Hello Sarah
Thank you for posting. It is natural to have questions about the side effects you have noticed following radiotherapy. Everybody reacts differently to treatment, and fatigue and swelling of the breast (oedema) are common side effects of radiotherapy. For some people these side effects resolve within a few weeks, but other people may experience them for longer.
As @Tili and @Shi say it is important to let your breast care nurse or treatment team know about the redness and swelling you are experiencing in your breast so that they can assess you. They will be able to advise you on whether any treatments are required and can also refer you to a lymphoedema specialist for massage if appropriate.
Many people experience fatigue following treatment and this can sometimes persist for a few months after treatment has finished. You may find it useful to read our simple tips on managing fatigue following breast cancer treatment.
Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can often be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email for them to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen.
You can ring the Someone Like Me team on 0114 263 6490 or email them at someone.likeme@breastcancernow.org , so they can then match you to your volunteer.
We also offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events.
For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link, or call our free helpline.
We are currently evaluating this service and would appreciate your feedback. Please click here to the survey. It should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen to your concerns, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000, (Relay UK -prefix 18001).
If you would prefer one of our nurses to call you. To do this, please complete this form ticking the box agreeing to a call back.
Our usual opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm and 9am -1pm on Saturday.
Out of hours you can leave a message and we will call you back when we next open.
Best wishes
Katy
Breast Care Nurse
Please read the Ask Our Nurses disclaimer Full details on how we collect and use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy
This thread will now be closed from further replies. If you have any additional questions or would like to provide feedback, please start a new thread.