The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Radiation for Breast Cancer

Inside: Everything you need to know about surviving radiation for breast cancer, coping emotionally, and making the best of it.

What is radiation for breast cancer?

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been recommended radiation treatment and want to educate yourself. Smart! I won’t pretend to be an expert on the technical side of things, but I will give you a few links to some excellent sources.

What these wells of information fail to help you with, however, are the mental and emotional sides of going through radiation. Good thing you found my blog – where I share all my insider tips from my own journey to save you from making the same mistakes! If you haven’t read my earlier post on coping with breast cancer, make sure to check it out.

The goal of radiation therapy is to kill any cancer that might be left in or around the breast or lymph nodes after surgery. Read more here, here, and here.

Do you HAVE TO go through radiation?

The short answer is: No. You don’t have to follow your doctors’ recommendations because that’s all they are. Recommendations.

Your breast cancer journey is unique and your decisions regarding treatment options are highly personal. Ultimately, you’ll be the one living with the consequences, i.e. both short-term and long-term side effects. We’ll take a look at those here in a minute but let me tell you why I did agree to radiation.

Why did I choose to have radiation therapy?

It is an insurance policy. That’s the way my radiation oncologist explained it after I had a bilateral mastectomy and 1 little sentinel lymph node had a tiny bit of cancer in it (which means the cancer had spread and there could be other cells hanging around nearby).

Your doctor should go over all the scary numbers with you so that you can weigh them and decide for yourself.

I wanted to put breast cancer behind me and do all I could to prevent a recurrence. My husband asked the doctor what she’d do if it were her or one of her children. She said she would absolutely go through radiation because the benefits clearly outweighed the risks. I trusted my doctor and decided not to let FOSE (fear of side effects) get in the way.

What can you expect during treatment?

Compared to some of the other stuff you’ve probably been through already? Mild discomfort. Let’s break it down. You’ll have a mapping session before you start treatment.

This is where they scan you all over the place, measure, mark, and prep. They’ll have you practice holding your breath for a few seconds to protect your heart from the radiation. And if they use tattoos to mark patients, you’ll get several tiny dot tattoos on your chest.

If I remember correctly, this was my longest appointment – about an hour. The actual radiation appointments took about 15 minutes including getting undressed and dressed again. So, that’s one positive thing about this treatment – unless you have a long commute, it won’t take up too much of your time.

“But… I’m scared!”

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I hear you. The potential side effects are pretty scary and the whole breast cancer journey is super emotional anyway. So, if you’re freaking out at the thought of radiation therapy, you’re not alone. I got a little misty-eyed myself – while waiting for my mapping appointment! Suddenly, shit got very real and I realized I had to fight for a cancer-free life.

But listen: Thoughts like these could bring anybody down, at any time. And if you let them in, they could snowball and cause much bigger problems.

You have heard this a million times since your breast cancer diagnosis (and probably can’t even roll your eyes anymore) so here it is once more – a positive mindset is crucial to winning this uneven battle. Having a hard time keeping those pesky negative thoughts away?

Have you tried self-hypnosis? Uncommon Knowledge has hundreds of audio files to choose from to help you with all kinds of issues from anxiety to depression to sleep. They even offer 6 Cancer Treatment Support hypnosis audios that help you stay positive, reduce chemo nausea, reduce pain, and other cancer-related problems.

I have tried the Stay Positive audio myself and would recommend it to anyone struggling to keep a positive mindset. You will need about 20 minutes in a quiet space where you can get comfortable and let the hypnotist’s soothing voice help you relax.

A brief overview of radiation side effects

I want to take a closer look at the potential side effects of radiation therapy in a separate post but here’s a list of the most common ones as well as the rare side effects:

Short-term:                 

• Pain and skin changes
• Fatigue

Long-term:                  

• Breast and skin changes
• Lymphedema

Rare short-term:      

• Nausea and hair loss

Rare short/long-term:    

• Rib fracture
• Heart problems
• Lung problems
• Nerve problems
• Risk of a second cancer

Surviving radiation for breast cancer

You may not be able to prevent side effects completely, but both the fatigue and the pain usually subside within a couple of weeks after your treatment is finished. There are a few simple things you can do to help keep some of the more common side effects at a minimum. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

• Hydrate

It is very important to stay hydrated every day, no matter what you’re going through, but even more so when undergoing radiation therapy. Drink plenty of liquids as directed. Ask your doctor how much to drink, which liquids would be best for you, and which you should avoid. My radiation oncologist said water was fine for me.

How much water an individual needs depends on many factors such as body composition, climate, clothing, and activity level. The myth of at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day obviously doesn’t take these factors into account but it’s very easy to remember.

Since even low levels of dehydration can cause headaches, lethargy, and constipation, I don’t think I need to explain the importance of hydration in more depth. You’re smart and you know what you want, right? To breeze through radiation treatment with as little discomfort as possible.

• Stay physically active

Fatigue is the most common acute side effect of radiation therapy. It is believed to be caused by the tremendous amount of energy that is used by the body to heal itself in response to radiation therapy. It has nothing to do with overactivity and is usually not relieved by rest.

Staying physically active during radiation treatment is not going to prevent fatigue. However, the impact on your mood and overall well-being is tremendous.

Personally, I felt so much better on days that I got my butt off the couch and walked at least 3 miles. Ask your doctor what kinds of activities are best for you, but walking should be a pretty safe bet. If you’re not used to walking for an hour every day, don’t let this stop you from staying active during treatment.

Yes, you should listen to your body, and yes, you should be kind to yourself. But also, if you don’t have a workout routine (yes, walking totally counts as a workout) yet, consider starting one right now. This article could help set you up for success.

• Get plenty of rest

This one’s a no-brainer but, knowing all the fun emotional stuff that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis, despite your best efforts, you may not be getting enough good-quality sleep at night. Which means you’ll need to take naps during the day. Do not fight that need, girl! Take a nap and let others take care of things for a change. Give your body time to heal.

• Moisturize treated area

Skin changes such as irritation and/or redness are an expected part of your therapy and are temporary. Your skin may look sunburnt about 2 or 3 weeks into treatment.

Of course, it all depends on your age, skin type, and other factors but most radiation burns are mild and heal quickly. Your radiation team will be monitoring your skin and will recommend ointments you can use to soothe it.

My doctor recommended aloe or calendula gel and I must have picked well because my skin looked great well into week 5. This one has a standard gel consistency that takes a while to absorb. This one is a bit more liquid and has a lovely lavender scent. I alternated these two products three times a day during the week and twice on the weekends, making sure not to apply anything less than an hour before treatment.

Several months later, I am still using one of these gels instead of my usual lotion on the treated area. Towards the end of my treatment, I had a tiny burn in my armpit due to all the friction, and I was told to use Aquaphor and these pads which worked great. Besides moisturizing your irradiated skin several times a day, do take these tips to heart:

Be extra kind to your skin
Keep it clean and dry
Wash it with lukewarm water and mild soap
Pat it dry, do not rub
Wear soft, loose-fitting tops
Do not scratch
Avoid using adhesive tape (OMG, I made this mistake!)
Do not use powders
Do not use heating pads or ice packs
Wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30

• Stick to a balanced diet

This item on the list could easily turn into a book (or two) because nutrition is SO important to our health. We are what we eat, after all. But I don’t want to use this space to campaign for you to go vegan. Surviving radiation treatment for breast cancer is not about making major lifestyle changes. However, when it comes to eating habits, there are a few things worth pointing out.

• After surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, extra protein is usually needed to heal tissues and help fight infection. Some good sources of protein: fish, poultry, lean red meat, eggs, low-fat dairy products, nuts and nut butters, dried beans, peas and lentils, and soy foods.
• Foods to avoid or reduce include salt, added sugars, solid (saturated) fats, and an excess of alcohol. Also, spicy foods can lead to cramping and an upset stomach during radiation treatment.
• Eating smaller meals more often may be helpful when you are experiencing side effects from radiation.

• Practice gratitude

Okay, so, I really wanted to say Stay positive here but could picture your phone/computer dying a quick death immediately after reading it. So, I rephrased it.

Seriously, though, no one expects you to go through weeks of radiation therapy with a constant smile on your face. That’s not what keeping a positive mindset is about at all. It’s about finding something sweet in every bitter pill you have to swallow.

What I tried to focus on during my treatment was that I was doing it to get healthy and stay that way. My little mantra on the radiation table: I am here to get help. I did not need chemotherapy and I’m still grateful for that every day. You may not be so lucky in this respect, but you know what? There are other things you can be grateful for!

This article lists some of the benefits of gratitude (hello, better health!) and also explains how to be more grateful.

Final thoughts on surviving radiation for breast cancer

Going through radiation therapy is not fun. It comes with some painful side effects and risks you need to carefully consider. If you decide to do it, I want you to be prepared and not scared.

Are you looking at the list of things to do every day and thinking, I don’t even remember every item on the list, how am I supposed to do it all? No worries, I’ve created a handy checklist for you to download and print out (if you want) so you can keep track of:

• Hydration
• Physical activity
• Rest
• Moisturization of treated area
• Balanced diet
• Practicing gratitude

At the end of each day, you can feel great about yourself for staying on top of things WHILE KICKING CANCER’S ASS! Even if your list is not filled up, it only shows you what to work on in the following days. Go ahead and grab your free copy of my checklist now!

Feel-good bonus

Have you heard that “anticipation of pleasure is a pleasure in itself”? Besides being grateful every day, I also visualized ringing the bell at the end of my treatment. Although there was no physical bell to ring at my clinic, looking forward to the final day was one of the simplest things that kept me going.

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