Radiotherapy Treatment For Breast Cancer
Posted on July 11, 2008
Radiotherapy for breast cancer can be a bit of an ordeal.
For me, the worst moment after being told I had cancer was being told I would need chemotherapy and radiotherapy as treatment to fight the disease. Having been there I know its shocking and I felt I just simply would never cope with it all.
My treatment regime was to consist of four treatments of FEC chemo, four weeks of radiotherapy treatment then four treatments of Taxotere chemo. This would all take the best part of ten months.
Having survived the first part of the chemo ( just! ) I went into my radiotherapy a bit bruised and battered. The first thing that needed done was going to a simulator to have the very complicated process of marking out where your treatment would be. This is done with lasers and details of where your tumour or tumours were. Small tattoos are then done to mark out the treatment area. This enables the machine to be set up very quickly every day during treatment.
I mentally decided that for the four weeks of radiotherapy I would treat it like a job. It took 45 minutes or so to drive to the hospital and back every day. The Western General in Edinburgh where I had all my treatments has a fantastic set up for radiotherapy patients. There is a dedicated car park next to the unit and you are guaranteed a space or they will valet park your car. This was amazing and a big weight off my mind as your appointment only lasts five minutes and you have to be there in time as the machines are in use constantly.
The actual radiotherapy lasts a few minutes and is painless-quite relaxing really. Some people find the treatment very tiring. I didn’t, but I think if you’ve had chemo first then your perception of tiredness changes! The going to the hospital every day is a bit of a bind but use any mental trick to over come this.
After a few weeks of treatment the skin over the treated area can become very red and fragile. No soap or creams should be used as these can make your skin even more sensitive. This does clear up but it did cause discomfort for a few weeks. The skin on this area will always be more sensitive and sun should be avoided. It’s also worth mentioning not to forget the exit area - mine was on my back - where the radiotherapy exists your body during treatments.
Radiotherapy treatment, for me, was the least unpleasant of the treatments I went through. At the outset it seems daunting but really it’s not - honestly!
Marjory Ramsay was a nurse and is now a busy mum looking after her children and step children. She developed the symptoms of breast cancer in 2006 and has undergone extensive treatment since then. Apart from describing her radiotherapy experiences she has also written about herceptin side effects
Article Author :Marjory_Ramsay
Last 6 posts in Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer Stages - August 28th, 2008
- Breast Cancer Symptoms - August 28th, 2008
- Stage 2a Breast Cancer - August 28th, 2008
- More Myths on Breast Cancer Revealed - August 28th, 2008
- Discovering Some Popular Myths About Breast Cancer - August 28th, 2008
- Learning About Breast Cancer Risk Part II - August 28th, 2008
- Breast Cancer Signs - Subtle Evidence to Help in Pinpointing Breast Cancer - August 28th, 2008
- The Warning Signs of Breast Cancer - August 28th, 2008
- What is the Deal With Inflammatory Breast Cancer? - August 28th, 2008
- Learn About Breast Cancer - August 28th, 2008
It is important to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the sun. By protecting your skin, you can dramatically reduce the chance that you will suffer from skin cancer at some point in your life. Unfortunately, many people assume that protecting their skin is difficult or troublesome. In reality, practicing good skin cancer prevention techniques is rather easy and involves several simple steps.
SunscreenSunscreen is a very important tool in your efforts to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun. All sunscreen is marked with a number such as 8, 15, or 30; this is known as… Continue reading
Cancer, which was supposed to be an incurable disease, can now be cured if detected at the right time. The rapid advancement in Science and Medicine has opened wide vistas before us for the treatment of life threatening diseases including AIDS, Neurotic diseases and Genetic disorders. In many cases your doctor might suggest a Stem Cell transplant or a Bone marrow transplant as the possible solution for your disease. In this case a cord blood transplant may be a good option.
These stem cells are the blood forming cells of human body and are widely being used in transplants. These cells… Continue reading
I skipped my workout yesterday, but I had a good excuse. Seriously, I did. I skipped my workout, because I went to a Team in Training information session.
For those of you that don’t know what that is, Team in Training is one of the largest training groups in the nation. They are dedicated to helping the Lymphoma and Leukemia society find a cure for blood cancers. Something that I did not know, is that the Team in Training (TNT) has donated close to $975 million to cancer research since its inception 20 years ago. In the central Texas area alone… Continue reading
Related posts
» Filed Under Breast Cancer
Comments
Leave a Reply
