Some Radiation Basics

We should start off by saying that radiation is a very common treatment for those facing cancers requiring nose removal or partial removal. But it's often little understood by patients about to go through it, and, often one of the worst parts of treatment with the most side effects.

First, you might not know what radiation even is (I didn't), or that effects it will have on you other than to kill off any remaining cancer cells left behind after your removal surgery. Is it delivered via IV fluid? An injection or something? Is it a glowing pill or a patch applied to your skin to deliver meds over time?

I had no idea, and I walked into it blind. Here is a little of my own experience with it. First, it should just be said that radiation of the head and neck is often miserable. Just plain awful, and it can drag on for a very long time. The experience of receiving it can be deeply uncomfortable, and the side effects debilitating. A small sampling is loss of taste, loss of saliva, inability to eat and pain and tissue damage around the site.

It's a rotten and foreign experience, so it's a good idea to get familiar with it before you get started - but rest assured a lot of people have gone through this before you, and help and support is out there.

For starters - what is radiation? This is a decent little explainer. From my experience (pictured above), I can say that it is a quick but uncomfortable experience in which you are strapped tightly into a little shell so you can't move while the beams are on (the radiation targets are very precise) and placed into a moving set of machinery that hums and makes noises.

Treatments are generally once a day or five days a week, and patients get prescribed somewhere in the range of 30-40 treatments. On a good day, you're in and out of there in like 20 minutes.

For some patients, the tightness and immobilization of the mask can be very challenging - I myself worked on ways to find calm and push back claustrophobia while strapped in. But with a little bit of practice and technique, it gets easier. Also, your techs will often play music of your choice for you, which is nice.

Some links for information on this are here, here and here. The Google machine can yield many more.

So the daily treatments can be a challenge, but for many people, it's the side effects of radiation that are the real beast. Much of the conversation on SPOHNC, for example, is about how people are trying to cope with radiation treatment, as much as surgeries and recoveries.

There are volumes on the internet about this, and the impacts are unique to each patient and tied to how much radiation they receive and where, so it's hard to provide good links on this. Your radiation oncologist will likely be your best source of information, but here are some generalities of what can happen.

I think for many people, the loss of the ability to eat is one of the most acute problems, so it's best to be prepared for that. I got a medium regimen of radiation, and I still didn't take in a solid for about two months at the time. I lived largely on Ensure high calorie drinks and fruit smoothies for a chunk of time, and had to figure it out as I went. You will too.

These are just some basics - there is almost an endless amount one could say about radiation and its impacts, but rest assured it doesn't last forever. Hopefully, this community can provide more information as we grow that will prove helpful.