Hi all,
I’m starting my 3 weeks of radiotherapy tomorrow.
Any advice or tips to get me through it?
I’ve heard that a short burst of exercise before treatment every day can help, so I am hoping I feel well enough to continue at the gym. I’m 44 and generally fit.
I’ve had no chemo, just a lumpectomy and tamoxifen, and this is the last treatment stage which I’ve been eagerly anticipating. x
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Drink plenty of water , radiotherapy causes dehydration and that can cause fatigue . 3 weeks is a long slog so if you can maybe get a friend or relative to keep you company / do the driving sometimes and combine with a lunch / coffee on the way back it does break things up a little. Be prepared for occasional delays as the radiotherapy machines do break down sometimes .
Best of luck with your sessions x
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I only did 5 days and I was scheduled to have them all, bar the last session, after 5pm which gave one of the two machines plenty of time to break down, so, because of the delays, I was often leaving with the cleaners who were turning off the lights at 8pm. My advice therefore is take a book or a podcast in case you have a lot of waiting around. You tend to see the same people waiting most days, not all there because of breast cancer of course, so it’s good to chat if they feel like it. Fatigue didn’t hit me until three months later for some reason but I was advised to do gentle exercise no matter how counter-intuitive it may seem so maybe exercise before each session is a good idea, not one I’d heard of. The sessions themselves are pretty quick so if your hospital is slicker than mine was, the routine will carry you through and once it is done it will never be done again so completion is a big tick 
! Hope it all goes well.
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I always carried a creaming my bag and kept one in fridge too, wore look floaty tops and just a vest top instead of bra so nothing rubbed. Also drank lots of water it helped me with fatigue but you might find yourself nodding off at treatments accumulate. I had 15 and 5 boosters after 6 rounds of chemo. See if they can play music during you session they did at my unit so I pretended I was on a Sunbed. I wore soft joggers too so when they are getting you in position I was comfy and warm it can get a bit cold in there. Sending much 
hope your sessions go ok 
your team will keep eye on your skin and might give you medi honey if they think you need it as they monitor your skin 
Shi xx
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Hi
Moisturise, moisturise and moisturise. Drink loads of water. Also, a tip I was given was to expose treated area to fresh air as much as possible. Wear loose fitting clothes.
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Keep doing the post - op arm exercises for 3 months afterwards to prevent contraction of the tissues . I got fatigue but still did a bit of Yoga and after the first three days took 10 minutes walks most days just to keep moving and at food and drink containing ginger which helped with nausea . Also if you need it ( a lot of people don’t ) have a rest during the day and be kind to yourself . My breast swelled a bit and I was advised to wear a supportive bra and went back into the post- surgery ones . I also wore a bamboo sock inside my bra under my breast which helped with itching / urge to scratch (hard to ignore the fact that there’s a sock in your bra you can’t scratch subconsciously !) and it absorbed sweat as well. I’ve heard of other people using bamboo cloths or silk scarves.
From other threads it seems that a very few people haven’t been offered a hospital gown or modesty cover ( most have) so I would advise going to the treatment wearing a crop top which you can walk across the room in then pull down at the last minute and up at the end. Xx
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I had the same treatment path as you (I’m 48 and fit and healthy). At the start it seemed like 3 weeks was a really long time but it soon sped up
I carried on running 6 days a week at lunchtimes before my afternoon radiotherapy and doing the arm exercises 3 times a day.
It’s cold in the room so some people bring gloves/arm warmers but I found it ok after the first time as it was all a lot quicker, - there was extra faffing the first time. (plus my centre had blankets which they told me about on the 2nd day so I had a cosy lower half which made me feel warmer).
I felt a bit ropey some days a couple of hours after the treatment but a glass of squash perked me up.
Watch out for weird skin reactions after treatment, my skin was fine throughout then 13 days later had a horrible insanely itchy rash of hundreds of tiny bumps! If you get a hint of anything like this I’d recommend taking antihistamines straight away.
Have a choice of different bras/crop tops/vests as it wasn’t always the same ones that felt comfortable.
I hope it all goes well for you x
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Thank you everyone for your replies, really helpful. 
Fingers crossed it will go quick, my last session is on the same day as my daughter’s 18th, so I really hope I feel okay for that. Xx
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Yes, these machines seem to break down often, so delays can get longer as the day goes on. The earlier in the day you can have your treatment, the less likely you wait as long.
Expect to be doing regular arm exercises for months after ( sounds like not an issue for you) and regular massage of your breast area once your skin is healed (if it needs healing). It was a surprise to me to get cording and breast oedema with only a SLN removed, but radiotherapy can cause it - I did have 19 fractions though as 4 boosterson top, and I was 53.
Oh and I noticed I could only do half the amount of gym workout before getting knackered - before and for months after. So aimed to go twice as often ( which went by the wayside once back at work). Expect your fitness level to take a temporary hit.
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Apart from today my appointments are all in between 9 & 9.30am, so hopefully there won’t be as big a backlog.
I’ve been massaging my scar for the last few weeks as the scar tissue is really hard and lumpy. It’s got a bit softer but now expecting it to get worse again, so thank you for the tip. I’ve dressed in trousers to keep warm and I’ll take my fluffy socks, which seems crazy in this weather 
xx
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Interesingly post rads, the oedema, and maybe some fibrosis, has mainly been under the breast whereas my scar is above the areola, and the lump was as high up as you can get (gravity and fluid maybe?). I have used bio-oil on the scar, nbut most of my massage focus has been on the underside.
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All really useful tips, thank you!
I am due to start my rads on Wednesday but have quite a bit of what looks like orange peel skin/fluid pockets on the lower part of breast and tightness in general over my implant (I am 5.5 weeks post mastectomy and immediate recon) has anyone else had any experience with this before starting radiotherapy?
I haven’t had a follow up apt since end of May and wondering whether I should reach out to nurse?
Thanks in advance!
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Yes I think you should report it . Orange peel type skin indicates swelling and with the fluid pockets it sounds like you may have seroma or lymph that hasn’t drained . Best to keep your BCN in the loop xx
Thank you - I’ll give them a buzz tomorrow, was no issues and then almost overnight it started.
I will have missed nurse now but will phone in the morning.
Rads can still go ahead with these potential issues though, yeh?
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Honestly I think so as I’ve heard of others having rads with seromas but I’m not completely sure and it would be for the professionals to decide xx
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Thank you!
I am hoping so, final hurdle and so ready for the ‘new normal’!
Hope you are well.
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Lots of great tips already.
I’m a week post last of 16x sessions.
First week went great (Tues-Fri), 2nd week on the Thursday my energy crashed. Physically i could still walk the dog/ function but felt so tired i just wanted to cry! Weekends off are great mentally as well as physically so try not to do too much then & let your body recharge.
I rang the bell last week & presumed id already be on an upwards curve of skin improvements & more energy so was taken aback to be warned at face to face review on last session that it can take 2wks for side effects to peak before improving. I’ve only had some reddening of the skin, a little heat & some itching. Nothing that E45 & a hydrocortisone cream isn’t helping with
Hydration & moisturising is key (& don’t be scared to massage the breast tissue if you can to loosen up any hardness)
Good luck! X
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I’m now 3 sessions in and feel okay, but I’ll be more aware next week that it might not last. I’ve been signed off work for a month, so I’m hoping that last week off work might help me to rest and get my energy back.
How are you feeling now? xx
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I’m ok. Skin is manageable with E45 & hc and I’ve not found my spring yet but managing lighter runs and dog walks, just don’t have the same drive/motivation. I’m sure it’ll make a comeback soon x
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