Long-Term Side Effects of Radiation Therapy: A Comprehensive Guide 

The cancer centre I went to in St Catherine’s ON - Walker Cancer Centre uses this technology and it makes you feel so protected!

@@conniejohnsoncj8724 Yes!❤️

Very helpful information, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

@@juanitagee9511 Glad to help! 💕

I had the breath hold as it was my left breast. A scan has shown some scarring on the lung or fibrosis and the report did say probably from the radiation. I have a question, one day the radiation therapist (he was not the team leader) did it different (I knew as I’d gotten to know the machine sequence and the 1st 2 breath holds were the longest and actually the breath holds were easier that day ) I asked him why he did that, his answer “ he was bored”, I am still livid to this day (it was 2020 3rd November). A few days later taking me in he says, oh I got into trouble for doing that, not big trouble, she just laughed and said stick to the plan (I’d had 2 & 1/2 hrs of Simulation/planning. Would that have mattered??? I’ve outed him on a forum, and there was a article called City News where I am, a man wrote about his wife’s treatment at the Hospital, so I wrote all what happened under his spool. Because I had to do all this without a support personI recorded all my sessions on my iPad which was in my bag in the room, so have him on there. Great app which picks up sound. Thing is the couple of times I tried to bring this up with the other rad/therapists I was pfft off or shut down.

Thanks for sharing your story with the Yerbba community.

I had 35 radiation treatments for B.C. the first time 28 treatments the 2nd time the best advice given to me & would gladly share do not wear a bra or another type of garment I wore oversized mens' undershirts the tank type style as it did not keep the heat in and really lathered myself with the gel you would put on after a sunburn. GOOD LUCK THAT WAS IN 2005

I can't imagine my self not to wear a bra. But why? Does the skin become so sensitive and burned that we can't wear a bra and for lobg time?

Having a smooth radiation treatment experience with no side effects is so good. Thank you for sharing your experiences with the Yerbba community.

It's great to hear that your radiation treatment went smoothly. Communication with your medical team is indeed key, and it's wonderful that you felt supported and informed throughout the process. Thank you for watching.

Did you follow the low carb diet and fasting during the treatment or after you finishing the treatment? I am now 4 weeks post mastectomy (bilateral) and I have been eating and I gained a lot of weight. I plan to go on diet soon before I start my hormones treatment.

Thanks for coming here to share. Know that you have a supportive community behind you. Wishing you continued health and happiness as you move forward.

Thanks for the suggestion. It's on our list.

Thank you so much for watching. Let us know if there is a video you'd like to see.

I'm so sorry you had such a horrible experience. Is there any chance of the feeling coming back someday?

@airamsipuola5045 I don't know. But I'm still alive and playing with my grandchild so I try not to think about the bad stuff. Thanks!

This sounds so hard. Thank you for sharing your story. It can be so difficult to feel that treatment didn't go as initially planned. It is likely that you did achieve benefit from treatment even though it had to be stopped early or interrupted.

Oh, you have had a lot of losses. One thing that is known to shape people's feelings about treatment is their experience of treatment in people they know. This is the case even when the side effects and risks are completely different. Wishing you the best.

​@@yerbbaJust cleaned my phone and noticed my reply had disappeared so in case you didn't get it.Thank you xx

Thank you for watching and being part of our community.

I just completed mine a couple of months ago (stage 1; right breast; lumpectomy and removal of a lymph node). The first time was scary, and I had pain, redness and general discomfort for a while, but it became routine, everything has healed nicely, and everything feels fine except for some recent morning soreness, which my surgeon told me is fairly common, and for which she has referred me for some physical therapy. This is just my own personal experience, but hopefully it will take some fear and worry away. You got this! 👊

Well wishes to you! In no time you’ll be ringing the bell. And it will be behind you. Stay strong!

For myself as well, my radiation went incredibly well. Played tennis throughout. Fatigue hit me just after it finished and it took awhile to get my energy up. No burning. Good luck.

Don't worry, time goes by very quickly and you'll be done in no time)))

Best wishes! I hope it went well & that it will continue to go smoothly for you♡

Thank you for watching!

Some people report extreme sensitivity to electromagnetic waves. Scientists have not been able to determine whether this is a physical phenomenon, but the people affected have a really difficult time with it.

Hello! Radiation therapy can be repeated if enough time has passed since the original radiation therapy. The required time varies according to the dose and the field (area radiated). In general, repeat radiation therapy will not be recommended if there are concerns about the time since previous treatment and the dose. Wishing you the best.

I have been on aromatase inhibitors since Feb 2023 and have had minimal issues! I stretch and walk every day and drink lots of water. I get a spoon of yoghurt, stuff the pill into it and swallow as you are not to chew them. The yoghurt helps it slide down.

@@conniejohnsoncj8724 Thabk you for sharing your experience! Feeling more hopeful now 😊

@@conniejohnsoncj8724 Thank you for sharing your positive AI experience! I'm 51 and perimenopausal, so I'll be starting tamoxifen in March. I'll be on it for about 2 years, after which I'll be switched over to the AI. The pills have been my biggest fear/concern about this whole experience. May I ask how old you are, and whether you are in relatively good health? My mom had Alzheimer's and osteopenia, so those are my biggest fears. My dad had heart issues too, so I'm just fearing all sorts of elevated risks that come with estrogen blocking pills.

THATS THE HARD PART. I DIDNT TOLERATE IT AT ALL. EVERY JOINTVIN MY BODY HURT SO BAD. I EXERCISED.I WILL NOT TAKE IT AGAIN. SOME PEOPLE DO FINE

@@kathysteiner9468 May I ask what you’re taking now?

Don't bet on it

Thanks for writing, Juanita. It sounds really hard. Sarcomas have a distinct appearance that is hard to miss. Fairly close to the skin and deep deep purple. If you have a photo to upload to the portal, that can help your team figure out what to do. Wishing you the best.

It's difficult to provide guidance without being part of your medical team. This would be a very reasonable question to ask your surgeon and radiation oncologist.

My oncologist said it was fine for me. It probably depends on your chemotherapy. Ask your oncologist. I don't believe she could or should answer that.

If you need to take a multivitamin because you are not getting enough micronutrients, there should be no reason you cannot take a multivitamin.

Current radiation therapy planning techniques minimize the risk to the bone, including the ribs. However, this is a possible long term effect of radiation therapy.

So hard to hear about the effects of any treatment, and you are right that things have improved a lot with time and advanced methods of treatment. Thanks for sharing your father's experience.

You may find it helpful to watch our video on BRCA genetic testing here : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RoPe31e9kyI.html.

Reaching almost 5 years is a significant milestone, yet it's clear you've had to navigate some tough side effects with lung and heart impacts after your treatments. It's a testament to your resilience, facing these challenges head-on. We hope you're finding support and strategies to maintain your health and well-being. Your journey is a powerful reminder of the strength and perseverance that lies within us. Thank you for watching!

Don't get implants.

This sounds really hard. Without being involved in your care, it is difficult to know the underlying cause. The hope would be that your surgeon can help you through the healing process. We are wishing you the best.

Experiencing pain after radiation and starting on tamoxifen can be common due to various changes in the body, but it's important to report sharp shooting pains to your medical team.

Most tissues and organs in the body can indeed be treated with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is not used for widespread cancer unless there are specific symptoms or specific areas to be treated. That is, giving radiation therapy to the entire liver would not be recommended.

My situation was similar. 25 sessions completed in April 2023. Still dealing with pain in left breast and ribs in area of radiation a year later. Radiation itself was relatively uneventful. No skin issues.

Thanks for writing. It's not uncommon to have this type of symptom even after 6 months. The hope would be that the pain would continue to get better. Checking with your radiation oncologist would make sense.

Thanks for writing. Unless the stomach area is being radiated, vomiting and nausea are not common with radiation therapy. It is likely that your body was in flight-or-fight mode, which can cause vomiting. We hope your other treatments have gone well.

Having a wire from braces does not prevent you from having radiation therapy.

There is no evidence that cannabis can replace treatments that have a large evidence base with thousands and thousands of people. Cannabis can help with some side effects of treatment.

I had BC with lymph node involvement, left mastectomy and lymph node removal 5/11. I started AI and abemaciclib some 2 weeks before radiation and continued throughout. My medical team said the two treatments can go in parallel with no issues, I had none.

I had both at the same time, no issues.

I started two weeks after I stopped radiation

For our other viewers, when a report describes "acceptable toxicity," it generally means that there are no moderate-to-severe side effects, only mild side effects. (On occasion, there will be small numbers of people with moderate side effects.) There is no reason to think that starting the AI along with radiation therapy will cause problems to you. The exception would be in someone who develops severe hot flashes with sweating. This can make it harder if you develop peeling of the skin from radiation therapy because of the excess moisture. In general, if this were to happen, a medical team would recommend holding off on the AI under radiation therapy side effects on the skin have resolved.

Thank you for watching!

I don't believe you

​@meahdahlgren6537 read and maybe you will become more educated.

There are some cancers that may result from chemotherapy or radiation therapy many years after diagnosis. These cancers are rare, however. If they happen to you or someone you know, of course, it doesn't matter how rare it is.

@@deborahbizzell1989 every person is different

@@yerbba will for some people