radiation

positive
positive Member Posts: 75
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
My dad is going to have radiation to his neck and armpit. Can anyone tell me what there experience was. Let me know the pros and cons. and what kind of questions to ask at the consultation. Thanks

Comments

  • dpomroy
    dpomroy Member Posts: 135
    #2
    Radiation therapy actually only takes a few minutes. They lay you on a table, line you up, and zap...you're done! He'll probably be longer in the waiting area than in therapy. Some side effects to expect might be redness of the skin to the radiated area, sore throat if his neck is being radiated, less saliva (so suck on hard candies, I liked lemon drops), and perhaps some fatigue. I don't know if the fatigue was so much from the radiation as the HAVING to go someplace every day whether I wanted to or not at the same time. I wouldn't even want to do something I liked every day at the same time! Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt.
  • stepet
    stepet Member Posts: 69
    #3
    Make sure to find out all the rare,but possible side effects of radiation especially to the mantle field area(the neck and chest). It doesn't hurt,but the side effects can. I wasn't aware of all the things that could happen, because everyone said it was "easy". For me is wasn't "easy". Just make sure to let the doctors know of all issues during radiation. Good Luck
  • Heatherjb
    Heatherjb Member Posts: 27
    #4
    I had radiation to the mantle field and in one armpit. I did throw up some because of the saliva problem. It gets really thick and would make me sick to my stomach. My doc said that was because they were radiating by Salivary glands. My radiation was a breeze compared to chemo. The radiation techs were awesome. I still go back (2 years later) to visit them on a regular basis. The only other thing I can advise is to have the docs keep a close watch on his Thyroid levels. My Radiation Oncologist had warned me that the Thyroid can stop working from radiation. I had to push to get it tested after a year and it was not functioning at all. My docs were really surprised and said that it usually doesn't happen that fast. If I could go back, I would have had them check it was sooner. I am on Thyroid medicine now and am doing well. But, like I always say, it is a small price to pay.
    Good luck to you and your family. Our prayers are with you.

Discussion Boards