Hello everyone, and happy New Year to you all. I hope you’re all doing well.
I had my lumpectomy in December and I’m due to have five days of radiotherapy at the beginning of February. I’m feeling quite scared, both about the side effects and what to expect. I’d be so grateful if you could share any advice or tips.
I’d also really appreciate hearing about your experiences with hormone blockers, and whether you felt they were worth taking despite the side effects. I’m very much in two minds about them at the moment.
I found it quite cold in the radiotherapy suite so I wore arm warmers (leg warmers on my arms) to help keep me toasty. Others also suggest a cami top that can be pulled down to sit over your midriff.
My biggest advice would be to keep massaging the area after your treatment is finished. I had no ill effects at the time but ended up with late effects 3 months afterwards.
Well done for undergoing the lumpectomy, I hope all went well. My radiotherapy was in 2023, 5 sessions too. Personally i found the actual radiotherapy was way better than I’d imagined in my head!! The first couple were quite easy, by the 3rd the fatigue kicked in and it was like a sledgehammer I’m afraid, I was exhausted!! Thankfully I had mine wrapped around a weekend so could rest up before the final 2 sessions.
My advice would be to moisturise moisturise moisturise as often as you can because I felt my boob was on fire at times. I used Aveeno skin relief for showering and moisturising which helped so much
The fatigue wiped me out (I also have progressive multiple sclerosis so fatigue is a big part of that too and it was possibly a part of my experience [??]). Please rest when you can, drink plenty of water and take each day as you feel you need to.
The staff were awesome and so supportive I found and I’m sure you’ll find the same
I was on letrozole for 5 years but it didn’t play nicely with my MS so my consultant said she was happy for me to stop taking it. It only afforded me 3% protection so I was happy to take the chance
I wish you well, don’t forget you have your BC nurses to guide you too.
Thank you so much Green Queen for your reply I will deffo wear a cami top and Some leg warmers. What side effects did you have later on? Hope are doing very well now xxx
Thank you so much for your reply and reassurance, I too hope it won’t be as bad as I’d imagined,
I’m expecting to feel tired, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to manage as I still need to work full time. I’ll pick up some Aveeno cream; I’ve also been told that aloe vera is good, so thank you for suggesting that.
I’m in two minds about taking hormone blockers, as I’m not sure whether the side effects are worth such a very low percentage risk of recurrence. I suppose I’ll see how I go and what they recommend for me.
I don’t have my radiotherapy sessions sorted as just had surgery on Wednesday. But I’ve looked reviews up for moogoo moisture cream and going to try that, but I think any will work. A friends who has had chemo suggested cami tops under clothes and also a sanitary towel over the cream also and lots of hydration, massage area and rest. X
hello hen how are you? Thank you so much — the suggestion about using a sanitary towel with moisturiser isn’t something I’d thought of, so I’ll definitely give that a try. Thanks as well for the cream recommendation; I’ll have a look at that.
I hope everything is going as well as possible with you. Wishing you a speedy recovery and feeling better very soon.
I sailed through the treatment without any itching, burning or fatigue (5 whole boob sessions and 5 boosts). 3 months later I got some tenderness, swelling (oedema) and a lump of scar tissue formed where my surgery was. Also fatigue, though this could also be related to being back at work and Christmas stress.
What hormone blockers are recommended for you? I take Tamoxifen and generally get on ok with it. Different brands can sometimes help, as can the time of day you take it. I didn’t get in with the ovarian suppression so well. There are a few thread already about hormone therapy, I’ll see if I can find one to link to.
I had 5 days radiotherapy about 18 months ago. I had a little bit of pinkness but nothing major with my skin. I was told the effects peak two weeks after treatment and right on cue I had a weekend where I was absolutely shattered! I slept a lot and this passed, no issues since.
Hormone therapy, like all treatments, is a personal choice. For me personally, I think even the tiniest of benefits is worth it. I was worried about taking tamoxifen as there are so many stories of people finding it difficult but my experience has been positive. I had a few days where I struggled to get the right word out and a couple of slightly warmer nights but they quickly passed and have no ongoing issues.
Well my friend actually used lanolin! But I’m not heading down that route straight away.
I’m doing well, up and down with emotions - mostly okay. Antibiotic side effect isn’t fun, but I’ve adjusted my diet to small bland portions but I actually like crackers and peanut butter…
Trying to rest in between taking meds etc but all good.
Thanks for asking.
Hi - I had 15 sessions of radiotherapy in the early summer of 2025 and it was completely fine. The NHS team was amazing and asked if I wanted to listen to music - I picked an artist and an album and by my last week, they would play my favorite track as I entered the room. Listening to the music and breathing through the process helped. Also - as everyone says moisturize. I used Aloe Pura Aloe Vera Gel from Holland and Barrett and applied as soon as I was done my session. People recommended to keep it in the fridge and apply cold to help with any burning sensations (I never felt like my boobs were on fire, thankfully). I had only one day during radiotherapy treatment that I felt tired but otherwise it was fine. RE hormone blockers - I started Letrozole 10 months ago and I was pretty worried, after reading all the side affects, but my experience has not been so bad - I’ve experienced some joint pain esp in the morning and after periods of sitting still for a long time but these have now lessened. My hair has definitely thinned and changed texture and I am not happy about that but luckily I started with a lot of hair so again it’s fine. I was also worried about increased UTIs which I have a history of getting and so far so good. My bone density was tested before starting and I have osteopenia which Letrozole can worsen so my goal this year is to do more strength training. Also I started a 20 minute morning yoga practice at home and this has really helped me mentally and physically (stretching out my arm / shoulder and side where I had a partial bi-lateral breast reconstruction). Finally, I did a lot of physiotherapy with someone who specialise in lymphoedema as a form of prevention - I started the physio before the radiation and then re-started three weeks after. I know I was lucky and I hope you are too because it is is manageable and you will get through this. Wishing you all the best.
I had 2 sessions between lumpectomy and second batch of chemo. I used MooGoo too - started just before the chemo and still using it. Radiotherapy, for me was the easiest bit of treatment. A simple bus journey away, a bit uncomfortable (I broke my wrist 2 weeks earlier but the staff were great at finding a way to support it during the sessions.) A couple of days with big delays when one of the machines broke down. The only problem was the crushing fatigue that hit me about a week later. It hasn’t really gone away ( partly due to the last chemo, which only stopped a month ago). We are all different and react differently but I hope this might help allay concerns about the actual radiotherapy. Very best wishes for your treatment.
