Radiation Pnemonitis

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hope10
hope10 Member Posts: 58
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

Two months post radiation I developed a dry, persisitent cough. I also noticed that when i would run up stairs i would get short of breath. Unfortunaetly, my Doctor thinks that I  have radiation pnemonitis. He told me that only 2% people get this side effect.  I have started on  a large dose of  predisone and have to be on for 9 weeks  which  is making gain weight. The only good thing is it is giving me energy. Has anybody else had this ? What was your course of treatment?

thanks for being out there.

Hope

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  • squidwitch42
    squidwitch42 Member Posts: 2,228
    edited August 2010

    Sorry I missed this post!  I too am having trouble..I do have pleural thickening on my PET scan...all throughout the lung.  I have been tired, spontaneous sweating, feeling a little feverish, a little out of breath at times.  I finished Rads end of May.

    My lung/throat feels like it's burning (not bad) and a little cough.

    Did you have any of these?  I made an appointment with my Rads for Tuesday.  I feel like my Docs are not listening, but I'm not skipping down the street like they think I should be (yes, a little miffed)

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  • maryannecb
    maryannecb Member Posts: 1,453
    edited August 2010

    Hope 10, I had this following my rad in 2005. my symptoms were daily dry hacking painful cough. i did not feel they were bad enough( i could sleep and work) to rsik the steroids  and respirologist agreed to wait it out. it resolved over the next several months. I still have changes on my CT and CXR but the coughing stopped.

    I had a short thread then ...I will look it up..

    Hopefully ur symptoms will settle nicely too.

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  • maryannecb
    maryannecb Member Posts: 1,453
    edited August 2010

    http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/70/topic/699963?page=1#post_816059

    this is a thread with similar dialogue

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  • 3monstmama
    3monstmama Member Posts: 1,447
    edited August 2010

    hey there!  just seeing this thread.

    Welcome to the 2% club.  Boo! Hiss!  I had radiation pneumonitis right after zaps--started maybe in Late may, diagnoised in June, told I was better in mid July.  I didn't have much of a cough but I was totally wiped.  Had to stop and catch my breathe walking one block uphill to my bus WHICH COMPLETELY STANK especially since during my actual delightful voyage to Zapland I had been able to walk 10 blocks uphill to go to Zaps.. ....grrrrrr.  Oh and I sort of found I slept better with pillows keeping me up and I was doing this gulping thing trying to get air into my lungs.  Just too much fun for one person.

    I did not take anything for my condition.  The various doctors--oncologist and pulmonary specialist--looked at my test results and decided that since I appeared to be getting better without steriods, they would just let me continue down that path and as it turned out, they were right.

    I am glad I was able to skip the steroids as I am already fatter than I  have ever been in my life and can't seem to get a single ounce of weight to leave. . . .

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  • hope10
    hope10 Member Posts: 58
    edited September 2010

    Hi, sorry to not answer sooner I have been on vacation. My main symptoms were dry cough and shortness of breath when running up stairs. I  was tired and diag. with pnemonities. I think radiology does not like to hear the bad side effects of radiaition.  How did you make out at the Doctors? 

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