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KatieT's avatar
KatieT
Member
10 years ago

Radiation - recovery time?

It is two and a half weeks since my last radiation treatment and I would like to know how long it has taken others to heal from the burns.

I have skin missing from my shoulder, side of neck, breast wall and under arm.  The wounds weep a pale yellow fluid and some parts of it are very itchy.  For about a week I have been having it dressed.  A few days ago the wound care team at the hospital put on a dressing that starts with zinc-impregnated bandages layered over it, then covered by conformist bandages.  It stays on for a few days before they need to change it. It's very painful to have it all dressed again.  

I was hoping someone could tell me how long this goes on for.  I asked at the hospital if it would heal in the next week but they said they hoped for some lessening in the redness and perhaps some reduction in the area of the burns.

 

4 Replies

  • Thanks Anne.  I am now at two weeks and five days and while I cannot see anything because of all the bandaging, I know it's not healed because I can feel some pain and a lot of itching.  The fluid build-up in the tissue gets very itchy, like the feeling you get from an allergic dermatitis.  I get the bandages redone in three days so I'm hoping there's something improvement from last time I saw it.   I'm really looking forward to being able to get dressed normally again.

  • Thanks for your post AnnaB.  My oncologist told my I might get a dry spot on my shoulder but that did not prepare me for what I ended up with.  I then wasn't sure what I should do so even though people probably thought I should know what to do, I didn't.  I ended up going to the hospital for something else and the nurse saw the trouble I was having and got me some assistance.  

    Here's hoping the skin fairy is working hard at the moment.  

     

     

  • For me about 2 weeks after radiation finished was the worst then by 3 weeks after it had started to heal. I lost skin from my chest,underarm and neck with some parts bleeding slightly with the weeping. Once it starts to heal it heals pretty quickly...you will get there. Big hugs. Anne

  • Katiet,

    I'm so sorry your dressing ordeal has gone on so long.  I had loss of skin on my chest wall but thankfully not my neck.  My burn was dressed for about 10 days before it started looking normal.  I must say when that new layer of skin comes up the healing was very quick.    So frustrating though - I can still smell the cream.  I know everyone is different but during my orientation before radiation they talked about possibly "a bad sunburn" - right!

    All I can say is you will eventually heal.  I think long term effects of radiation is something not often discussed.

    I will be hoping the new skin fairy waves her wand asap for you.

    AnnaB