How soon will I start to feel better after radiation therapy?

How soon will I start to feel better after radiation therapy?

Christian Cable, Dr. Ryan Osborne & Dr. Noam Z. Drazin (Cancer Experts) gives expert video advice on: What is 'radiation therapy'?; What happens to my body when I get radiation treatment?; Is radiation therapy painful? and more...

Most people will go through the first several weeks with, virtually, little to no significant side effects. Usually after about the third or fourth week of treatment the side effects will begin and side effects are in an early phase and a late phase. The early phase is usually the one that most people are more familiar with and that will resolve fairly quickly, meaning usually within 3-4 months after they complete treatment, those early side effects will completely resolve such as some of the ulcerations and the rawness and irritation and inflammation. Then there are some later side effects that come along with radiation and these will start to become more noticeable about 6-12 months after radiation and these may be associated with scarring and limitation of movement and different types of aches and pains, swellings that kind of pop up and go away without any real warning. Some of these may completely abate within a year's time. Some of them may be around for far longer and never completely go away and may be something that improves but has to be ultimately accepted as a long term side-effect of treatment.