How would you prepare oneself before undergoing radiation therapy?

I will be finishing my 6 chemo therapy and I am scheduled for my radiation therapy and I have no idea what I will have to prepare for myself. Someone suggested that I use suntan lotion before and after treatment . Is that appropriate ?How serious will my burn be ?Is it necessary to have 6 weeks radiation therapy ? What is the after effect if I do not finish it all.How would you prepare oneself before undergoing radiation therapy?
Your skin should not have anything applied before your treatment, not sun screen and if it is for breast cancer no deodorant.



You will have the treatment daily, so try to make it a time when you can go after your daily shower, then apply deodorant etc afterwards.



For the first few weeks, it will be tiring, but the burning sensation generally apears around lat week 3. This will get progressively worse, it is hard to keep emotionally focussed n fiishing the treatment. There are creams the treatment staff can provide that will help. Everyone responds differently, it may feel like a mild sunburn or you could loose several layers of skin (ouch!)



It is tempting not to finish, as it does get hard towards the end, BUT the burning will get worse for several days after your last treatment, so if you stop a few days short of the full treatment you are increasing your risk and still feeling worse!



About a week after your final treatment the side effects seem to subside (or do we just learn to adapt?) I still have scar tissue from the burns, 3 years later.



If you develope raw tissue from skin peeling, be very careful with what you use to treat this as you DO NOT want to risk an infection. I found that once the peeling stoped, a good quality body butter (gift from daughter) was the most soothing treatment of the healing skin.



By not finishing your treatment, you increase your risk of the cancer reccurring. So hang in there!!!
You should not use suntan lotion. Try to get treated as close to home as possible as you will likely be going everyday and it is tiring. You probably will not get treatment on your first appointment with the radiation oncologist. He or she will examine you, go over your history and answer all of your questions at that time. They will usually take your photo on that day and will have you lay on the table to do measurements for equipment placement. After this appointment you will know how to prepare.



Not everyone who gets radiation experiences burns, hopefully you be one of these people. These doctors are very interested in ANY changes or reactions you may have and will make adjustments or give prescriptions accordingly so tell them everything. They watch you very closely and will follow you years after your treatment.



They will sometimes give you a break in treatment if you are not tolerating it well, but they don鈥檛 like to do this as the timing and continuation of treatment gives you the best possible outcome. For this reason you should also compete your treatment.How would you prepare oneself before undergoing radiation therapy?
Don't put anything on your skin. They will tell you what you can put on your skin and give you samples. Some are non-presecription and others require a prescription. Try them out and decide which seems to do the best for the burn. Then let them know if you need a prescription.
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Healing be unto you and yours and me and mine

In Forgive Affirmed Spirit

~skahhhHow would you prepare oneself before undergoing radiation therapy?
You want to finish it all!!! Your skin likely will get burned. My wife used a gel that her radiation oncologist gave her to use. It seemed to help. Ask your oncologist for advise on burning.



The best of luck to you in your treatments. God bless.
You cannot wear suntan lotion or sunscreen during radiation. Any creams or lotions on your skin can make the effects worse - not better.



I had radiation 3 years ago following lumpectomy for breast cancer and can honestly tell you that it was pretty easy. I never got the "sunburn" effect that some get. I was concerned because I am very fair skinned and tend to burn easily in the sun, but I didn't burn with the radiation. The skin in the area did get a little darker during that time, but it went away within a few weeks of my last treatment. The worst side effect was fatigue. It just made me tired.



The radiation oncologist will give you some creams that you can use after treatment to help keep your skin hydrated and healing.



You will need to use very mild soaps with no fragrance in them during this time period and no deodorants if the radiation is around your underarm areas.



My radiation was for 7 weeks, 5 days a week.



I think you will actually find it physically much easier than chemo. The other difficult thing (other than the fatigue) is just getting into the routine of doing it every day.
you just have to show up for your appointment, do as many treatments as the doctor says that you need in order to get the full affect of the treatment
They do not want stuff on your skin before treatments. You do not need to do anything to prepare except show up on time for your appointment. After your first treatment, they will give you instructions on how to take care of your skin and the "burns" that can occur during radiation treatment. If you do not finish all of your treatment, you run the risk of allowing your cancer to return. Do everything they tell you to ensure the best possible outcome.