Starting Radiation

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Blayze7
Blayze7 Member Posts: 35
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

I am about to start 36 radiation sessions and the staff at the oncology department at St. Mary's Hospital have been the best. I just would like any advice on getting through it. I have been told that radiation is a cakwalk compared to chem and I thought I was not going to get through that. Like I said any advice would do.

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  • Elizabeth1889
    Elizabeth1889 Member Posts: 1,036
    edited March 2012

    Good luck with your treatments, Blayze.  Most people do find rads easier than chemo, especially in the beginning. It requires a different set of coping skills.  Chemo involves psyching yourself up for a specific day of treatment and then having weeks to recover whereas rads requires comittment to a daily grind, especially if you have to commute a long way.  Keeping the radiated breast moisturized is important.  Ask your RO what he wants you to use.  Every RO has different recommendations. Also, use deoderants without aluminum in them You want to be sure to wash any lotions and deoderants off of your breast before rads so that they do not interfere with the radiation.  If your skin starts to bother you during rads, make sure the RO knows about it and gives you something to help.  Sometimes you have to be more pro-active than you are used to being.

    I bought 100% cotton bras one size larger than I normally wore to use during the beginning of rads.  Towards the end, I wore cotton lightweight sports bras.  Some women used camisoles. 

    Don't be surprised at whatever emotional reactions you have.  Rads can be very emotionally difficult for some people.  Be kind and gentle with yourself.  Some of us had issues with fatigue. Again, be good to yourself and rest when you can.  You may feel tired for a while after rads ends, but eventually your energy should return.  Speak to your RO during and after treatment if anything seems abnormal. 

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  • jellybean5
    jellybean5 Member Posts: 6
    edited March 2012
    good luck blayze! i start my very first day of radiation in about 13 hrs. my dr tells me i'll breeze through it. just gotta keep positive thoughts because we can make ourselves feel worse if we keeping thinking the worst. if you feel horrible, don't keep it bottled up. it's case by case...not everybody reacts the same way. a friend of mine works in the radiology field and he said aloe works the best if whatever you use is unsatisfactory. i've read how some of the women hate the oily lotions drs suggest. i wonder what my dr will suggest. i've also been told to nap when i need to. the weather is starting to warm up where i am so napping during weekends seems like a waste, but i also hate the headaches i get if i force myself to stay up. i'll find out soon enough how i'll react! good luck again Smile
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