Hi, not posted before but I’m heading for my first radio session this afternoon and would appreciate any thoughts on how others have boosted their immunity, kept hydrated, detoxified after and generally kept as well as possible through it all. I feel lucky it’s only 5 days, I had surgery 2 months ago and I don’t have to go through chemo. I’ve gone down a nutrition rabbit hole and feeling healthy and fit after walking my 100 miles in May, still walking. Just hoping I can keep fit and well moving forward. All thoughts welcome and wishing you all love and strength on your journeys.
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Hope it all goes well for you . Make sure to moisturise at least three times a day though not just before a treatment obviously . Do the post - op exercises every day for the next 3 months as the radiotherapy can make the tissues contract and tighten. The radiotherapy can also cause swelling in the breast and a good supportive bra will help to prevent any complications . I wore a bamboo sock inside my bra under my breast to prevent rubbing and moisture build up . Other than that be kind to yourself - many people don’t have fatigue but I did and just had to rest when I needed to . If you do get a problem then there are plenty of threads on here about radiotherapy to refer to but don’t be afraid to contact the centre you are having treatment at or your BCN if you’re worried. Xx
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Thanks JoanneN, that’s really helpful. I’ve been in two minds about having radio at all so quite anxious and restless about it. Thanks for your supportive response, I have been drinking lots and moisturising and I have a seaweed bra which is supposed to be healing too. And of course, there are the BCN’s, thanks for the reminder there, i’m not on my own with this. xx
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Hi,
honestly I had minimal side affects from my 5 sessions of radiotherapy. After the first session my breast felt as if I’d been out in the sun.My breast felt warm and was a bit pink. I moisturised as I normally do and after that I wandered if they had turned the machine on as I had no further skin discomfort.
I had no fatigue following this treatment and it had followed chemotherapy which I had completed 5 week previously. The hardest part for me was maintaining the position as I had had complete removal of my lymph nodes and my axilla was very tight but I did manage to maintain the position required.
I know we all manage our treatments differently but I just wanted to say some have gone through radiotherapy with minimal side effects. I have struggled with other treatments but for me this one was a walk in the park. I hope you find radiotherapy as easy as I did. Wishing you well.
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Thanks shade, That’s really helpful and reassuring. So many of us each with our own individual experiences of BC and treatment. xxx
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I had the five sessions and had a pink boob (right) which turned to a healthy tan but faded gradually over six months. Agree with the others about the moisturising and drinking as much water as possible but also wanted to recommend that you take a book or podcasts or something of that ilk as the NHS hospital I had my rads in had two machines with one breaking down virtually every day thereby making the wait much longer than expected. Once you’re in, the sessions are over pretty quickly. I had had clear margins during surgery but was still happy to nuke any potentially remaining cancer cells with the rads in case I couldn’t tolerate the endocrine treatment (which thankfully I do). Good luck with the appointment this afternoon, it’ll be over before you know it.
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Hi
I had 2 weeks of radiotherapy almost 2 years ago and absolutely drank lots of water, moisturised like crazy, and drove myself every day
When cooked boob and nipple went very pink and underneath starting being hot the team gave me medihoney which i slapped on and had no skin breaks but did go tanned for several months after
I didn’t wear a bra ( even with FF cup size) but i did put bamboo flannels in the fridge and wrapped it around the really pink bits as much as i could
I wore a very tight cami top to get the assets in check and wore these and strapless tops for the sessions which i slipped down
I also at times wore a bikintop to help elevate and keep things clean and dry at night
Rest drink, moisturise and tell your team if anything feels hot or goes itchy
If they play background music ask for uplifting happy tunes. I asked for Bowie, Take That, Fleetwood Mac etc and they played them whilst the lights flashed all over which helped to distract me
Good luck xx
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Thanks Tigress, back home now. Felt quite upset and emotional while there, more so than with surgery but back again tomorrow. Thanks for the support guys. xx
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Dear Susewalk,
Well done for getting through your first day of radiotherapy, I was really against having radio, however for me I found it the easiest part of my treatment.
I totally agree with all the tips you have had from our other lovely ladies so won’t add any more. Take good care, one day at a time, I also and still walk everyday the best medicine in my opinion.
Please keep posting, letting us all know how you’re getting on. Wishing you well, with health and happiness ahead.
Biggest hugs Tili 
It is odd how different things impact us. I had been quite positive and matter-of-fact about everything but the measuring up for radiotherapy was the one event that impacted me most. It was so long and surreal that the stress made me giddy and I was flopping about so much that the radiographer had to do my bra up for me and help me get dressed. I had my five sessions in November 2022 so quite a while ago but I do remember it all very clearly. I won’t patronise you by suggesting how you manage your evenings during this week, all I will say is, in 72 hours you’ll be preparing to go in for the last ever time so whatever you need to do to get to Friday evening, do it. Once rads is finished it can never be done again and yet you will have had another very effective treatment against recurrence. I hope it gets easier for you.
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Hi susewalk you sound very much like me. I was in two minds as well but afterwards I know it was the very best thing to do. First tip is the moisturiser I used and I am still using. It is by green people and is actually an after sun which contains aloe vera. It is SO soothing. My next tip is when you are finished. I felt ok for the first few weeks and completed 2 Wainwright’s the week following my RT. After that I started with the fatigue but I am running 3 times a week. What really gives me a boost a couple of times a week is carrot juice with celery and ginger. I juice my own and it is all organic. I am also looking into starting kefir soon to boost my immune system with probiotics. Let us know how you get on! x
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Thank you so much for checking in, it’s been such a surreal week so far and someone said to me yesterday, ‘Its’s hump day’, as in this is the middle of the week and once Wednesday is over you’re over the hump with only two sessions left. I’ve been trying to do visualisations of me being in a powerful stance, screaming out the radiation and simultaneously absorbing healing light. I have gone for gentle walks in nature after the sessions with my partner and a friend brought food round and sat with me chatting, letting me talk about the whole experience but also about other stuff. I’ve found I have a kind of crash/tiredness an hour or two after so lying down or in the sunshine yesterday. Also had a bad headache and not feeling great generally for the first time in months. Noticing and trying not to go down any negative rabbit holes. I really really appreciate the support here, it really helps and I’ve also been to a Managing Emotions online session with Penny Brohn this morning which was brilliant and they’ve recommended I have a one to one with a Dr there - great holistic organisation if you don’t know them. AND I have counselling set up to start next WEdnesday and have been recommended some Hypnotherapy to manage the feeling too. So it’s all going on! Will keep you posted when I finish the radio!
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Thanks for the tips, I’m using a MooGoo product that was recommended and really nourishing as well as a Lavender cream that was made up especially as well as a Green People Aloe product - might be the same one - ALL the creams!! Plus I#ve just bought myself a juicer which arrived yesterday, i’ve not had a chance to use it yet but will start soon and thanks for the recipe heads up. I’d love to do a good long walk so maybe I’ll get that planned into my diary, it feels so healing and nourishing of every part of me when I’m walking in nature and i’ve not managed so much this week with appointments and radio. Off for a walk now in the rain to collect my organic veg from a local scheme I’ve just signed up to!! I’m taking probiotics and I was having kefir before but stopped because it was dairy but I’m not sure if dairy kefir is ok as I’d heard it was good and that you can have water kefir and possibly make with alternative milks. Something to look into. Thanks again for all your tips and advice, really helpful and so supportive. x
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Hope your five days have gone okay.
I had 20 sessions last year. I moisturised first & last thing each day using the ‘double base’ cream I’d been given - a somewhat greasy concoction but very effective as I had zero reddening or dryness.
Important to continue to moisturise for at least a month after your RT ends. x
Thanks bettymay it’s been ok. I’ve used Moogoo Udder cream that was recommended at least twice a day plus a gorgeous lavender cream that was made up for me. Keeping well moisturised.
Have had some strong pains today after yesterdays blast and still got one more session to go Monday as they had a power cut one day this week. Nearly there and thanks for the advice. Will keep the moisturising going. Hope you’re doing good x
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Not posted before and am awaiting my radiotherapy treatment.
After being told it would be a 5d course they’ve now told me it might be 15d instead which has come as a bit of a shock. To be honest, not sure how I feel about the extra length of the course and v uncertain re: the real benefits vs the risks of a longer course of treatment …?? This decision (from what o can discern is based on age which I find frustrating as it’s so arbitrary). I’m v active and more scared about the long term side effects than the zapping itself…
Would people recommend working through out the course?? Distraction has worked well for me throughout all of this, however I have a busy, pretty stressful job which requires long hours, nights and weekend shifts… Am I better trying to work through, or plan to have time off to recuperate?? Can sick notes be issued by the radiotherapy team??
Thanks for any advice
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Hi. Sorry to hear you are going through this. In my experience you don’t need to be concerned about the radiotherapy. I had 10 sessions on my left breast (5 over the whole breast and 5 concentrating on where the tumour had been pre surgery). During the treatment I didn’t notice anything other than some slight tingling on my tongue travelling home after treatment. Towards the end of my treatment I developed small ulcers on my tongue which were a little uncomfortable but didn’t cause any problems if I avoided citrus fruits. They soon cleared up once the treatment was over. About 2-3 weeks after treatment I felt like I had sunburn and lost the top layer of skin in the area I was given concentrated treatment. I used Aquafor to moisturise and although sensitive it didn’t cause any pain. Soft bras and loose clothing helped. Good luck with your treatment.
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I forgot to mention the tiredness that kicked in 2-3 weeks after treatment finished. I’m retired so it is easier for me to manage. I prefer to carry on as normal and have a rest late afternoon if I need to. If I can, I don’t make plans on consecutive days if I can avoid it. I’m enrolled on an exercise programme with Yorkshire Cancer Research doing gym training & exercise classes which is excellent and helping to build strength and stamina.
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I was ok during treatment except for about an hour after when I had that feeling of being slightly off that you get after the end of a night shift . I had not gone back to work between surgery and radiotherapy due to an unrelated shoulder injury which I was still having treatment for anyway but I was hit with fatigue 3 days after finishing - literally could barely get out of bed for several days . For about 10 days I felt exhausted and and had some episodes of nausea , after that it slowly eased but was a bit unpredictable in that I could feel ok and start doing something only to suddenly feel exhausted and just have to stop or suddenly have an odd day when I felt rubbish . This went on for about another 2 months with the episodes of fatigue getting less and less frequent . Starting hormone therapy didn’t help either as I had nasty side effects from that for about a month just as the worst of the fatigue was easing. I’m a Nurse doing a physical patient facing job - no office work and I stayed off sick as to be there included in the numbers and then suddenly to feel like I had to stop would have been unfeasible unsafe for my patients and myself and extra work/ strain on my colleagues.
Not everybody gets fatigue and even if you do you might be able to work depending on your job degree of control and flexibility within your role . Some people are able to work from home and find that easier. A few people have developed post- radiotherapy fatigue a few months after treatment ended instead of a few weeks . If it hits you you need to be kind to yourself and accept what is happening to you . I took gentle walks did a bit of Yoga . If I felt I needed to lie down in the day then I did and I listened to Headspace . Just stay in touch with work and let them know what’s going on often they actually appreciate it when someone acknowledges that they aren’t fit and stay away rather than them coming in to work and being a source of concern for their colleagues. Many though not all employers are understanding about cancer treatment.
Cancer and cancer treatments fall under the Disabilities Act which means that on return you are entitled to reasonable adjustments. If you are keen to go back you could discuss this with your Manager and it might mean a period of working reduced hours for a few weeks and possibly no night shifts / shifts with minimal staffing for an agreed time frame unless you want to do them.
Some centres do treatments 7 days a week others only Mon - Friday so that might affect the length of your treatment . 15 was discussed with me but I only had 5 in the end. If you have 5 the dose per treatment is higher but the total dose is lower than for 15 treatments . The dose is measured in gy 5 treatments is 26gy I think and 15 treatments is 40gy. You have a right to know the reason that it has been changed - this was discussed with me at a pre- treatment phone call with a Radiographer . It may be that an Oncologist has said 5 and Radiology Oncologist has decided to give 15 so you could call the centre that the treatment is at or ask your BCN who may be able to find out from checking your notes or might ask on your behalf.
Make sure to do the post- op exercises daily moisturise 2- 3 times daily and drink plenty of water especially if you do feel unwell as radiotherapy can cause dehydration . I have no regrets about having it and I hope it goes well for you. Xx
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E45 for moisturising your skin is fantastic - make sure you do the whole of your breast though. I didn’t and have slight darkening of my skin at the very top…
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