How soon after radiotherapy to feel better?

[Its2amimustbelonely]

My DM finished ten days of radiotherapy last week on her lung and brain. She lives 300 miles away and I have a FT job and two kids so can only check up on her by phone. She has a good support network around her and they're visiting, bringing food etc... but she's still very very fatigued. I keep telling her that it's normal (it is) and it's part of getting better, rather than the cancer making her feel ill. Does anyone have any experience in how long it might take for her to feel vaguely normal again?

I still needed naps 3 weeks after my breast cancer radiotherapy.

How was she before the radiotherapy?

It's not a magic cure for whatever "side effects" she was suffering from before treatment. It can take a long time for the radiotherapy to reverse her symptoms etc, if ever.

As for the radiotherapy itself, if it's new symptoms that have only arisen after the treatment, then it can be several weeks.

Nothing is quick when it comes to cancer and cancer treatments.

Pelvic radiotherapy and took a couple of months for me.

Seriously - a year. BUT I assume it depends on where and how long in aggregate , it lasted. I had 15 x 2 minute sessions and list my sense of taste and smell. Couldn’t taste / eat .

Lungs and Brain sounds quite difficult to me. So I would expect that, while things will gradually get better, it will take time.

My last radiotherapy session for breast cancer was the week before the summer holidays - I found the whole 6 weeks really tough going. I imagine for brain and lungs (two areas, one being chest - so like my breast cancer radio) - it will take a while. I think the brain area will dominate, so maybe see if you can find someone who can advise on that?

Thank you. It's her third treatment. She had seven courses of chemo last summer and sailed through that. She then started targeted therapy for her ovarian cancer (she has two cancers, unrelated!) before Christmas and sailed through it. So this has really surprised her as it's completely knocked the stuffing out of her.