What does radiation feel like?

Author

Author

Jim Delaney

・

35 months ago at 12:37 PMAugust 05, 2022 at 12:37 PM

My first of 30 radiation appointments is coming up and I'm not sure what to expect. Does radiation hurt? Are the side effects different than with chemo?

10 comments

Last activity by Samantha McLain, 35 months ago at 2:30 AMAugust 05, 2022 at 2:30 AM

Samantha McLain・35 months ago at 2:30 AMAugust 05, 2022 at 2:30 AM

Following - I am interested into hearing other's experiences with this

0 Replies

Clare James・36 months ago at 2:52 PMJuly 13, 2022 at 2:52 PM

Based on my personal experience, I didn't feel any pain during the treatment itself, it was only after where I felt some of the side effects. The most common side effect for me was the burning sensation which lasted a couple weeks, but after those weeks was gone forever.

0 Replies

Tonya West・40 months ago at 8:25 PMMarch 08, 2022 at 8:25 PM

Not painful is what I've heard as well which is a relief. Best wishes on your journey! You got this!

0 Replies

Luke Smith・40 months ago at 8:24 PMMarch 06, 2022 at 8:24 PM

My mom also shared the feeling of sunburn being her experience during radiation!

0 Replies

Wendy Jones・40 months ago at 12:23 AMMarch 05, 2022 at 12:23 AM

I've been wondering as well. Thanks for being brave enough to ask and share everyone!

0 Replies

John Cameron・40 months ago at 10:04 PMMarch 03, 2022 at 10:04 PM

Thanks this is helpful to read

0 Replies

Dan Johnson・40 months ago at 10:03 PMMarch 01, 2022 at 10:03 PM

The radiation itself won't feel like much, the most part of time is spent WAITING - the machines are always down because they are very sensitive pieces of equipment. Did you know that it takes 11 people to operate a typical machine? That's serious stuff!!

0 Replies

Maria Johnson・41 months ago at 10:02 PMFebruary 28, 2022 at 10:02 PM

The worst part about radiation is having to sit still for a long time. It's not painful at all but you might end up with some skin burns over time. My skin ended up getting very burned but it wasn't till about the 7th week of treatment where the skin started breaking down on me.

0 Replies

Mary Fields・42 months ago at 9:22 PMJanuary 09, 2022 at 9:22 PM

You will hardly be able to feel anything. The hardest part is staying in the position they put you in sometimes for upwards of 30 mins.

0 Replies

Ashley Yesayan・42 months ago at 5:19 PMJanuary 07, 2022 at 5:19 PM

You won't be able to feel much of anything when you're getting radiation. First you'll be up on a table in a position that they will have you sit still in for about 20-30 minutes, then you'll have a beam directed at your cancer on a specialized path designed by your radiation oncologist. The beam itself doesn't feel like anything, but after a number of exposures (mine probably took about 4 weeks) the skin starts to break down and you might begin to have what feels like a bad sunburn. Good luck to you!

0 Replies