Just finished 6 weeks of IMRT at the end of February.60 Grays in total on the right side of my neck where I had my second neck dissection at the end of November.
Side effects are not really what I expected compared to the 6 weeks of conventional RT I had 18 months ago.
Back in 2011, I had chemotherapy for 6 weeks alongside my RT and it took a good 3 months before any degree of new normality appeared.
This time I have a bit of a scorched mouth and my taste has been somewhat affected - though not completely eradicated as before. I've managed to keep on eating fairly normally and avoided having to use my Peg feeding tube as my throat has not been frazzled at all and my swallowing is pretty good.I've also had no problems with excess mucous or severe ulcers in the mouth.
Fatigue is still a bit of an issue, but nothing like I was anticipating and mostly I manage and am able to fight any low points where a lazy lie down beckons.
My skin began to break down a little in the final week.However, this was really more like bad sunburn and not something that couldn't be alleviated by lashings of aqueous cream.
As the sessions and weeks went by I kept waiting for some horrendous side effects to appear like last time. . . but I'm still waiting.
I haven't got away with it completely as in the last 3 weeks I've developed a very stiff neck/shoulder. I can't quite work out whether this is posture related (as my physiotherapist maintains) or something more related to my radiotherapy.It really Is quite uncomfortable and I do vaguely remember my Consultant taking about massaging this area but I haven't got my review with him for another 10 days yet.
I know that this condition cold be related to lymph drainage, but any insight into possible causes or solutions would be appreciated.