How Radiation Treatment Will Affect Your Body

Cancer is something that everyone dreads, but many people either know someone who has it or go through it themselves. Luckily, modern medicine has progressed dramatically since cancers were first discovered, and now many different forms of cancer have quite high survival rates. Radiation treatment for cancer has also gotten a lot better as it has been refined, but it can still be a scary process to enter into without knowing what will happen to you or your body. Here is a quick explanation of what to expect and how it will impact your day-to-day life. 

Helpful Accessories 

During the actual radiation treatment, you need to keep very still. You will be given a range of options of helpful accessories that keep you still. It is not uncommon to ask for a plaster cast for a twitchy arm or a headrest to make you more comfortable. If, after the practice session or one of your early treatments, you find yourself getting uncomfortable, then speak! Your support staff are there to make sure you get through each treatment session as comfortably as possible. Don't suffer in silence, or you will hate going to these sessions even more than you already do.

It Will Be Exhausting

Even though radiation treatment for cancer does not take very long (sometimes as short as 10-20 minutes), it has a very noticeable effect on most people's attitudes, making them very tired. Generally, treatment happens on each day during the week, so it is important that you schedule yourself some time to recover during the day. You also may feel some weird sensations in your mouth, and if this is the case you should speak up and tell your doctor. This isn't necessarily a bad sign, just something to manage and keep you informed on.

Other Side Effects

Apart from the mental fatigue, it is well known that radiation treatment for cancer affects your skin, hair and it can even change your blood count. Skin and hair can be treated during your radiation courses with creams and ointments, but if your blood count does go below a certain level, you might have to reduce your radiation treatment while your blood count gets back up to an acceptable level. This is because the blood is vital in fighting off sickness, and ensures that you remain as healthy as possible during what is quite a taxing experience. 

For more information about what is involved in radiation treatment for cancer, contact a local treatment center.