Radiation

tsivels
tsivels Member Posts: 18
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
I am about to undergo radiation and I would like to hear about the experiences all of you have had. I have heard different things and I know ultimately it just depends on the person. But I still would like to hear about different experiences. I have heard that it depends on where you receive your radiation,,,has anyone else heard this? All of your input is greatly appreciated.....Thanks

Comments

  • stepet
    stepet Member Posts: 69
    #2
    I had radiation only to the mantle field area. I did not have any chemo, so my radiation was very intense in that area. Be prepared and know ALL the potential side effects before you start,so you know what to watch out for. I was one of the rare individuals who got all the side effects possible from the radiation. I felt like an alien sometimes because people acted as if it shouldn't be happening. I had horrible thrush, I vomited from the radiation after every treatment. I had the worst sore throat ever and could not eat or drink at all during the month I had treatment. I needed an IV by the end of it due to dehydration. I don't want to scare you, I just want you to make sure to know all the possibilities and talk about them with your doctor before you start. Good Luck and Take Care Sandi
  • Heatherjb
    Heatherjb Member Posts: 27
    #3
    From everything I have heard, it does depend on where they are radiating. I had 30 treatments of Mantle field radiation for Hodgkins. For me, radiation was way easier than Chemo. I threw up a lot during radiation due to the fact that they were radiating my salivary glands. I got really bad dry mouth and my saliva was really thick which made me sick to my stomach all the time.
    They did have to radiate part of one of my lungs and part of my heart and there may be long term complications from that down the road. Also, it has been 13 months since I finished radiation and now my Thyroid has stopped working. I have to take medication for the rest of my life for that. Because I got so sick from the radiation, I had to stop a couple of times and get IV's. But compared to my Chemo experience, radiation was a breeze. I had the best raditation therapists in the world. They got me through a lot. I have heard from many people that if they radiate the stomach and intestines that you get very sick. I wish you the best of luck.
  • KyLibrarian
    KyLibrarian Member Posts: 10
    #4
    My mantle field radiation was pretty light because it was just a "mop up"--I was in remission but only had 4 cycles of ABVD so they felt they needed more assurance. As low dose as it was, I sill had a lot of pain in my throat and whole esophagus. I had to swallow lidocaine before meals and it still hurt. But a week after my last treatment the pain subsided. Now, though, I have lymphedema that was probably caused by having my underarm nodes radiated. Be prepared for this possibility.
  • OrangePood
    OrangePood Member Posts: 1
    #5
    I rec'd radiation... a total of 20 treatments to my neck and chest. I had some redness at the site...just looked like sunburn... and a terrible sore throat...hurt to swallow anything. It felt like swallowing razors..I had to take percocet..
  • grayharrin
    grayharrin Member Posts: 3
    #6
    OrangePood said:

    I rec'd radiation... a total of 20 treatments to my neck and chest. I had some redness at the site...just looked like sunburn... and a terrible sore throat...hurt to swallow anything. It felt like swallowing razors..I had to take percocet..

    I had 33 radiation treatments on my throat , I had the same problems as you through the treatment, but its been 3 months since treatment stopped but I still can only swallow soup and water ( no pain, soild food just gets stuck in the back of my throat), does anyone know if there is any therapy that may help me swollow solid food again?
  • mommom2000
    mommom2000 Member Posts: 3
    #7
    Heatherjb said:

    From everything I have heard, it does depend on where they are radiating. I had 30 treatments of Mantle field radiation for Hodgkins. For me, radiation was way easier than Chemo. I threw up a lot during radiation due to the fact that they were radiating my salivary glands. I got really bad dry mouth and my saliva was really thick which made me sick to my stomach all the time.
    They did have to radiate part of one of my lungs and part of my heart and there may be long term complications from that down the road. Also, it has been 13 months since I finished radiation and now my Thyroid has stopped working. I have to take medication for the rest of my life for that. Because I got so sick from the radiation, I had to stop a couple of times and get IV's. But compared to my Chemo experience, radiation was a breeze. I had the best raditation therapists in the world. They got me through a lot. I have heard from many people that if they radiate the stomach and intestines that you get very sick. I wish you the best of luck.

    I agree with you that the radiation was easier than the chemo, but two years later, I started having chest pain and angiogram revealed 90% blockage of my left main artery which my cardio believes is scarring from the radiation. Has your doctor warned you about anything like this happening?

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