Side Effects of Radiation

tnhelen · November 2011

I had a lumpectomy on November 9th and the margins were not clear so I had another on November 23. I am praying this time they will come back clear. But I was wondering if anyone had side effects from radiation and what they were? My doctor says I will feel tired but I am sure that's not all the side effects. I want to talk to people that have had the radiation so I know what to expect.

Thank you.

Moderators · November 2011

Dear tnhelen,

As you wait for members to share their personal experiences you may want to check out some information on the breastcancer.org site on Radiation side effects. There is a section on side effects on the skin as well as information on managing other side effects of radiation.

Best wishes,

The mods

ej01 · November 2011

I had partial breast (external) radiation - 2x/day for 5 days. I may have had a little fatigue, (could have just been tired from adding 2 radiation trip/day to my hectic schedule) but no absolutely no other site effects.

sweatyspice · November 2011

At first my breast felt like it was swelling and was going to explode if I kept this up for 5 weeks - but the feeling stabilized after the first few days and there was no explosion.

Towards the end, my breast looked and felt a bit sunburned - which resolved fairly quickly after treatment ended.

You continue to "cook" for a while after you stop treatment, the worst effects come about a week after you stop treatment, before healing really starts. For me, that meant that the skin in the inframammary fold broke down in one smallish spot. I went in to see the nurses at the rads place, they gave me some ointments and pads and instruction and whatnot, it healed quickly.

Over a year later, I'm left with a really really slight tan in the treated area, probably no one but me would notice it was even there. The breast does feel slightly different than the "healthy" one, I understand that's forever. I'd rather that not have happened, but it's not horrible.

And my breast has shrunken in comparison to the "healthy" one. I also wish that had never happened, but it's also not horrible.

Otherwise, I had minimal fatigue ... and that was it.

Make sure to moisturize, but AFTER the treatments - not before them! Apparently if you moisturize before it somehow increases the radiation in a way that's damaging.

oliviafinnegan · November 2011

tnhelen - what is your pathology? Sometimes radiation is not needed at all.

Anonymous · November 2011

My mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and fought it for 7 years until it finally won last month. She was very courageous during those years and of positive high spirits. During that difficult time for our family, my father-in-law, who is an experienced Pharmacist in Canada, developed the "over the counter" skin treatment called "Radia Kit" to help his wife. The cream/gel kit is formulated with all natural ingredients to restore skin damaged from radiation. The gel/cream kit is applied before and after radiation and the cream is sold separately for those who already completed radiation. It is patent pending in Canada and the USA (patent pending 2639525) and we have sold it mostly in Canada and Europe. Now it is available here in the USA to help minimize the side effects of skin damage from radiation. My mother-in-law was the first to try it years ago and it really helped her to live a better live which made us proud. We hope others will discover it too. It is only available online at www.skin-safety.com. We don't want to only sell a product, but we want to hear from you. Please feel free to send us any questions you may have about improving damaged skin and we'll be glad to respond to your inquiries.

jenny12000 · November 2011

tnhelen:

My surgery was on 7/8. I started the radiation on 8/8 and finished on 9/23 (32 treatments). I was very worried about the side effect, especially mine is on the left breast which always on mind if my heart would be affected. Luckily for me, everything worked out well. Both the radiology doctor and therapists/technicians made the comment about how well I was doing. I did have the skin problem of one spot under my arm which the pain woke me up a couple nights in a roll but that's all to it. I continued working throughout the seven weeks (to keep my routine going which is a big help, I think, to distract from the disease) and did not miss any day of exercising in YMCA at all! Funny that I was not really aware of this until it's over that I did have the fatigue (feeling sleepy around 2pm...I thought just a summer nap thing), the minor insomnia (which my husband brought me a nice music box to help me easing into the sleep), and minor emotional stress from irregular periods (strangely all went back to normal after the treatment. The RO doctor said this absolutely had nothing to do with the treatment....what can I say?:) - it went right back to normal). I started a new journal and wrote down all my up-and-down on daily basis. Every day started like ‘xx treatment done...and how many to go...etc':)...I was very determined and energetic...I did not know at the time but later that this is so called ‘survivor mode'. I definitely was very strong and very driven to do everything I can to be strong.

Now, two months after. I am continuously progressing. The mark on the breast is continuously fading. I did not have the issue of feeling itching after the exercise anymore (went away after a month). The breast is still however very sensitive and tender. Like SweatySpice said, it's never going to be the same anymore but I look that as if it's the badge of honor and how brave this breast was (and how precious it is since I went through so much to save it). It's really a tough journey but I don't ever want to forget that feeling. Every night, when I write a new entry to my journal or reading the old entry...I am just so immensely proud of myself and my family. It never is one person getting the cancer. It's the whole family. I am too like everyone else worried about the recurrence but I keep reminding myself to look at the bright side of how much we do have....and just let the worry be suppressed.

You will do fine...you just need to hang in there and get through it.

ma111 · November 2011

I had 7 weeks of high dose and didn't get tired until the last week. The discoloration goes away. A little pain. Get some aleovera gel.

dsj · November 2011

I had 5 weeks of radiation and had no side effects except a little pink skin at the very end. I was tired, but I don't know if it was radiation or just everything. I almost "enjoyed" radiation because everyone at the facility was wonderful and every time I had a treatment, I felt like I was actively fighting cancer. I am verynglad to have had my (already fairly small) risk of recurrence cut in half. That is also the reason I take tamoxifen

tnhelen · November 2011

Thank you so much for all of your input. I am so glad to hear from those that have been through it. I go to the radiation oncologist Monday and will probably begin radiation after Christmas. I am glad to know that everyone did not get real tired. I host a church group every Sunday night in my home during the month of February and I was worried about not being able to do it this year. I just didn't want to try to do something that would not physically be possible and have to back out at the last minute.

I am waiting for the appointment with the medical oncologist. Nothing in my pathology report says whether mine is ER/PR+ or -. I'm not sure when I find that out to see if I need the meds for 5 years.

Thank you so much!

Natters · December 2011

Hi Helen - I have just completed 20 out of 30 radiation treatments today. My breast is very red and swollen and sore, and the skin under my arm (not my underarm, but underneath there, where my breast meets my chest) is very tan and dark purple. Is my skin irritated? Yes! Is it broken or blistered anywhere? Nope (or at least, not yet, and I only have 5 more whole breast treatments to undergo). As far as fatigue, maybe just a little because the sore breast does disrupt my sleep a little. I'm a light sleeper to begin with, and I'm also getting night sweats and hot flashes from Tamoxifen lately, so that doesn't help.

How has my life changed during rads tx? Well. I backed out of doing a "Tough Muddder" race because wearing a bra became uncomfortable for me due to breast swelling and tenderness and sore skin. So I have not been running or exercising as much - if you are a petite lady who can exercise in one of those sports tops with the shelf bra, you will probably be fine. If you are bustier and need the extra support of a bra, be prepared to buy a larger bra than normal, because your breast may swell up a cup size. I am told that this eventually goes away. Basically, I need this tx because otherwise I have an unacceptably high risk of recurrence. So I'm willing to accept that I am going to be a little less active than normal these months. I'm being gentle with myself, taking it easy when I get home from work. But it has not affected my work or social life in any way.

Helen, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to host your church group on Sunday evenings. Hope you had a nice meeting with your MO and found out a little more about your treatment plan. Good luck!

Side Effects of Radiation

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