has anyone had a break during radiotherapy for any reason - illness etc - and did the lost day/s get added on at the end?
I’m currently having radiotherapy but finding it very hard because I’m very low at the moment. I want to take a break from it.
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If it was me I would call the BCN nurses and chat this through.
0808 800 6000 and also call your radiotherapy team and see if you are able to have a break.
I had 5 days high dose starting on Thursday so had a 2 day ‘break’ over the weekend. I was absolutely knackered on the Monday and needed to be driven to the centre, I also struggled with breath hold. I had been told the fatigue kicks in after 2 weeks not 2 days.
Take care 
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Sorry to hear that you are struggling. I think it might be good to talk this through with the Nurses on the helpline who would be able to tell you if there might be implications if you take a break. I’m sure there will be people who have had to do this though. It gets hard towards the end of active treatment - you feel like you should be be excited / relieved / happy but actually it’s the time when most of us struggle . Sending love xx
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From what I understand you can’t take a break it has to be done consecutively . It’s draining but doable and gives the most protection of all against local recurrence so worth persevering
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Thank you for your replies.
I will try and talk to the BCN but it’s very difficult to contact them - usually a wait of a few days for them to respond to answerphone message. X
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I have that with my own breast care nurse as they are based in the clinic. You should be able to talk it through with the Breast Care Nurses today on 0808 800 6000 while you wait for your own nurse to call.
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Could you ask your radiographers about it at your session. They would probably be best to advise. Best wishes.
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Mine straddled christmas so there was midweek breaks 25 / 26 dec and 31 dec. This is on top of natural weekend breaks. (I had 5 sessions). And yes, the lost days were added to the end.
I suspect you might mean longer break than few days if you are struggling. I dont know about that bit and its tricky because that struggle could last a while. I think i might have found it harder with more breaks during rads as everything got very tight, as well as skin being angry, towards the end. Psychologically i had something to push against whilst i was having treatment. It was afterwards, in the last few weeks, it has all crumbled.
You are not alone. This is a tough and often lonely road but talk, talk, talk here, to a therapist, to a support group. I am struggling myself but i know if i can give myself the grace to work through it, to be happy with being, rather than achieving, a path forward will start to appear. Sending big hugs.
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I feel your dispare, I had 19 sessions over 4 weeks. I was ok with the first 3 weeks, but really struggled with the last week. However, by then, the last thing I personally wanted was a break, I just wanted to get to the end ASAP and know I’d never be back again. Unfortunately, they wanted to postpone one day in the last week due to machine breakdown, which ment having to come back on the Monday instead of finishing on Friday. I could not cope with the idea of this, went a tad ballistic down the phone, and told them if they did that to me, Id just be dropping the last day and would still be done by Friday, and I ment it, didnthave it in me. They found me a slot. Went out for a nice meal out with friends on the Friday evening, which would not have happened if I’d had to delay till Monday. So glad I stuck to my guns, it ment the world to me and benefitted my mental health.
My advice, if you can, stick with it, through gritted teeth if you have to, as once you stop, it could be even harder to have to pick up again.
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