My Story of Going Through Radiation Treatment
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- Опубліковано 19 лис 2019
- Ever wondered what it would be like to go through radiation therapy? Have you been recently diagnosed and want to know what you'll have to do leading up to and during radiation treatment? I'll tell you all about my experience starting with my very first appointment with the radiation oncologist. I'll also share how I tried to mix in a little humor at the end of each week of radiation.
👀Ladies! Be sure to watch the entire video for some important information about what radiation can do to our special parts in the pelvic region.
✅Subscribe to hear more about what to expect after a cancer diagnosis: / @survivorjelena
I'll be posting new videos here every Wednesday. Be sure to subscribe so you'll always be the first to know when a new video is uploaded! You can find me by searching for "Survivor Jelena".
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What did you use to help alleviate the pain from your radiation burns?
Survivor Jelena my mom uses aloe Vera gel three times a day on pelvic area and at the back. She has been told to sit in warm water tub to soothe the anal area.
I was prescribed RadiaplexRx Gel for external use. Fortunately I didn’t have to deal with any internal burns (at least none that I could feel)
Good morning Jelena. When you got diagnosed. How long after the test and paper work did it take for you to start treatment
It was about 3 weeks from the day I found out the tumor they found during my colonoscopy was cancerous to starting radiation and oral chemo.
I had 25 days of external radiation treatment to my pelvis that I finished 10 days ago. I'm experiencing severe vulvar burning and blistering now. Also, my anal area is inflamed. I'm also quite gassy. I have taken to using gel packs from my freezer that I wrap in a thin towel and cool my crotch with. It gives me so much relief! I also drink plenty of water, eat a no sugar/no carb diet that consists of avocado, cucumber, leafy greens, flax and olive oils, red meats, eggs, fish and cheese. I also take supplemental DHA/EPA, vitamin D3/K2, liquid zinc and B-12. I believe all this is helping me feel better then I would without. I am resting alot and doing some walking. No heavy duty working out. Stretching feels very good. I hope that helps someone. 🙂
So interesting to see your radiation treatment was so different to mine. I had to lie on my belly and my bladder had to be full of water to raise my bladder out of harms way. I got cystitis symptoms but no burning on the outside of my skin. I'm in Ireland by the way 😊
You are a sweetheart.
I wish you well.
Thanks ☺️
You looks so positive and energetic, No one actually can believe that you had a cancer
What a wonderful service you are providing for patients, their family and friends...keep it up !
John Oliger thank you!
Found your channel doing research for a class project as I just started school to become a radiation therapist. 15 years ago my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer with metastasis to her liver and she is now 13 years clear after a reoccurrence 1 1/2 years after first diagnosis and treatment. Your channel is such a great resource, keep it up and sending healthy vibes your way.
Congrats on your mom being cancer-free for 13 years 👏🏼👏🏼🎉 Best of luck to you in school.
How was she treated? Did she undergo linear radiation therapy as well?
I had severe cramping which laid me out even with morphine tablets was prescribed Buscupan for cramps and what a world of difference no cramping pain and no pain killers
What an honest and informative video, thank you. I certainly hope you're doing much better now. Not easy to talk about all of this stuff, thank you for sharing as I know it isn't easy to share with the world. Starting rad treatment in 2 weeks to neck and armpit area for Hodgkin's Lymphoma - hoping it's a short and successful journey. Love from CA-.
Thank you. I wish I had seen a video like this before my treatment.
Thanks for sharing, you are so brave. God bless you and your family I will forever keep you in my prayers.
Jelena, thank you so much for messaging me yesterday evening. I love your videos! I've also subscribed. Thanks so much for being so informative on the process and treatments. You are a Blessing!
You’re welcome 💙. Happy to help. Thanks for subscribing!
Thank you for this video series. Now I know what I’m facing.
You’re very welcome! Are you newly diagnosed?
I’ve just been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. You give me hope ❤
Thanks for the information. My prayers are with you 🙏. Hope so everything in your life is going well.
Everything is going well, thank you💙
Beautiful honest video Jelena........I hope your well now xx
Thank you! 😊
Thank you all your information
You’re welcome 💙
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your radiation treatment experiences. I was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer in May of 2022 and am in my 5th week of radiation treatment. Luckily, I have not experienced much of the inside burning that you describe, maybe because the radiation that I am receiving is a proton therapy that is supposed to minimize the damage to non cancerous tissue. Anal and bladder issues are another matter. As you described, bowel movements can be painful and unproductive and my urine stream is very weak and frequent trips to the bathroom are needed. I am drinking lots of water and taking stool softeners with minimal results. I would welcome diarrhea!!! What type of food did you eat during treatment? Thanks again for sharing your experiences and preparing those of us facing the treatment trifecta of radiation/chemo/surgery.
Hi Jelena, thank you for posting this video! It was very informative. I'm in my 3rd week now. Same diagnosis different treatment plan. However I feel like your video taught me more then the radiation oncologist that I currently see. Don't get me wrong she is great but I get nervous and don't ask questions. I do now know what to ask thanks to your video. So happy you are in remission!!!
Thank you. Great info.
You’re welcome 💙
This is such wonderful information, I really wish I had seen this before or even during my treatment. You really described it to a T. Thankfully, I am getting to the point for my ileostomy reversal. My surgery was successful and the pathology report showed that I am 100% cancer free! I hope more people run across your videos as this will help them to prepare.
Congrats on making it to cancer-free!! 🥳💙I’m always happy to hear from other survivors that my descriptions/stories really mirror their experience.
Now I just have to survive this ileostomy bag. Changing the bag is such a stressful time for me because of leaking. I just switched to a two piece Hollister system. I’m hoping I have more success with this even though my home healthcare nurse and I changed it on Monday together and it late Tuesday morning.🤦🏾♀️
I'm going through treatment now I am a male samething thanks for sharing this is my 3rd week
Wishing you the best of luck as you continue through treatment 🤞🏼💙
I am so glad I found your channel dear. First of all I am happy that you are better now . My brother is having his first treatment tomorrow and I been looking for some information about all of this. Nobody had a better explanation of this then you wow amazing job . Thank you thank you ❤️❤️❤️
I'm so glad you found me! Is your brother starting radiation? Keeping my fingers crossed for him that treatment isn't too horrible for him. Let him know he can reach out to me if he has any questions :-)
@@SurvivorJelena thank you sweetie for replying back to me. He started radiation and xeloda today . We are hoping for the best 🙏🙏🙏🙏 thank you so much please keep him in your prayers. I have another brother just got a bone marrow transplant a few months ago and now this 😭😭😭
@@zeek4749 oh my goodness, your family needs a break! Make sure you're taking care of yourself too.
@@SurvivorJelena I am trying it's very hard ☹️☹️☹️
Thank you again for sharing! I am in my 3rd day of radiation in my the Lymph nodes in my pelvis and already feeling the burn- Thanks for the warning on the va-jay-jay shrinkage- I heard about that and not happy about it - calling my doc now for the SSD cream- Thanks and Happy to hear you are cancer free!
You're welcome! Glad to give you a heads up on some of the crappy parts of this. Hang in there and hopefully the SSD cream soothes the burn and keeps it from getting too bad.
Hi Jelena I just love listening to your videos it gives me alot of information about the cancer. I have stage 3 colon cancer starting radiation July 5.and Xeloda. Any other advice to give I would love to have. Bless you and your family. Stay strong because you keep me Strong
Thank you 💙. My best advice is to be generous with naps and rest, accept any and all help offered, and watch all the videos in my What to Expect During Treatment playlist. 😀
i have the same cancer as survivor jelena and closes to the same area. I lust got done with my treatment of only 5 days and no burns but constantly having to go to the bathroom most of the time . on the fifth treatment i stop eating and it helped a lot it. tommrrow is day six
Please make sure that you eat some. You shouldn’t go through all of treatment without eating.
Richard, I feel your pain!!! I am in week 5 of 6 and bathroom trips are so unpleasant that I have reduced my food intake greatly. I’m still eating every day but only those things that are soft or liquid and am drinking lots of water. I hope that you are done with your treatments by now and are having a better experience with the chemo. Take care.
I hope these symptoms are explained to patients prior to treatments.
Most of them typically are, but every patient is different so it’s hard to know just how severe you’ll experience any of them.
I just wore a pair of Odd Socks every day lol
Whatever helps you get through it!
❤❤
My mum is on xeloda nd radiation.. An you plz tell us what was your diet and what did u avoid.. Duringthis therapy
My daughter was just diagnosed with colorectal cancer. She was diagnosed with Stage 2. They are doing chemo and no radiation. Her tests were a lot less also. Wonder why? She starts chemo Monday. Her mass was blocking her colon so she had to have surgery. None was found in her lymph nodes or other major organs.
I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter’s diagnosis. If her cancer is in the colon treatment looks a little different, then since she already had surgery I bet they got a good look up close of everything while they were in there. Wishing her the best as she starts chemo 💙
Wish I had known about the burn treatment remedies. I had to just tough it out. They also failed to inform me about the destruction of the male reproductivity works. My treatments were just a couple months behind yours. Thank you for your out reach!
Ouch! That sucks the docs didn’t talk to you at all about the damage to your reproductive system that treatment could have. It’s definitely an area that needs worked on since more and more younger people are being diagnosed. Hope you’ve been hanging in there post-treatment 💙
@@SurvivorJelena I was 58 years old so they probably “assumed”, but still would have been nice to know. Ended up with chemo induced neuropathy of the hands and feet. A person will accept a-lot of not so nice side effects to have an extended life!
Hello everyone - my husband who is 84 yrs (and 10 months) was recently diagnosed with stage 2/3 rectal cancer. He has a bit of dementia, is being treated for PTSD, heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. In 2022 he began to have what he thought was chronic diarrhea with some bleeding. After about 6 months, he finally went to our primary care doctor who did a stool sample test because he did not want to have a colonoscopy. He had other tests which ultimately showed a thickness in the lower part of his rectum. Fast forward, he’s now in week 2 of 6 radio/chemo(pills by mouth) treatments every weekday. He sees a radiology oncologist and a medical oncologist who handles the chemo part and will see a colorectal surgeon toward the end of this round of treatments. This whole experience has been really a shock and stressful for him. I’ve been on Google and UA-cam including watching your videos and I’m beginning to wonder about his ability to tolerate the next parts of the treatment. Any thoughts? Thanks. Gail
Take note of how well he is/isn’t handling treatments so far so you can discuss that with the surgeon. I’m sure the surgeon has seen others around his age with other pre-existing conditions and they can discuss with you the pros and cons to surgery and give their professional opinion on how to proceed.
My 73 year old husband is starting radiotherapy and chemo tablets on 11/10. Bit scared how he’s going to cope. Hope your husband gets on okay xx
My tattoos are on both sides of my hips and one in the middle of my pelvis. I wonder why Because vwe both have colorectal cancer???Could it be because of the location I feel like maybe my tumor sits closer to my rectum exit...
did you ever get to see the CT scan or Xray of the treatment area?
I did get to bring home a CD of my initial CT scan that was done right after I was diagnosed, but I have no idea what is what when I look at the pictures! There were over 300 images too on the CD, so that’s a lot to sort through.
Hey jelena ! My mom has gone through 17 radiation and xeloda but the treatment had to be stopped as the abdominal pain is immense and diarrhea seems to not end. She goes in and has to go in a minute , it isn’t stopping was ur experience like this . How bad was the diarrhea? And when did it end?
Has she tried taking any anti-diarrheal medication? It sounds like she’s having a really hard time with this part of treatment, so it’s good they stopped. It will probably be a week or two before the diarrhea calms down after stopping treatment.
I’m getting ready to start radiation and chemotherapy treatments
Hope you’re doing ok
Have to have a full bladder. And lay on my back with my legs in this pillow type thing Each day is different. I take chemo pills twice a day. Day 1 I had labs got it saw the chemo doctor had 1st chemo I’ve done than radiation. Day 2 was radiation. Day 3 was saw the radiation doctor than radiation day 4. Radiation
Another good video.. thanks for the info. I just finished 6 rounds of chemo and on the cap oral chemo. Starting radiation on July 5th. For 6 weeks. Did your mouth get weird feeling like constant novacain in the mouth.🤮
No, I didn’t get that weird feeling that I can remember. Only that bad feeling when I would drink something cold.
@@SurvivorJelena yep, I got that too. Usually only lasts for a week after treatment.
Rectum damn near killed em!
Did you have your ileostomy during this or was that after radiation??
I didn’t get my ileostomy until after I completed radiation and oral chemotherapy.
Hello ! My mom has been detected with a very similar situation . Her radiation and xeloda has started please guide me how I can increase her energy levels as after radiation she feels fatigued.
Munira Saleem her body is going through a lot so it’s not a bad thing for her to rest. She should nap if she feels tired, then try getting out for daily walks to help boost her energy a little.
Survivor Jelena any special diet or sports drink you were told to have during this period of radiation and chemo?
No, I wasn’t told to drink anything special, just whatever I could drink to stay hydrated. I mostly drank water, and some coffee.
Did your tumor shrink after all that suffering?
It shrank enough that I didn’t have to get a permanent colostomy.
God heal us
If you have any sort of radiation does it affect your sex organs or only radiation directed in that area?
Those are in the same area so it can definitely affect them.
Can you still use the dilators years after going through radiation? They only told me I needed to use it once AFTER I was done with radiation, unless I had sex, which I did, as painful as it was at that time. It's still so painful I hardly ever want to engage with my husband. I feel so bad for him. Can this still help me???
Check with your radiation oncologist, but it probably can help.
Have you seen a pelvic floor GYN? Ask about PT just for your pelvic floor. Also, request lidocaine jelly to use with the dilators.
I diagnosed with esophagus cancer same chemotherapy giving me I had taken my first chemotherapy 7 cycle is pending and radiation is pending
Wishing you the best as you go through treatment 💙
@@SurvivorJelena my all hair will loss?
If you are doing Xeloda or FOLFOX, no. Your hair will probably thin, but you won’t lose it all.
Have you changed your diet to help keep the cancer from coming back?
No, I was already eating healthy before my diagnosis.
@@SurvivorJelena Can you tell me what you ate when got colon cancer? I believe that what you eat determines whether you get cancer. If you eat vitamins, minerals and antiinflammatory foods, you should not get cancer.
hello again Jelena, how did you got your cancer? is it through family history, from diet, or from always staying hungry. any suspect?
Cancer is such a weird disease, anything can be a trigger.. however.. finding out what causes cancer is extremely hard.. even if its related to our “genes”.. because even certain chemicals/compound in food we eat can manipulate our genes to be turned on or off which can make cells grow out of control... Some studies even show that certain parasites in contaminated water can maybe perhaps be a factor or causing some cancers.. we will never know... And I think that is why it is so hard to find a cure 😩.
Hello jelena did your abdomen and pelvic area feel sore all the time during radiation and more so when u used to have bowel movement? My mom has constant pain , is that normal?
I’m trying to remember...bowel movements were definitely painful, and my insides felt like they were in constant turmoil.
Survivor Jelena thank you so much jelena for promptly answering me and helping me in this difficult time
Survivor Jelena how did you survive it with painkillers?
I mostly just dealt with it. I did slather Vaseline on my butt to help with the burning when I would go to the bathroom, then at the end I used hemorrhoid suppositories to help with internal pain.
@@SurvivorJelena hi Jelena did you use the suppositories after treatment ended or while you were still doing treatment
I wish I had seen this before my treatment. Do you have any lasting effects from the radiation? It has been several months and I still have painful side effects. Prescription Silverdeen cream felt like heaven for my burns (they didn't tape me!) and aquaphor ointment helped a lot with wiping and burning. Thanks for this video!
Yes, the radiation most likely is what caused me to go into menopause.
Hi jelena... My mother who is 60 years old had her 1st radiation yesterday...She has endometrial cancer 3rd grade...She also carries her catheter till now... I have a doubt when the doctors will say to stop eating raw fruits what should she eat? I mean what did u eat? Plz suggest and plz reply.. 🙏
If she gets to that point, hopefully her doctors will give her a list of things that are ok to eat. She could probably eat canned fruits, cooked fruit, and soft fruits like cantaloupe, honeydew , bananas, and peaches without the skin.
@@SurvivorJelena I am from India and here the doctors are completely telling her not to eat raw fruits at all... Not even banana... Plus my mother is diabetic... Even they are telling not to give coconut water... Were u consuming packaged fruit juices? And also I would like to ask that were u consuming non vej too?
@@curiouslearner1790 wow, that must be hard. I usually drink a little fruit juice in the morning, but none after that. I was a vegetarian the entire time I went through treatment, so I didn't consume any meat.
@@SurvivorJelena I found, as I was going through my radiation here recently, that fruits were the worst for me! Terrible loose bowels! I switched to eggs, cheese and fatty meats, and that helped a lot! I also eat avocados and cucumbers and leafy greens. My bowels went quickly back to normal. It has also stopped my weight loss.🙂
I’m glad you were able to find foods that worked well for you to keep things under control.
From HPV Virus?
No
Good morning Jelena. Did you have problems going to go pee while doing radiation and Xeloda. I'm getting nervous.
No, I didn’t.
Did you lose your hair? If so, what chemo caused it?
I didn't lose my hair completely. It thinned quite a bit when I was on FOLFOX, but I started out with really thick hair so it wasn't super noticeable.
I was never told my stage in my colorectal cancer. And they're giving me chemo together with my radiation 5 days a week 30 minutes a day. Are they supposed to tell you your stage???
You have a right to know your stage because it determines what your treatment plan will look like. Ask them if they haven't told you, it should be in your medical records.
Hi, I just wonder, why the whole time you were getting radiation therapy, You were not prescribe with TPN, When losing weight is expected.
Probably because losing weight is expected, but it isn't so much that it jeopardizes your health. I was still able to eat, just not as much as I used to.
@@SurvivorJelena i was asking this because I lost a friend to colorectal cancer last month and she was slowly wasting.
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. It’s so hard losing someone we care about to cancer. Her situation sounds more like one where TPN could be used. But if the cancer was taking over her body she may have decided against it.
@@SurvivorJelena thank you
@@SurvivorJelena more power to you, i wish i showed her your videos, to encourage her more.
How are you Jelena , i am Marko i got 2,8 cm rectum cancer close to anus fairway 2,5 cm, do the CT, MRI and soon go to radioation ,if kill cancer dont do opration if not pu the stoma .
after 7 chemo's & 35 radiation on my cervix,
On 15-09-2019 i got hysterectomy ( bcs cancer stage 2a) but after the operation didn't get well,i got incontinent,....and im still on hospital with 2 nephrostomy on my kidneys. bcs my bladder was injured true radiation ..
A prof.dr. said to me my bladder have 6cm fistula and im going to have a Bricker urostomy wich i dont want that :(
radiation therapy is not worth 4 nothing only burning ur body and the healthy organs wich have to do nothing with ur cancer .
if had to chose now , i never had done .
i write this from my hosp.bed :(
So sorry to hear about your complications. I have some damage from radiation, but it shrank my tumor by so much I was able to avoid having a permanent ostomy and only had a temporary ileostomy, so I don’t regret doing radiation.
Survivor Jelena what damage did u have after radiation?
I'm so sorry. How are you today?
@@misswinnie4.8 hi there i've just checking the account of my wife , my wife is passed away on june 2020 :( ..... i miss her so muuuuuuch , she did hysterectomy and never got good with her , iv get her in 2 other hospitals ( K.U. LEUVEN & K.U. GHENT in Belgium , Europe) and dr.professors told us that in the main hospital ( sint nicolaas , belgium ) have make foults on operation and they can't reverse nothing :( , she was only 41 years , ......... now im alone in this world without my lovely women we have been together for 27 years, i mis her so much :(
- take care girl and dont trust to much the docs.
@@regtube4201 I'm so sorry for your unthinkable loss💔
My mother was 39 when she passed away and my father was left alone to raise 2 small children.
I wish that he had surrounded himself with people who were grieving bc he was very sad.
There is a group called Griefshare. They meet all over the world & have videos here on UA-cam.
I have attended the groups as an adult and they have helped me find hope.
No one can ever replace your beautiful wife, however there are people who understand what you are going through and who would be honored to walk with you.
Again, I'm sorry your wife suffered so much. Medicine is not an exact science...I was misdiagnosed and mistreated for many years before my own diagnosis. We do our best.
May God heal your broken heart💔
Do you ever forget to use the dilators or skip sex for a week? I just can’t imagine using dilators every week for the REST OF MY LIFE. That’s insane. I heard it was just the first year.
I stopped using them after probably a year or two. I still have them in case things get painful again I can start using them.
Get to the point lady
In 2019, I was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer to the liver at age 45. There was no family history. I had severe abdominal pain, fatigue, changes in bathroom habits. My physician assisatant thought I was gluten intolerant. That was not the case. I had a colonoscopy and had 2 polyps. One was benign, the other malignant. I had a pet scan a month after the colonoscopy and that is when i found out I was stage 4. I had a portacath put in so I could get chemo. I also went home with a pump. I had 6 rounds of chemo, surgery and more chemo after. I have been cancer free for 4 yrs. I'm happy to be a survivor. Nobody tells you about the after. I will have neuropothy for the rest of my life.