I realize this is different for different people but...

I'd like to know how many treatments you had before the pain from radiation burn became a significant issue. Also, how long did it last after treatment was over.

BTW, I'm getting rad every day during the week.

Andrew, Are you talking about radiation burn to the skin or the burning sensation you get in your mouth and throat? Either way, those things are so different for everyone who goes through it that I don't know if anyone's individual answer will be that much help. For example, I did not have much problem with burn to the skin until the very last week and it never got as bad as what I have seen other people post. On the other hand, the effect the radiaiton had on my mouth and throat was worse than what it was for many other people. That began about week 3 for me. There are some lucky folks who get through treatment without exeptionally bad reactions anywhere (inside the mouth and throat or on the skin).

In terms of lasting after treatment, the burn I did have got infected, or so they thought anyway, right after my treatment ended. I was in the hospital and they gave me some silver sufadine ointment to treat it (I think that's what it was called--it's been 3 years) and that made the burned skin all peel off within a couple of days and by the end of that week my skin was fine. The burning on my mouth took forever to heal but I am very atypical that way. I think for most people healing begins three to four weeks after radiation.

I know you're asking these questions because you feel like you'll be better prepared if you know what to expect. I felt very much like that when I was going through treatment. But do be aware that we're all different so what is true for anyone of us may not be true for someone else, even if they got exactly the same treatment.

Hang in there and keep coming here as things move along.

Nelie

Thanks, Nelie. I was asking about the burn in the throat. I figured the burn on the skin would less because it is spread out more.

Hey Andrew

Mine Started at about 2 weeks (10 treatments) and got exponentially worse from there.

Not trying to be a bearer of bad news, just what happened to me.

Kevin

Mine started about week 3 and got worse until I could no longer talk or even open my mouth very wide without feeling like I was going to tear my mouth apart. By week 2 post Tx all my throat pain was pretty much gone and my pain was not that bad even at it's worse. My worse villain was nausea and all the problems it brought with it.

David,

Can I ask what drugs you used to treat your nausea?

Thanks!

-Margaret

I was well into treatments...around week 5 and the 2 weeks following the end of treatments were the worse for me. I was on Ensure and milkshakes, etc for those 4 weeks. But I took some pain meds and was able to swallow. I think you will find everyone is unique. Pain meds help!

Margaret,

My docs gave me everything they could think of and nothing seemed to work on me or it created worse problems than what I was taking them for so shortly before my rads ended I just stopped taking all my meds and my nausea subsided and that let me get more water and food in my body and like a snowball rolling down a hill, everything just got progressively better. As to why nothing seem to work for me...I have no clue. All I do know is that the pain I endured without the meds was far better than the uncontrolled nausea which brought dehydration, constipation and whacked out blood chemistry with the meds.

My experience was the same as Davids and the ct played a major role in it. Cisplatin is well known to cause mouth sores. Of course radiation damage was a factor as well. They continued to about a nonth post Tx then very slowly the damage healed over the next 6 months or so.

Darn. I think I should have just waited and not asked. I'm getting problems sooner than most people. I had my first treatment May 28. A few days ago my mouth started being sensitive. Mainly the sides of my tongue and my throat. I've not been able to finish meals. I'm going to have to use the tube for at least part of my nutrition.