Does radiation for breast cancer make you sick?
Common side effects during treatment may include: Mild to moderate fatigue. Skin irritation, such as itchiness, redness, peeling or blistering, similar to what you might experience with a sunburn. Breast swelling.
Fatigue is common during radiation therapy and may last for several weeks after treatment ends. Fatigue is mainly a short-term problem, but for some, it can persist [11-12]. You may feel like you don't have any energy and may feel tired all of the time. Resting may not help.
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.
You may hear the skin reaction being called radiation dermatitis. Skin reactions may start during or after treatment. The skin reaction is normally at its worst between 7 and 14 days after treatment. After this it usually starts to get better.
Chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy can cause nausea and sometimes vomiting in some people. But localized radiation for breast cancer is less likely to cause vomiting. It can happen right after treatment or a few days later. Ask your doctor about medications that can make you feel better.
Nausea and vomiting can be a common side effect of external radiation therapy, especially if the treatment area includes the stomach and abdomen. It can also happen as a general side effect regardless of the area being treated. Radiation sickness usually goes away a few weeks after radiation therapy is finished.
Many people who get radiation therapy have fatigue. Fatigue is feeling exhausted and worn out. It can happen all at once or come on slowly. People feel fatigue in different ways and you may feel more or less fatigue than someone else who is getting the same amount of radiation therapy to the same part of the body.
Radiation can give you fatigue that gets worse over time (called cumulative fatigue). It usually lasts 3 to 4 weeks after your treatment stops, but it can continue for up to 3 months.
A typical schedule for standard whole breast radiation treatment is once a day, 5 days a week, for 3 to 5 weeks.
Symptoms are anorexia, nausea and vomiting. Onset occurs 1 hour to 2 days after exposure.
How can you prevent radiation sickness?
The best way to prevent radiation injuries and illness is to get inside as soon as possible, away from the radioactive material outside and shower or wash once inside (self-decontamination).
While most people feel no pain when each treatment is being delivered, effects of treatment slowly build up over time and may include discomfort, skin changes, or other side effects, depending on where in the body treatment is being delivered.
The soreness usually goes away within 2 to 4 weeks of ending the treatment. Towards the end of the radiotherapy, the skin might break down, especially under the breast. Your nurse will use special dressings to cover and protect the area. The area usually heals up over a couple of weeks.
Radiation to the breast can sometimes damage some of the nerves to the arm. This is called brachial plexopathy and can lead to numbness, pain, and weakness in the shoulder, arm, and hand. Radiation to the underarm lymph nodes might cause lymphedema, a type of pain and swelling in the arm or chest.
In some people, radiotherapy can make your skin sore, change colour (it might become red, lighter or darker than your normal skin tone), or dry and itchy. Sometimes it can blister and peel. This tends to start 1 to 2 weeks after treatment begins. Tell your care team if you notice any soreness or changes to your skin.
You may start to notice side effects about 2 weeks after you start radiation therapy. They may get worse during your radiation therapy, but they'll slowly get better over 6 to 8 weeks after your last treatment. Some side effects may take longer to go away.
You may feel sick (nauseated), with or without vomiting, for several hours after each treatment. Your radiation oncologist may prescribe medicine (antiemetic) to take at home before and after each session to prevent nausea.
These symptoms include loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly even seizures and coma. This seriously ill stage may last from a few hours up to several months. People who receive a high radiation dose also can have skin damage.
Radiation therapy involves giving high doses of radiation beams directly into a tumor. 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.
Fatigue is a common side effect of many cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplant, and surgery. Conditions such as anemia, as well as pain, medications, and emotions, can also cause or worsen fatigue.
Can you shower after radiation treatment?
Skin changes usually occur one to two weeks after your treatment begins and may last one to two weeks after your last treatment. You may shower or bathe throughout your radiation therapy. Your nurse will recommend a mild soap for you to use. It is important to keep skin folds clean and dry.
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.
The radiation oncologist will review all your records and pathology reports and give you a physical exam. During this first visit, your doctor and nurse will go over information about your type of cancer, the radiation treatment choices, any possible side effects, and treatment consent.
Certain cancer treatments (such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, or steroids) or the cancer itself can suppress or weaken the immune system. These treatments can lower the number of white blood cells (WBCs) and other immune system cells.
Local radiation therapy for breast cancer depletes the blood of various subsets of lymphocytes. Previous studies showed that the recovery is still incomplete at 30 months.
For whole-breast radiation, previous studies have shown that 3 weeks of treatment at slightly higher doses is as safe and effective as conventional whole-breast radiation over 5–6 weeks.
Radiation to the breast can sometimes damage some of the nerves to the arm. This is called brachial plexopathy and can lead to numbness, pain, and weakness in the shoulder, arm, and hand. Radiation to the underarm lymph nodes might cause lymphedema, a type of pain and swelling in the arm or chest.
...
Treatment areas and possible side effects
- Fatigue.
- Hair loss.
- Memory or concentration problems.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Skin changes.
- Headache.
- Blurry vision.