Annieapple, I finished my last of 15 radiotherapy sessions on Wed 18 July. By that time, the breast treated had darkened in colour and the nipple was very dark, but I hadn't had any noticeable side effects other than fatigue for the last week, and some depression. However kind the radiographers are, it is somewhat humiliatiing to lie for 10 to 15 minutes on a ridged couch with your front exposed and your arms bent above your head. Being rational doesn't matter - it's a very vulnerable state to be in.
After my least session the radiographers advised that the effects of the Xrays would continue to build up, so skin reactions and fatigue might develop further over about three weeks. It is most important to keep drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, take modest exercise frequently, not to smoke at all, and to massage a suitable cream into the affected area two or three times a day. I use Aveeno cream.
Everyone is an individual. The prescription for the actual treatment wil vary from one patient to another, so different people will have different levels of reaction. I have osteoarthritis in most of my joints, so by the last session my arms were very stiff, especially the side from which lymph nodes were removed.
The early sessions seemed to drag and I wondered how I was going to keep going. Then, suddenly, I was at the end of the three weeks and allowed to ring the bell on my way out! (In my hospital, there is a large bell in the waiting area which patients are invited to ring three times after their last treatment, to mark that they are on their way. Everyone waiting claps, so you are a celebrity for about 30 seconds.)
All the very best
