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Has anyone here gone through radiation?

Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:25 am
Posted by 5 Deep
Crawford Boxes
Member since Jul 2010
21581 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:25 am
I have my first round this morning and am curious if I should expect anything with side effects. The little I’ve been told is that it might cause nausea/upset stomach. I’ll be going everyday M-F for 28 days.

I’ll also be taking 8 chemo pills each day that I have radiation so I’ll be curious if any side effects are from that or from the radiation

Thanks for any input
This post was edited on 4/24/20 at 8:54 am
Posted by iknowmorethanyou
Paydirt
Member since Jul 2007
6550 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:34 am to
I have not, but want to wish you good luck anyway. One day at a time brother
Posted by VetteGuy
Member since Feb 2008
28316 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:39 am to
Zofran is your friend.


Best of luck in your battle.
Posted by Boston911
Lafayette
Member since Dec 2013
1969 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:40 am to
Just kinda depends on area of the body and the disease being used. Good luck with your treatments. BTW, you and anyone you are living with need to be extra cautious with C-19 precautions during this time.
Posted by vegas-tiger
NV desert
Member since Dec 2003
2061 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:42 am to
Ginger ale for the nausea/upset stomach. Did 24 weeks of chemo a few years back. It was the only thing that calmed my stomach down, and it did it quick. Good luck.
Posted by Wtodd
Tampa, FL
Member since Oct 2013
67497 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:56 am to
My wife just finished 3 1/2 weeks everyday of radiation; not much of side effects.
Posted by TulaneLSU
Member since Aug 2003
Member since Dec 2007
13298 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 5:59 am to
Friend,

May you know the love of God and the love of your friends on the OT during this time.

Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
Posted by Wiseguy
Member since Mar 2020
3405 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 6:20 am to
Depends entirely on where you are being treated (as in the location on your body). The most common side effects are a reaction that is basically a sunburn on the surface of your skin, itching, dry skin. You generally won’t have any systemic issues like nausea because the radiation only affects the targeted area and any skin/tissues that are “in the line of fire”. Depending on the site and the amount of radiation you might experience fatigue. Any unpleasant effects from radiation usually don’t show up until the second half of your treatment schedule as radiation is a cumulative treatment and the half-life means that you have increasing amounts of radiation in you body as time goes on. That also means that any ill effects will linger for a few weeks after you complete radiation. In fact, you may feel your worst after you finish you treatment and then start to rebound.

Most important thing is to maintain your hydration and caloric intake. Your body needs fuel to help the heal from the chemo and radiation and to maintain as much as possible during g your treatment.

Good luck.
Posted by LSUTigerDoc
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2008
580 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 6:23 am to
My assumption from the regimen you outlined is that you are being treated for rectal cancer. You need not confirm or deny my suspicion.

If I’m correct in my assumption, watch out for proctitis (inflammation of the rectum leading to significant diarrhea and rectal pain) from the radiation. That will happen late in the course. Bring these symptoms to the attention of your radiation oncologist.

Your dose of capecitabine (Xeloda) twice daily (2000mg), is a significant dose. Watch especially for the toxicity to your palms and soles that will occur in a couple weeks. Bring these symptoms to the attention of your medical oncologist. Moisturize your skin liberally.

Best of luck to you. You’ll get through this.
Posted by White Roach
Member since Apr 2009
9458 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 6:24 am to
Finished 5 weeks of radiation for prostate cancer about two months ago. Zero nasty side effects for me. No skin irritation/burning, no urinary problems, no bowel problems. I was tired/fatigued through treatment and a few weeks after. Piece of cake (relatively speaking).

Radiation shouldn't compromise your immune system, which surprised me. But it's one less thing to worry about.

No chemo for me, so I really can't speak about it.

Good luck with your radiation. I hope your team at your treatment center was as good as mine at EJGH. They made radiation almost fun.
Posted by SundayFunday
Member since Sep 2011
9308 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 6:31 am to
Radiation where to?
Posted by Gorilla Ball
Member since Feb 2006
11779 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 7:00 am to
Wife had radiation every day for 21 days- she was a little tired and her treatment area looked liked a bad sunburn. Good luck
Posted by Cracker
in a box
Member since Nov 2009
17749 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 7:29 am to
No but will be thinking about you. We will be here for your support and entertainment.
Posted by zippyputt
Member since Jul 2005
5799 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 8:23 am to
Prayers and best wishes to you! Stay strong.
Posted by X123F45
Member since Apr 2015
27479 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 8:42 am to
Your reaction depends on the person.

Some people struggle with chemo. Some people struggle with radiation.

My buddy had zero side effects from radiation.

My mom had no side effects from chemo.

Neither tolerated the other treatment all that well.

My advice, eat. Fat people seem to deal with both better.
Posted by Bunk Moreland
Member since Dec 2010
53674 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 11:00 am to
My mom had about the same course after a lumpectomy. She was mostly good through it. My aunt had similar treatments, but got nauseous a lot.

I was reading up on Wayman Tisdale yesterday because I have been enjoying some of his music lately. He died when his esophagus ruptured after radiation treatments for cancer in his leg.
Posted by Dick Leverage
In The HizHouse
Member since Nov 2013
9000 posts
Posted on 4/22/20 at 11:20 am to
Yes. Zofran will placate most nausea induced from localized radiation. I had to do TBI (total body irradiation) before my stem cell transplant and I was throwing up into bags for about 30 minutes afterwards. But if it’s just localized radiation you should be fine with some nausea meds.
Posted by White Roach
Member since Apr 2009
9458 posts
Posted on 4/24/20 at 11:02 am to
5 Deep:

3 down, 25 to go.
Hope everything went well and there weren't any bad surprises. Like a long road trip, I tried to keep track of how far I'd gone and how much further I had to go. Anything is doable if you break it up into small enough chunks.

Take care and be well.
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