Surviving Breast Cancer Now!

So here I am, the beginning of my radiotherapy, four weeks of travelling up and down from the Beatson Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland.  The journey takes more than an hour each way and while the treatment only takes ten minutes, it rarely starts on time. When I eventually get called through I have to walk along a lengthy corridor with a large room at the end of it.  Two technicians were there setting the machine up for me.  It has to be changed and cleaned after each patient and that was still being done as I entered the room.  There is no where take off my clothes but in the room in the full view of the technicians.  Now, I appreciate there is nothing special about me, however I am, by nature quite reserved.  I am not given to disrobing readily and I was quite embarrassed when I was told just to strip to the waist and put my clothes on the chair near the entry to the room.  I was handed a paper towel with which to cover my modesty as I walked from the chair to the machine. This was horrid.  The paper was not wide enough to cover both my breasts at once and as often as not fell to the floor as soon as I got on to the machine.         On the occasion of my first treatment the technicians introduced themselves.  I believe they should have done this on each occasion that I had different people treating me.  That did not happen.  Indeed, even when there was a student present, whether male or female, I was neither asked for permission to have the student present, nor introduced, nor told that a male member of staff would be present. Now, I am being treated for breast cancer.  I am of an age and disposition that does not readily strip off in the presence of strangers. The stress is appalling anyway, and being treated like cattle, or meat, certainly not as a valuable patient, was very upsetting. It added to my tension rather than easing it. There was no consistency of times for appointments either.  I was fortunate that most of my appointments were between 11.00 and 12.00 each day.  However, speaking to other patients that was unusual.  Having to go to hospital each day is difficult enough, but if it is at around the same time of day you can get into a routine of sorts.  I found radiotherapy even more difficult to cope with than chemotherapy for these reasons.  It definitely intrudes into “real life”. Of course, I had heard that radiotherapy would make me tired and I would suffer from burns around the area being treated.  I had no such effects initially and, if you have read the rest of this blog, it will not surprise you to know that I believed none of this would happen to me. Neither will it surprise you to know that I was wrong again. After six or seven treatments I began to feel so very tired. Tired and bone weary. Getting up in the morning was increasingly difficult, although I always did.  However, I often needed to go for an afternoon nap when I  got home from radiotherapy.  The feelings of tiredness increased.  I could not work out whether this was due to the travelling or the treatment.  In the end I decided it was both, exacerbated by the chemotherapy that I had already received.  
Tiredness caused by the radiotherapy treatment itself, is thought to be due in part to the type of toxins released during the breakdown of some of the cells within the treatment area. Drinking fluids to keep hydrated,appears to help flush these toxins out of your system. Eating regularly throughout the day, and not missing meals, will also help to maintain your energy levels.   In addition my skin around the area getting treated by radiotherapy was becoming increasingly red and sore. Th radiotherapy is very precisely applied to the exact same area each day.  My breast around my operation scar became increasingly sore but the burning was worst underneath my breast.   Most patients will notice a reddening,  darkening, or burning of the skin within the treatment area, this is called erythema.   This reddening is sometimes likened to a mild sunburn. There are some occasions for example when the doctor wishes to treat close to the skin’s surface.   In these instances the reddening may be worse, but you will have been informed about this in the initial consultation. Most patient’s will only have a very mild reaction.   The hospital prescribed aqueous cream and pain killers.   You can help reduce skin reactions by looking after your skin.   It is clear that skin that is well moisturised has less significant side effects than skin that is not. During my radiotherapy treatment I kept my skin well moisturised, and regularly applied (2-3 times per day) the Aqueous Cream provided by the hospital.  This is a pure water based moisturiser. Four weeks, or 19 sessions after it started my radiotherapy was over.  I walked out of the hospital and the routine I had built up during the period of radiotherapy was terminated.  The medical attention and support I had been receiving for months was brought to an end. What a strange feeling.

Valerie Penny