When you have radiation treatment for cancer, your body goes through some changes.
About 2 - 3 weeks after your first radiation treatment, you may have these side effects:
Woman may have:
Both men and women may lose interest in sex.
When you have radiation treatment, a health care provider draws colored markings on your skin. Do not remove them. These show where to aim the radiation. If they come off, do not redraw them. Tell your doctor if they come off. These must stay there until your treatments are done.
Take care of the treatment area:
Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any break or opening in your skin.
Do not put heating pads or ice bags on the treatment area. Wear loose-fitting clothing around the stomach and pelvis.
Keep buttocks and pelvic areas clean and dry.
If you have lymphedema, your doctor or nurse will watch for any skin breakdown, especially in bony areas such as your hips, knees, and elbows.
Do not take a laxative. Drink plenty of liquids: 8 to10 glasses of fluids a day. Avoid orange juice, grapefruit juice, and other citrus juices.
Your doctor may place you on a low-residue diet that limits the amount of roughage you eat. You need to eat enough protein and calories to keep your weight up.
See also: Eating extra calories when you are sick - adults
Ask your doctor about liquid food supplements. These can help you get enough calories. Ask your doctor about medicine to help with diarrhea or the need to urinate often.
Most people who get radiation treatment begin to feel tired after a few days. If you feel tired:
Watch out for early signs of edema. Tell the doctor if you have:
It is normal to have less interest in sex during and right after radiation treatments end. If this is true for you, your interest in sex will probably come back after your treatment is over and your life starts to get back to normal.
Both men and women should be able to enjoy sex safely after radiation treatment is over.
Women who get radiation treatment in their pelvic have may have shrinking or tightening of their vagina. Your doctor or nurse will advise you about using a dilator, which can help gently stretch the walls of your vagina. Ask about using a dilator after your radiation treatment is over.
Your doctor may check your blood counts regularly, especially if the radiation treatment area on your body is large.
Radiation - pelvis - discharge
Jhingran A, Russell AH, Seiden MV, et al. Cancers of the cervix, vulva, and vagina. In: Abeloff MD, Armitage JO, Niederhuber JE, Kastan MB, McKenna WG, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 91.
Sharma RA, Vallis KA, McKenna WG. Basics of radiation therapy. In: Abeloff MD, Armitage JO, Niederhuber JE, Kastan MB, McKenna WG, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 29.
Staffurth JN. Complications of radiation therapy. In: Walsh D, Caraceni AT, Fainsinger R, et al, eds. Palliative Medicine. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 236.
D'Amico AV, Crook J, Beard CJ, et al. Radiation therapy for prostate cancer. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap XX.
Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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