What can I expect after my first radiation treatment?

The most common early side effects are fatigue (feeling tired) and skin changes. Other early side effects usually are related to the area being treated, such as hair loss and mouth problems when radiation treatment is given to this area. Late side effects can take months or even years to develop.
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What is the most common acute side effect of radiation treatment?

Fatigue is the most common acute side effect of radiation therapy. It is believed to be caused by the large amount of energy that is used by the body to heal itself in response to radiation therapy. Most people begin to feel fatigued about 2 weeks after radiation treatments begin.
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Should you rest after radiation treatment?

Many patients are able to go to work, keep house, and enjoy leisure activities while they are receiving radiation therapy.” Others find that they need more rest than usual and therefore cannot do as much. You should try to do the things you enjoy, as long as you don't become too tired.
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How long after radiation do you start to feel better?

Most side effects go away within 1–2 months after you have finished radiation therapy.
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Is radiation treatment painful?

Does radiation therapy hurt? No, radiation therapy does not hurt while it is being given. But the side effects that people may get from radiation therapy can cause pain and discomfort. This booklet has a lot of information about ways that you and your doctor and nurse can help manage side effects.
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What to Expect When Receiving Radiation Therapy Treatment



What should you avoid during radiation?

Avoid raw vegetables and fruits, and other hard, dry foods such as chips or pretzels. It's also best to avoid salty, spicy or acidic foods if you are experiencing these symptoms. Your care team can recommend nutrient-based oral care solutions if you are experiencing mucositis or mouth sores caused by cancer treatment.
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Does radiation affect sleep?

The role of radiation therapy in sleep disturbance is poorly understood, but cranial irradiation is a well-established risk factor for sleep problems, including somnolence syndrome.
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What should I do after radiation treatment?

Continue to give your skin extra protection from sunlight, even after radiation therapy ends. Use only lukewarm water and mild soap. Just let water run over the treated area. Do not rub.
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What should I eat after radiotherapy?

Eat a variety of protein-rich foods that are low in fat. Include seafood, lean meat and poultry, Greek yogurts, eggs, beans, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Some soy products are highly processed and not as good for you as other types of soy.
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How much weight do you lose during radiation treatment?

Weight changes during the radiotherapy were as follows: 78.7% of patients lost weight, 8.5% gained weight (0.7 −3.6 kg), and 12.8% had no weight change. Weight loss was significant (t-test two-paired, p-value <0.001) and ranged from 1.1% to 18.9%.
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What does radiation fatigue feel like?

Feeling very tired and lacking energy (fatigue) for day-to-day activities is the most common side effect of radiation therapy to any area of the body. During treatment, your body uses a lot of energy dealing with the effects of radiation on normal cells.
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Can you shower after radiation treatment?

Wash, shower or bath daily with lukewarm water during. Avoid the direct stream of the shower on your treated skin. Use a mild unscented, non-deodorant soap over skin, example: Dove or baby soap. Be gentle when cleaning skin in treatment area and areas where there are skin folds.
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Is radiation worse than chemo?

The radiation beams change the DNA makeup of the tumor, causing it to shrink or die. This type of cancer treatment has fewer side effects than chemotherapy since it only targets one area of the body.
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How many sessions of radiotherapy is normal?

Most people have 5 treatments each week (1 treatment a day from Monday to Friday, with a break at the weekend). But sometimes treatment may be given more than once a day or over the weekend.
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How long does the tiredness last after radiotherapy?

Tiredness after brain radiotherapy

The tiredness often reaches its maximum 1 to 2 weeks after the end of treatment. A small number of people are asleep for a lot of the day after a long course of radiotherapy to the brain.
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How can you tell if radiation is working?

There are a number of ways your care team can determine if radiation is working for you. These can include: Imaging Tests: Many patients will have radiology studies (CT scans, MRI scans, PET scans) during or after treatment to see if/how the tumor has responded (gotten smaller, stayed the same, or grown).
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Do tumors grow back after radiation?

Normal cells close to the cancer can also become damaged by radiation, but most recover and go back to working normally. If radiotherapy doesn't kill all of the cancer cells, they will regrow at some point in the future.
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How long does it take for a tumor to shrink after radiation?

At the same time, if a cell doesn't divide, it also cannot grow and spread. For tumors that divide slowly, the mass may shrink over a long, extended period after radiation stops. The median time for a prostate cancer to shrink is about 18 months (some quicker, some slower).
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What is the success rate of radiation therapy?

“When patients are treated with modern external-beam radiation therapy, the overall cure rate was 93.3% with a metastasis-free survival rate at 5 years of 96.9%.
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Why does radiation make you cough?

A cough and breathlessness

This is due to changes in the lung tissue called chronic radiation pneumonitis. It might start many months or a few years after treatment. Let your doctor know if you notice any changes in your breathing or if you cough up a lot of mucus.
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How do you stay calm during radiation?

Palmison's four tactics to find your peaceful center during radiation therapy.
  1. Just breathe. Calm, even breathing sends a message to your body that it's OK to come off of red-alert. ...
  2. Stay active. ...
  3. Follow your muse. ...
  4. Embrace an indulgence.
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Does radiation make you sick?

Radiation sickness is damage to your body caused by a large dose of radiation often received over a short period of time (acute). The amount of radiation absorbed by the body — the absorbed dose — determines how sick you'll be. Radiation sickness is also called acute radiation syndrome or radiation poisoning.
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What helps a sore throat from radiation?

Radiotherapy for cancer in the head or neck area can cause swelling and soreness in the throat.
...
Your doctor or nurse might prescribe medicines to reduce the soreness, including:
  • painkillers - taking these half an hour before eating can help.
  • liquid medicines.
  • aspirin gargles.
  • anti thrush medicines.
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