It’s also important to know when home remedies aren’t enough and you better call your healthcare provider.
Your healthcare provider may prescribe a cream to ease the discomfort.
Taking care to protect your skin from other sources of irritation can help as well.
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These infections are sometimes challenging to treat, requiring intensive antibiotic therapy and hyperbaric oxygen at times.
Fatigue
Fatigueis very common during radiation treatment and oftenworsens with time.
Let your loved ones knowwhat they can do to support youduring this time.
It is important for your loved ones to understand thatcancer fatigueis different than ordinary tiredness.
Feeling fatigued can also leave people feeling very emotional, and anger and frustration is common.
Healthcare providers term this “radiation esophagitis.”
Cough
Radiation therapy lowers the level of surfactant in your lungs.
Sometimes steroids are used to treat this.
With radiation to the chest region, inflammation referred to aradiation pneumonitismay occur.
Without treatment, this can progress tolung fibrosis.
For this reason, some people are hesitant to complain about unpleasant symptoms.
Talking to your healthcare provider, however, is important for more than one reason.
Symptoms that are primarily a nuisance can be serious if not addressed.
American Cancer Society.Late and long-term effects of cancer.
2013;20(4):e345-8.
2018 Sep;97(36):e12209.
doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000012209
National Cancer Institute.Radiation Therapy.
