Radiation therapy is a way to treat different types of cancer such as skin cancer.
When you have radiation therapy, kills cancer cells by sending beams of very strong energy to them. Most of the time, X-rays and MRI tests are used in radiation therapy, but protons or other types of energy can also be used.
Most of the time, when people talk about “radiation therapy,” they mean “external beam radiation therapy.” During this type of radiation, high-energy beams come from a machine outside of your body that points the beams at a specific spot on your body. Radiation is put inside your body during brachytherapy, which is a different kind of radiation treatment.
Radiation therapy hurts cells because it destroys the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. Radiation therapy hurts both healthy and cancerous cells, but the goal of radiation therapy is to hurt as few healthy cells as possible.
Most of the damage that radiation does to normal cells can usually be fixed. Radiation therapy causes side effects but they can be recovered with time. Now your confusion regarding radiation therapy is dangerous and must be resolved. Now let’s discuss the side effects of radiation.
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What Are The Side Effects Of Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy can have different effects on each person. Some side effects depend on what kind of cancer is being treated and where it is. Talking to your specialist about what are the side effects of radiation therapy and how to deal with them is important.
1- Fatigue
During treatment, you may feel more tired than usual. It could be cancer or the radiation treatment for it. Your body is doing its best to get better.
To fight tiredness, do yoga, go for a short walk, or ride a bike. If you were active before you started radiation therapy, try to keep doing what you were doing, or change it if you start to feel tired.
One study reveals that people feel better when they exercise every day. It reduces depression and anxiety which are actually increased after the radiation therapy.
Plan to do things when you’ll be the most alert. Don’t try to do more than you can, and let other people help you with what you can’t.
Set aside time to sleep. Take short breaks or naps in between tasks. Relax before bed to get a better night’s sleep. Read or listen to music to calm down. Try to get a good night’s sleep.
Write down how you feel every day. Keeping track of things will help you plan how to use your time most effectively.
2- Skin Responses
Healthy skin cells in the treatment area can be hurt by radiation. People who get radiation almost every day may not give their skin cells enough time to heal between treatments. Any place on the body that gets radiation can cause skin changes. Reactions are like getting a light sunburn.
Some common skin changes are dryness, redness, itching, peeling, sores, ulcers, and swelling. Your skin may change color there. Most changes to the skin heal and go away within a few weeks of treatment ending.
Try eating five to six small meals a day instead of three big ones. Eat foods that are easy to digest, like soups in a can, frozen dinners, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Drink a lot of liquids every day, about eight cups of water or juice.
Talk to your nurse or doctor. He or she can give you advice on how to treat problems like anemia, depression, or trouble sleeping.
3- Hair Loss
Only the part of your body that is being treated by radiation therapy will lose hair. This is not the same as losing hair all over your body from chemotherapy. Two to three weeks after your first radiation therapy session, you may start losing hair in the area being treated. About a week passes before all of the hair in the treated area falls out. After treatment is over, your hair might start to grow back. Sometimes, however, the amount of radiation is so high that your hair may never grow back. When your hair starts to grow back, it might not feel or look the same as it did before. It may be thinner, have curls instead of being straight, or be darker or lighter in color.
4- Changes In Appetite
During radiation therapy, your body has to use more energy to heal. One study reveals that radiation therapy causes changes in appetite. To keep your strength and weight up during this time, it’s important to eat enough calories and protein and drink enough water.
There may be changes in the way you eat. You might not feel like eating, food might taste different, or it might be hard to eat. Consider eating well as part of your treatment. If you are having trouble eating, you should talk to your care team. You might be sent to a nutritionist, who is a professional who plans meals.
Changes In The Mouth And Throat
When radiation is used to treat the head and neck, the mouth can change. Radiation kills cancer cells, but it can also hurt healthy cells in saliva glands and the wet lining of your mouth. You might have
- A sore mouth
- Loss of teeth
- The jaw is stiff
- Gum, tooth, or tongue infection
- Tongue-dry
- Taste loss or change
- Saliva got thicker
Some problems, like sores in the mouth, might go away when treatment is over. Some, like changes in taste, can go on for months or even years. Some problems, like dry mouth, may get better over time but will never go away completely.
Diarrhea
When radiation is used to treat the pelvis, stomach, and abdomen, diarrhea may happen. Radiation can cause diarrhea by irritating the healthy cells that line the inside of the bowel. These places are sensitive to the amount of radiation needed to treat cancer.
Every day drink at least 8–12 cups of clear liquids. Water is best to drink and try to avoid drinks with a lot of sugar.
Dehydration can be caused by severe diarrhea, which can get bad enough to need fluids through an IV. You should also take care of your meals such as instead of three big meals, eat small meals and snacks.
Eat foods like sodium and potassium that are high in salt. When you have diarrhea, your body can lose these salts, so it’s important to replace them. Bananas, oranges, peaches, apricot nectar, and boiled or mashed potatoes are all good options.
Things You Should Consider
Everyone has a different experience with radiation therapy. Even when the same kind of treatment is given to the same person, the side effects are different. Ask your health care team before your treatment what physical side effects you might experience and what to look out for. There may also be emotional side effects, and it’s important to get help if you’re feeling anxious or stressed.
Ask Your oncologist or cancer doctor how you can take care of yourself during treatment, such as getting enough rest, eating well, and staying hydrated. Ask if your regular exercise routine or other physical activities are limited in any way.
Always let your health care team know when side effects start, get worse, or keep happening even though you are getting treatment. Your health care team will then be able to give you ways to feel better during and after treatment.
