Do you have to get sick from radiation to know that it is working?

mums flower
mums flower Member Posts: 12
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hi there my mum is starting week 4 of radiation. The tumour could not be removed totally due to its location. They are giving my mum mild doses of radiation also due to its location. Not that I want there to be nasty side effects it just worries me that there has been no nausea, weight loss, loss of appetite or strange tasting food etc. only very very dry nasal passages. My question is does the radiation have to make you ill in order to work? there have been no scans during the last 3 weeks to see if it's shrinking or growing. Is this normal?



sincerely


Janette

Comments

  • viking796
    viking796 Member Posts: 4
    #2
    RADIATION
    No, it takes some time for it to act with mild doses. I had the strongest doses a human can get and felt it after 1 week. The tumor , golf ball size was gone in 3 weeks. I had 39 straight days. it burned the skin on my neck raw. Healed and ok now.
    Larry viking
  • mums flower
    mums flower Member Posts: 12
    #3
    viking796 said:

    RADIATION
    No, it takes some time for it to act with mild doses. I had the strongest doses a human can get and felt it after 1 week. The tumor , golf ball size was gone in 3 weeks. I had 39 straight days. it burned the skin on my neck raw. Healed and ok now.
    Larry viking

    thank you Larry
    I should stop worrying and let the doctors do their jobs. I tend to be a fixer and once again I am trying to fix this, but it's out of my hands. I thank you and am glad that you are healed and well.


    sincerely


    Janette
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #4
    Rads
    You didn't really say where she was getting the radiation. For mine (throat and tonsils), I didn't really have any sides until the fourth week out of seven. Although I was getting chemo concurrently.

    From the fourth week during until about the third week after, it was rough. Mainly neck peeling which was only esthetic, but the internal rawness was the worse.

    I was mainly only doing Ensure Plus and water during that time, preceeded with pain solution. It was just too painful to swallow anything (no peg)...

    Eventually it started getting better, but it's a rough diet for sure.

    Enjoy anytime that you don't have pain, more than likely it'll come for awhile.

    Good Luck and God Bless,
    John
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #5
    Skiffin16 said:

    Rads
    You didn't really say where she was getting the radiation. For mine (throat and tonsils), I didn't really have any sides until the fourth week out of seven. Although I was getting chemo concurrently.

    From the fourth week during until about the third week after, it was rough. Mainly neck peeling which was only esthetic, but the internal rawness was the worse.

    I was mainly only doing Ensure Plus and water during that time, preceeded with pain solution. It was just too painful to swallow anything (no peg)...

    Eventually it started getting better, but it's a rough diet for sure.

    Enjoy anytime that you don't have pain, more than likely it'll come for awhile.

    Good Luck and God Bless,
    John

    About the fourth week here
    Hi, I had 39 Rads and really didn't feel any ill effects until about the 4th week when everything started going south, trouble swallowing, loss of taste, and neck burns. So it seems she is on schedule. It can't not work. If the machine is on she is getting radiation. Ask to watch the next session and it will become clear to you.

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