✨ This Is Chris’s personal story about his Radiotherapy treatment…..
After long discussions his oncologist at Nottingham and Lincoln hospital agreed that Chris was put on the maximum dose of radiotherapy treatment, When Chris was going through his long radiotherapy treatment, he was picked up everyday and was taken to Lincoln hospital. Unfortunately at this time it was the beginning of Covid and I unfortunately could not go with him, so he would be alone and that broke me.
Due to the maximum dose of radiotherapy after each long session that he had it was taking a huge toll on his body. Years down the line the radiotherapy has unfortunately caused a lot of issues for Chris. Chris has now got a really bad immune system, he picks up the slightest cough, cold and this causes his body to react badly, I can not tell you how many times he has been taken to hospital because his body can not fight the infection. Chris was taken into hospital just over 2 weeks ago because he became really ill. He has had sepsis 3 times. He is now on sickness tablets, due to constantly feeling sick or being sick all the time. Chris has now got a poor appetite and unfortunately the list goes on due to this.✨

💚 Side affects of Radiotherapy 💚

Your radiotherapy team plans your treatment carefully to reduce your risk of side effects. But most people have some side effects during or after radiotherapy.

Side effects do not usually happen straight away. They may develop during treatment or in the days or weeks after treatment finishes. Sometimes side effects get worse for a time during and after you have finished radiotherapy before they get better. There may also be a risk of side effects that are long-term or that only start months or years after radiotherapy.

It is difficult to know exactly how you will react to treatment. Your team will explain what to expect. Always tell them if you have side effects during or after radiotherapy. They can give advice and support to help you cope.

💚 Tiredness (fatigue)

Radiotherapy can make people feel tired. Tiredness may get worse as treatment goes on. You might be more tired if you have to travel to the hospital every day or if you are having radiotherapy alongside other treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy.

Some people are able to continue with their daily activities. Others may find they need to rest more.

After treatment finishes, you may continue to feel tired for weeks or months. If it does not get better, tell your cancer doctor or specialist nurse.

Some people who have advanced cancer may have external beam radiotherapy to help control symptoms of the cancer. This is called palliative radiotherapy. As well as tiredness, this might also cause some mild aches and pains. This usually gets better over a few days.

💚 Problems with eating and drinking

At times during your treatment, you may not feel like eating. Or you may find that your eating habits change. Eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of fluids is good for your general health. Tell your team if you are finding it difficult to eat.

Radiotherapy to some areas of the body can cause more serious side effects that may make eating and drinking difficult.

💚 Feeling or being sick

Some people find radiotherapy makes them feel sick (nausea) or be sick (vomit). This is more likely if the treatment area is near the stomach or the brain.

Sickness can usually be well controlled and stops once treatment is finished. Your healthcare team may give you anti-sickness drugs to prevent nausea or vomiting.

💚 Coping with feeling sick
Always tell your radiotherapy team if you have nausea or vomiting during or after your treatment. They can give you anti-sickness drugs or change the drugs you are taking. They will explain when and how to take the drugs.

These drugs often work better when you take them regularly, or before you start to feel sick. Tell your team if the sickness does not get better.

💚 Skin reactions

External beam radiotherapy can cause a skin reaction in the area being treated. If this happens, it usually begins after about 10 days.

You may find your skin in the treatment area becomes red or darkens. It may also feel sore or itchy. Sometimes the skin gets very sore and it may blister, break or leak fluid. Very rarely, your team may stop treatment for a short time to allow a serious skin reaction to recover.

Skin reactions can take time to improve. They are usually better about 4 weeks after your treatment has finished. The area of skin may always look or feel slightly different to the surrounding skin.

💚 Hair loss

Radiotherapy only causes hair loss in the treatment area. You may lose your hair where the radiation beam leaves the body as well as where it enters the body. Ask your cancer doctor or radiographer to show you exactly where your hair is likely to fall out.

Hair may start to fall out 2 or 3 weeks into radiotherapy treatment. It usually grows back after treatment finishes. Sometimes it grows back a different texture or colour than before. It may take several months to grow back, depending on the dose of radiotherapy you have.

Rarely, hair does not grow back or is patchy. Your doctor or radiographer can tell you if this is likely with your treatment.

💚 Changes in your blood

Some treatments can reduce the number of normal blood cells produced by your bone marrow. Bone marrow is the spongy part inside some bones.

Treatments that impact blood cells include some types of radioisotope therapy. Sometimes, it can also happen with external beam radiotherapy, especially if you have chemotherapy at the same time.

Your blood cell levels are unlikely to cause problems. They will also improve after your treatment finishes. But some people need treatment if the level of certain types of blood cells is too low.

Your team will arrange any blood tests you need during and after your treatment. Always tell your team if you have any bruising or bleeding that you cannot explain. This includes:

💚 nosebleeds.
💚 bleeding gums.
💚 heavy periods.
💚 blood in your urine (pee) or stools (poo).
💚 tiny red or purple spots on the skin that may look like a rash.

You should also contact them straight away if:

💚 your temperature goes over 37.5°C (99.5°F) or below 36°C (96.8°F)
💚 you suddenly feel unwell, even with a normal temperature
💚 you have symptoms of an infection.

Symptoms of an infection include:

💚 feeling shivery and shaking.
💚 a sore throat.
💚 a cough.
💚 breathlessness.
💚 diarrhoea.
💚 needing to pass urine (pee) a lot, or discomfort when you pass urine.