If you are facing the long and difficult road of cancer treatment, you may have many questions. Once you have decided which cancer treatment you would like to pursue, you need to know more about it if you are going to continue with it. If your chosen cancer treatment is radiation therapy treatment, keep reading to find out the six things that you have to know about how it works.
1. What is the Overall Definition?
When people refer to receiving radiation therapy as a treatment for their cancer, they are speaking about one of the most popular treatments for cancer today. Radiation therapy makes use of intense beams of energy that is designed to kill cancer cells. This therapy generally uses X-Rays, but really any energy can be used effectively. Usually, radiation therapy is an external procedure.
2. Will it Change my Sleep Schedule?
One of the main things people keep complaining about when they undergo radiation therapy as a treatment for their cancer is how drowsy a session will make them, and how it will throw off their sleep schedule. The best way that you can counteract these effects is to keep to a nutritious diet, eat often and eat well. Proper nutrition can help your body to repair itself after suffering the detrimental effects of radiation therapy.
3. Can This Be Done With Discretion?
For many people, using radiation therapy to combat cancer is a private affair, one to only be shared with a select few. The good news is, private radiation therapy is available. Pursuing this form of treatment in this manner will cost you a pretty penny, but you will get the best treatment and have your every need seen to. Choosing private as the way to go is an excellent option to discuss with your healthcare provider.
4. Inform Your Doctor About Other Medications
In case any of them might react badly with your body being exposed to intense beams of energy regularly, be upfront about any other medications that you might be taking. This can only protect you, as some of the adverse reactions can be even worse than what you are going through right now.
5. Will Radiation Therapy Be a Painful Event?
Radiation therapy makes you lose weight, attributing that to the stress caused by pain. Many people who receive this therapy are anesthetized. The anesthesia tends to cause nausea which leads to weight loss. Many people who receive radiation therapy as a treatment for their cancer say that they experience minimal discomfort while they are receiving a session. However, you must protect others from suffering the ill effects of being exposed to radiation.
Will I Lose My Hair?
Many people dread the threat of losing their hair, but they forget that for most people, it is a temporary thing. While it is true that your hair will start to fall out two or three weeks after you begin radiation therapy, and the loss will be more pronounced on a body part directly exposed to radiation, it is important to remember that it will grow back.
Having to face the diagnosis of cancer and all that goes with it involves choosing the sort of treatment course you want to pursue. This list of all you need to know about radiation therapy as a treatment for cancer should help you make your decision.
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