@Lizzylou2 I finished 16 doses of rad treatment back in March/April following lumpectomy on left breast. Being on my left side I also had to do a Deep Inspiration Breath Hold which basically means that you hold your breath for up to 30 secs while they zap you & this moves your heart out of the way of the rad beam. They do think of everything to help you! You may have to do this if it is on your left side. It may sound scary but it isn't. You have control over the beam & if you can't hold your breath the machine stops automatically. As I am small breasted, my rad onc used a "plastic skin" on me called Mepitel which was GREAT! They wrap the area they are treating in this waterproof film & it stops your skin going red, blistering or peeling. It also minimises the rad beam to your body & protects your skin from your clothing. You do get used to it & you will have to see the nurses probably every day for them to check & make sure it hasn't peeled or bubbled. They expect it & are happy to do it as every time you shower, it can start to peel a bit. I also had to leave it on for 2 weeks after the treatment finished as your body is still reacting to the treatment & your symptoms actually peak at 2 weeks after you have finished so this is when you can get fatigued. I would thoroughly recommend Mepitel as after I took it off, my skin had NO REDNESS OR PEELING AT ALL! As your skin is covered you don't have to use any creams either during treatment but after I took the Mepitel off, I did use Calendula cream just to make sure & keep the area supple. I was amazed at how good my skin was & you wouldn't even know I had treatment. I also used Aveeno fragrance free body wash as you can't wash with anything that has perfume or fragrance. I did get a little tired but still tried to go walking as much as I could to keep active. Listen to your body & if you need to have a sleep or rest then do it as everyone reacts differently & has different dosage amounts of radiation & also different number of treatments. I didn't have to have many doses compared to others so that is probably why I didn't suffer a lot with fatigue. Try to get some fitness up before you start by going for walks when you can as it all helps in your recovery. Eat well & drink LOTS of water during the treatment. I didn't have to have any drugs so I can't comment of that side of things. I found it an easy process to go through & the staff are AMAZING. It will be over before you know it & I wish you well & hope you get as good a result as i did. I hope this helps. Lots of hugs & keep positive. xxxx
