“What I wish I knew before my first radiotherapy appointment”

Radiotherapy is a common treatment for breast cancer, but that doesn’t make it any less daunting or strange. It’s very natural to have some questions and concerns before your first appointment – after all, it’s all still unknown and unexperienced for you. While Future Dreams provides a number of support groups and services to help you during radiotherapy treatment, we also have a brilliant community of people online who are either also going through radiotherapy, or who have been there before and have now finished their radiotherapy treatment.

Many of those people have been kind enough to share their advice around what they wish they’d known before their mastectomy.

What the Future Dreams community say they wish they’d known before their first radiotherapy appointment:

• “It doesn’t hurt. The radiographers are amazing and will put you at ease.”

• “Wear soft clothes. Add a lot of lavender oil to your body moisturiser, and use it every night. Sleep lots, and don’t try to do anything more than arrive in time for the duration of your treatment.”
  
  
• “Radiotherapy was not as scary as I thought it would be. The machine looks terrifying, the breath holds seem serious, but it’s all okay—just use loads of moisturiser. I was tired so I planned some nice things in to my diary. Making radiotherapy friends helped me; we counted down the days together. The medical team were lovely.”
  
  
• “Keep hydrated! Ask the team what cream is best for you. If you need to hold your breath, it’s much easier than you expect. The team are fantastic—and make you smile when you really don’t feel like it.”
  

The do’s and don’ts of radiotherapy: advice for patients in treatment

As you embark upon radiotherapy, pop the kettle on, make a nice cup of (green) tea and take a look at our list of do’s and don’t’s for radiotherapy:

• “Don’t worry about it hurting, as it doesn’t. It’s a bit daunting being in the room with all the equipment, but it doesn’t hurt. You will feel very tired during and the weeks after it, so don’t overcommit yourself and take time to rest and recharge. A few good box sets are key! And a good cream— ask the nurses for advice on this. Don’t let anyone underplay it. It’s not chemo, but it isn’t a walk in the park either. Be proud of yourself for getting through it… which you will.”
  
  
• “Make sure you ask all the questions about the benefits and drawbacks/risks and then be ‘happy’ with the choice and work out how to support your health in either scenario. If having it, visualise it as healing and therapeutic (some visualise a healing white light or sunlight eradicating any ‘badness’ vs any negative thoughts about it). I prepared with meditation to get calm and centred, dense nutrition and juicing.”
  
  
• “Drink plenty of water and fluids. That helped me with the dryness.”
  
  
• “It sounds more alarming than it is; if you managed chemo, hopefully this will be easier. It takes a lot of strength to go through this journey, so pat yourself on the back for how far you have come. Everyone’s journey is unique to them and it’s important to listen to your own body. You’ve got this!!!”
  
  
• “You are one day closer to it being finished… make sure you wear socks—it’ll be chilly. Just get it done.”
  
  
• “Buy an aloe vera plant in advance so you can use the gel in leaves to put on your skin—it’s very soothing, and I found it really helped.”
  
  
• “Have something to occupy your time in the waiting room—things can get backed up.”
  

To connect with others and find your people, you’re always welcome at Future Dreams House in London, or at any of our support groups, classes, workshops and therapies that are held online and in-person. Click here to have a look at our schedule.

Breast cancer support: book classes, therapies and workshops

In-person or online, wherever you are in the UK. Future Dreams offers a wide variety of group and individual support for women at any stage of a breast cancer journey.

Navigating Breast Cancer Side Effects: Support Groups & Workshops

Explore coping strategies and find support to manage the side effects of breast cancer treatment. Join our support groups and workshops to connect with others and learn effective self-care techniques online or in-person in London.

Unless otherwise specified, the information and content provided on this page has been written from a patient’s perspective then reviewed by a breast care nurse and it is intended for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your medical team for advice on anything covered in this article and/or in relation to your personal situation. The links and/or recommendations in this article to third-party resources are for your information and we take no responsibility for the content contained in those third-party resources.

Reviewed October 2024