What Should I Expect During Radiation Treatment?

I just completed 30 rounds of radiation 12/10/24. I have some pretty nasty burns. My favorite lotion/rub is aloe with lidocaine. I found it on Amazon. Just keep yourself lotioned. Good luck!

The fatigue after 20 rounds of radiation was the most difficult for me.

I am 76 years old and had 21 rounds of radiation and had no side effects with the exception of a slight sunburn effect. Used cream for that and maybe a little fatigue.

I hope that the same will apply to me. I have very fair skin though and am 77.

How many treatments? Good luck. 🤗

Lotion… the aloe with lidocaine sounds lovely. I used grape seed oil. Ice. Fatigue and then it just depends. Sending you hope for mild reactions.

I got a sunburn like rash the last week when I did the boost. Fatigue came after but wasn’t terrible.

The most important thing to do is exercise every day. Drink a protein drink everyday,lots of water. Don't give into the fatigue, exercise. Skin care...the radiation oncologist will give you information. Ours gives a prescription for a steroid cream you use lightly everyday. I used cold dye free aloe vera gel right after radiation treatment, let dry before you put your shirt on. I kept mine in refrigerator. Can keep on ice pack in your car to keep the gel cold. Then a few hours later after my walk I would do some nice fragrance free cream like Cetaphil...twice a day. I would use aquaphor at night.

So have soft baggy shirts ,tank tops to wear that you don't care about getting creams on. When I knew I was have surgery I went to Walmart and bought shoft ,big tank tops to layer. Got topless in the house to get air on your skin. You don't want it to stay moist all the time.

I had kinda mild sunburn the last few treatments that got more red a couple days after I finished. I didn't have too much fatigue until the last week. There's no way I could have worked during radiation....was still in pain from surgery, not sleeping well, had radiation daily for 24 days,PT 3 days a week plus other appointments.

Don't let your job or short term disability manager tell you that you have to work during this treatment. It's great if you are able to but if you are in pain,having fatigue you can't. My job wanted me to be off and take care of myself but the short term disability management company was giving me a hard time...nasty people. The nurse with the std said" on you doctor visit form it says your vitals are stable " I told her if they weren't stable I would be in ER. What an idiot

The hardest part of radiation for me was positioning because I was having such horrible pain. Once a week I had to stay in the position longer because they did scans . I didn't know that the first week. After that I asked them what day is longer so I can take a pain pill before

The fatigue after the radiation was surprising to me. I was not working at the time, which allowed me to take a nap after the treatments. No way could I have worked afterwards. Maybe because I had the radiation TX late spring and it was very warm out played into the fatigue. I used aquaphor on my skin.

Because I had left breast cancer, after 10 treatments I began having nausea and vomiting. The rad onc Dr said it wasn't related to radiation. I looked at a recent NIH paper saying 30% of women having left breast radiation have nausea. I finally talked the Dr into meds, which helped! Also used aloe gel which helped my skin - use one with no color or scent. Good luck!

Vitamin E Oil for my chest rash was amazing.

Aquaphor with hydrocortisone , and aloe. Keep skin covered with It unless you are at treatment. During treatment I had a rash and ITCHING! After treatment ( 16 full breast, 4 booster) my skin went nuts. Red, burned,itchy. Was told that radiation stays in your system for 2 weeks after last boost. I’m pretty sure there will be peeling. Rest when you feel fatigue it will help but also get some sort of exercise daily.

I am on round 11 today and my skin has started burning. I’m very fair skinned as well. I have 17 more to go.

Take good care of yourself, Tanya. 🤗

Thank you all for the advice. I really do appreciate it! ❤️

Skin,fatigue other symptoms can get worse after last treatment ,cumulative effect. Mine skin got a little more sunburned look for 3 days or so after last treatment. By 2 weeks after it was mostly fine.

I recommend discussing the use of Mepitel Film with your doctor. This method has been used in Europe for over ten years and is now available in the USA. I was the first patient at my center, and my radiologist was very pleased with the results. For more information or to ask any questions, you can visit the support group on Facebook.

I also completed 20 rounds of radiation. I experienced the skin burn that was much like sun burn .I purchased 2 radiation lotions from Amazon and applied liberally and also used some sun block before treatments that helped not burn. My skin was “tan” dark where they targeted the radiation but that has faded.my fatigue was mild but I tried to stay relaxed and low key while going through them and it was fine.Good luck

I also completed 20 rounds of radiation. I experienced the skin burn that was much like sun burn .I purchased 2 radiation lotions from Amazon and applied liberally and also used some sun block before treatments that helped not burn. My skin was “tan” dark where they targeted the radiation but that has faded.my fatigue was mild but I tried to stay relaxed and low key while going through them and it was fine.Good luck

I have to say it depends where you are getting radiation, I had radiation on my left breast and I had a burn but it was like a bad sunburn

My experience was nearly 30 years ago, so much has changed… or has it? I did 8 weeks/40 sessions. I wore loose button up shirts that I could pull over my head, and wife beater T-shirts. I would taxi to the appointment late afternoon (this was San Francisco and we lived in an apartment downtown) and then walk home. At the time I was doing Chinese herbs/medicine and avoiding any heat from food: coffee, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers) and was working from home (research, at my own pace). What I remember was walking around the house with one breast exposed — Tarzan/Jane style — and the fold of my breast (large breasted at the time) being the worst area to look after. I would arrive at the last minute before my appointment, and do crazy little things like add a fake tattoo, or draw something with my marker pen — I now have the tattooed spots, but I think those must have come afterwards, as I remember convincing the team that I could maintain the marker spots I started out with. I remember walking into the hospital and for the first 4 weeks feeling like I was walking into a place of death. That all turned at week 4 when a kindly volunteer nurse/greeter type smiled at me and everything shifted — suddenly the hospital was a place of healing. I was only ever late once, when a friend and I went to the shooting range and I blasted the heck out of my left breast (on the target). This gave radiology a good laugh and was a great way to end my 8 weeks. I still want to frame it (my husband thinks it’s too violent) and add the acupuncture needles I saved from that time… hey, whatever works. My best advice? and the best advice I was given? I managed one session with group therapy (before heading back to Italy, where I lived) and at the end of the session the leader of the group pulled me aside and told me I could expect to be tired for up to 2 years afterwards. That bit of advice was enormously helpful., and saved me from beating myself up. Everyone is different, but as it turned out it took 2 years before I was back to normal. I think of radiation as akin to getting a sunburn, along with the associated tiredness one gets with a sunburn. It was the most tired I’ve ever been — hard to describe until you’re in it. Bone tired. Dead tired. Unimaginable tiredness. And a tiredness that even as I healed was never that far away. Yikes. BUT!!! everyone is different — some skate through it. Exercise would have helped (I believe) but other than the walk home (restorative) I never did manage to develop that habit. My best to you — may you catch a lucky break along the way — something that makes your journey easier. I hope I haven’t scared you too much… there’s some great advice about skin care in the replies above. And you do get through it… in no time, you’ll be done.