Radiation BTDT

[Anonymous]

Elderly family member (early eighties) just completed radiation and is having a lot of side effects. If you were in this situation did things eventually resolve? We are trying to decide if we need to hire some outside help (will require some convincing) If it's a short term issue I think we can cobble together some help on our own. We all work outside the home in inflexible jobs so it's not a good long-term strategy.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the side effects and the severity. I had radiation and it was brutal. The skin burn was really painful and when treatment is over and it starts to heal the itching nearly drove me insane. The scar tissue left behind, the limited range of motion due to scar tissue on muscle, and the reduced lung capacity (fibrosis)....all sucks. But I'm past it and mostly doing fine. I do remember that even after treatment ends the skin burn continued to get worse for about another week before it started to get better. Lidocain cream mixed in with the anti-itch/anti-bacterial cream they prescribed, really helped, especially at night when trying to sleep (really slather it on there).

Also, I was not 80 so there may be additional age-related challenges for your family member. What does the doctor say? The Radiation Oncologist treats people in this situation all the time and should be able to tell you what to expect for healing.