Radiation

can anyone tell me about their experiences or experiences a friend or relative has had?

Dad is going for his set up tomorrow and I would like to know just how he will tolerate the treatments.

Thanks

Re: Radiation

There are different kinds, so I don't know if my experience will help, since it wasn't for lung cancer, and was a milder type of radiation, but mostly it just makes you extremely tired. And for me, it made me hungry. External radiation can also cause skin burns, which the nurses will explain how to treat.

Re: Radiation

I remember my mom being extremely tired and cold - but then again her treatments were in January.
She was never burned, but "I" think that the radiation thinned her bones. She suffered a femur fracture during a fall about 18 months after the radiation ended. The radiation was to her lower abdomen where the uterus was.

Have dad nap when he feels tired, and keep up his protein and carb intake to keep his body fueled.

MIL had radiation to her brain to slow down the metastasis, but that didn't work. She suffered no ill effects from the radiation, just the cancer itself.

Re: Radiation

Thanks. He's got a great attitude and good doctors (so far) but I'm more of a mess than he is.

I really am a mess.

I'm handling the logistics and upkeep with him and mom so I worry incessantly about everything. even the phlebotomist told me to calm down yesterday. LOL!

Radiation

I had Oral Cancer I went through Radiation it made me very tired, but everyone handles it differently, it also depends on how many days a week that he goes and also where he has to have it. I went every Monday-Friday for 6 weeks with the weekends to rest up. I did get a burn on my neck, it was like a sunburn.
Have your dad get as much rest as possible.

Re: Radiation

FIL went through radiation last summer for prostate cancer. It made him very tired as well and he sweated alot and became dizzy often. He had marks there but it was more like irritation that was remedied with lotrimin and baby powder.

Re: Radiation

Dad is going to have radiation only on one spot for now to alleviate pain in his rib. Then a moderate chemo schedule to shrink tumors and stop it spreading. If that is not doing the trick enough he will go back and have radiation to the rest of the area.

So only 5 days of rads. Chemo is now what I worry about. I guess I have to take it one day at a time. I get conflicting reports about it. Some say they have come a long way with the meds and side effects and some say he will be miserable. Great. Let's hope he can tolerate it enough. Pls keep him in your thoughts. Doc says he will monitor his chemo closely for greatest impact and least amount of side effects.

I had to get both doctors to chat with each other on a conference call with me to come up with this plan because they weren't on the same page. UGH! fuking doctors.

Radiation

Susan - calm down.
Great that he only needs 5 days of radiation. Hopefully the fatigue will not have the time to set in.
Chemo is going to be fine. They won't hit him with the hard core drugs at the beginning.
Every chemo drug is different and tolerated differently. Once he goes for chemo, he will be given an information sheet that details the drug, what it does and potential side effects (nausea, hair loss, etc). I will say that CHEMO DRUGS HAVE COME A LONG WAY.
The day of chemo, he will get an IV of fluids, then get some anti-emetics (nausea drugs), then the chemo, then the rest of the IV fluids.
Day before chemo, make sure dad drinks a lot of fluids. Keeps the veins plumped up.
MIL had non-small cell lung cancer and was on chemo for 4 years. I can't even remember all the drugs she was on. When one stopped working or only worked so-so, she was switched to a different one.

Take a deep breath and relax.
Take it a day at a time.

Re: Radiation