The average radiation therapy patient needs 8 to 12 cups of water per day. If you are going to consume caffeinated drinks like tea or coffee, we recommend having no more than 1 to 2 glasses a day as it may make dry mouth worse. This is a common side effect during treatment.
Caffeine, which has a DNA-repair inhibiting effect, enhances the cytocidal effects of anticancer drugs and radiation.
Drink Plenty Of Liquids
Drinking lots of water is especially important if you experience diarrhea during radiation therapy. “Good hydration flushes toxins out of the body and reduces treatment side effects such as nausea, weakness, bowel changes, and fatigue,” says Komar.
Don't wear tight clothing over the treatment area. It's important not to rub, scrub or scratch any sensitive spots. Also avoid putting anything that is very hot or very cold—such as heating pads or ice packs—on your treated skin.
You should avoid or cut back caffeine if it worsens the chemotherapy side effects you are experiencing. The National Cancer Institute suggests avoiding caffeinated drinks or foods such as dark chocolate if you experience diarrhoea (11, 15).
My top 10 tips on what to avoid while having conventional chemotherapy treatment for cancer are: Avoid caffeine as it acts as a diuretic and draws water out of your cells, causing you to urinate more fluid than you are consuming. Stay away from strong smelling foods to avoid aggravating any disorders of taste.
Some chemotherapy drugs can make you feel sick or you may lose your appetite. If you are able to drink, then small amounts of alcohol may help to boost your appetite. But excessive drinking would not be a good idea, whatever type of chemotherapy you are on.
Avoid raw vegetables and fruits, and other hard, dry foods such as chips or pretzels. It's also best to avoid salty, spicy or acidic foods if you are experiencing these symptoms. Your care team can recommend nutrient-based oral care solutions if you are experiencing mucositis or mouth sores caused by cancer treatment.
Skin changes usually occur one to two weeks after your treatment begins and may last one to two weeks after your last treatment. You may shower or bathe throughout your radiation therapy. Your nurse will recommend a mild soap for you to use. It is important to keep skin folds clean and dry.
Feeling very tired and lacking energy (fatigue) for day-to-day activities is the most common side effect of radiation therapy to any area of the body. During treatment, your body uses a lot of energy dealing with the effects of radiation on normal cells.
Daily preparation - CT and treatment
When you attend for your CT planning scan and daily treatment, your radiographers will ask you to empty your bladder. They will then ask you to drink 500ml of water. This helps to ensure you have a comfortably full bladder. It is important that you drink the water quickly.
Two randomized clinical trials have been conducted on treatment time and oral mucositis in head-and-neck cancer patients. Both reported about 10% lower rates of severe oral mucositis in patients treated in the morning (before 11 am) vs. late afternoon (after 3 pm)(11,12).
Radiotherapy to the tummy (abdomen) area can make you feel and be sick. This may stop you from eating and may mean you begin to lose weight.
The radiation stays in the body for anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Most people receive internal radiation therapy for just a few minutes. Sometimes, internal radiation therapy can be given for more time. If so, they stay in a private room to limit other people's exposure to radiation.
Many people who get radiation therapy have fatigue. Fatigue is feeling exhausted and worn out. It can happen all at once or come on slowly. People feel fatigue in different ways and you may feel more or less fatigue than someone else who is getting the same amount of radiation therapy to the same part of the body.
Unless you feel ill, you can typically drive yourself to treatment. In fact, many patients are able to work full-time during their treatment.
If you're getting radiation therapy to the brain
Some side effects might show up quickly, but others might not show up until 1 to 2 years after treatment. Talk with your radiation oncologist about what to watch for and when to call your doctor.
As a result of these epidemiological studies, it was found that the mammary gland, skin, and colon, etc. are tissues and organs that are easily affected by radiation and develop cancer.
Radiotherapy can cause tiredness because the body is using up your energy reserves to repair healthy cells damaged by the radiotherapy. If you are taking steroids, you might also find that you feel extremely tired when you stop taking them. Travelling to the hospital each day for treatment can also make you tired.
Drinking a lot of water during your chemotherapy treatment is also important. Your treatment and some medications have side effects that could cause severe dehydration. Make chemotherapy hydration a priority. When you drink plenty of water during treatment, it can help make your recovery a smoother process.
Blase Polite offers patients one piece of cautionary advice: Avoid alcohol the day of and a few days following chemotherapy treatments, as that is typically when people experience the most nausea, which alcohol can exacerbate. Dr. Polite gives the green light to enjoy a glass five days after treatment.
Alcohol during radiotherapy
Usually it is fine to have small or moderate amounts of alcohol during your treatment. But alcohol can inflame a sore mouth or throat if you are having radiotherapy to your head or neck area. It can also irritate your bladder if you are having pelvic radiotherapy.