Am I imagining things?

MattButts
MattButts Member Posts: 37
in Anal Cancer #1

I'm three weeks into the combo platter (5FU+mitomycin+radiation) and lately I've started "almost" noticing a very vague warm feeling during my radiation treatments in the affected area. Is it possible the area is becoming sensitive enough to actually feel the radiation, or am I imagining things?

Comments

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
    Matt--

    I really can't say.  I don't remember having that sensation, but my treatment was almost 5 years ago, so perhaps I've just forgotten.  Maybe someone else will chime in.

  • LaCh
    LaCh Member Posts: 557
    #3
    MattButts

    MattButts,

    I had pretty brutal burns starting in the 4th week and by the end of the sixth, they were 2nd/3rd degree but never had a burning sensation during treatments. But check this out maybe it'll help http://www.ehealthme.com/cs/radiotherapy/skin+burning+sensation

  • Angela_K
    Angela_K Member Posts: 374 Member
    #4
    I felt it, too.

    Matt ~  Not uncomfortable at all, just noticeable, localized warmth during treatment and as soon as the machine went off, the warming went away. Totally separate from my skin burning, which by the end of the 3rd week, it was just beginning to worsen.

     

  • eihtak
    eihtak Member Posts: 1,473 Member
    #5
    Angela_K said:

    I felt it, too.

    Matt ~  Not uncomfortable at all, just noticeable, localized warmth during treatment and as soon as the machine went off, the warming went away. Totally separate from my skin burning, which by the end of the 3rd week, it was just beginning to worsen.

     

    Matt....

    Like Angela, I too remember that "warm" feeling, different from the burns. Just one of those things that some have, or notice having, and some don't.

    Will be thinking of you as you continue.......

  • Marynb
    Marynb Member Posts: 1,118
    #6
    LaCh said:

    MattButts

    MattButts,

    I had pretty brutal burns starting in the 4th week and by the end of the sixth, they were 2nd/3rd degree but never had a burning sensation during treatments. But check this out maybe it'll help http://www.ehealthme.com/cs/radiotherapy/skin+burning+sensation

    Interesting study
    Thanks for posting this, LaCh. Although this study is too small a sample to draw conclusions, it raises an interesting question. I have wondered why, when given the exact same treatments, some people seem to burn so badly and others not much more than a sunburn. It may be partly due to the medicarions and foods that are ingested by patients before and during treatment. I wonder whether they have looked at whether ingestion of pain meds or tranquilizers increases burns. I was on no medication whatsoever. I seldom even take a Tylenol. I did not experience much more than a mild sunburn, which healed very quickly. I know there are many other factors that may contribute to the burning, but it would be great if they could look at this factor, since so many doctors pass out prescriptions for pain meds and anti anxiety prior to treatment. Just thinking...
  • NYinTX
    NYinTX Member Posts: 64
    #7
    chemo

    You had 3 weeks of continual chemo???  I thought protocol was 1 shot of Mitomycin and 4 days of 5FU + daily radiation.....and then a second dose of chemo week 5, most often without Mitomycin due to low WBC. I also do not take any meds, no feeling of warmth with a Varian Trilogy radiation machine, targeted treatment --  http://www.varian.com/us/oncology/radiation_oncology/trilogy/#.UTK-ZGc4KSo

    what type of machine are you using?? so far at start of wk 5, I have no burning......

     

  • sephie
    sephie Member Posts: 650 Member
    #8
    Marynb said:

    Interesting study
    Thanks for posting this, LaCh. Although this study is too small a sample to draw conclusions, it raises an interesting question. I have wondered why, when given the exact same treatments, some people seem to burn so badly and others not much more than a sunburn. It may be partly due to the medicarions and foods that are ingested by patients before and during treatment. I wonder whether they have looked at whether ingestion of pain meds or tranquilizers increases burns. I was on no medication whatsoever. I seldom even take a Tylenol. I did not experience much more than a mild sunburn, which healed very quickly. I know there are many other factors that may contribute to the burning, but it would be great if they could look at this factor, since so many doctors pass out prescriptions for pain meds and anti anxiety prior to treatment. Just thinking...

    not pain meds

    even tho i was in excrutiating pain and burned really quickly and badly,  i never took any pain meds for the fear of constipation....MDA did give me the prescriptions but I did not take them and was really bad off pain wise but just kept going.....now, of course, this back fired on me in the last week because i got terrible diarrhea that i could not stop... the pain meds would have helped but my brain was not working at all ,, i could not think clearly and i had no one with me to tell me what to do...soooooo i messed up and ended up in hospital for 10 days.....sephie

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