The radiation doesn't travel very far from the treatment area. So it is usually safe to be with other people. However, as a precaution you will need to avoid very close contact with children and pregnant women for a time.
Some people with cancer who receive radiation therapy worry that their bodies will become “radioactive” after they receive radiation treatment. Their concern is that close physical contact with others could expose them to radiation. “The general answer to this concern is that physical contact is fine,” Snyder says.
Any radiation therapy that is transient, including external beam radiation or brachytherapy that is removed, poses no risk to family members.
Avoid kissing and physical contact with others, and maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from women who are pregnant and children under 18 years old. Avoid activities where you may be close to others for more than 5 minutes, for example, movie theaters, sporting events and public transportation.
External-beam radiation therapy to the pelvis (such as to the anus, bladder, penis, or prostate) and brachytherapy (also called internal radiation therapy) can affect a man's sexual function. If blood vessels or nerves are damaged, it may be difficult to get or keep an erection; this is called erectile dysfunction.
Sleep alone for the first few (3 - 4) days. Avoid kissing or sexual intercourse for three to four days after treatment. Do not sleep together for an entire night until a week after treatment. Avoid prolonged physical contact, particularly with children and pregnant women; limit to 15 minutes.
Symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), or radiation sickness, may include nausea, vomiting, headache and diarrhea. These symptoms start within minutes to days after the exposure, can last for minutes up to several days, and may come and go.
Permanent implants remain radioactive after the patient leaves the hospital. Because of this, for 2 months, the patient should not have more than 5 minutes of contact with children or pregnant people. Similarly, people who are treated with systemic radiation therapy should follow safety precautions.
You are also required to self isolate for 7 days after your radioiodine treatment in order to minimise the risk of contracting COVID-19 whilst there is still a large amount of radioactivity in your body.
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.
Some patients worry that undergoing radiation therapy can be harmful to others because they are radioactive. For example, patients sometimes think they can't cuddle with their partner or hold a grandchild on their lap until after treatment. However, most patients don't need to worry about being radioactive.
Take a warm shower and gently wash yourself with lots of soap. Do not scald, scrub, or scratch your skin. Your skin helps protect the inside of your body from radioactive material.
During radiation treatment, the mean weight loss was 4.33 kg, and 53.6% (1303) patients had high weight loss (HWL; ΔW≥5%). The proportion of HWL was higher in patients with advanced T stage, N stage, high BMI level and who received chemotherapy.
Almost all patients are able to drive while receiving radiotherapy treatment. However, with some types of cancer, driving may NOT be recommended due to fatigue or strong pain medication. Your physician will be able to address your specific case.
Protecting others from the radiation
Being in a room on your own (isolation) protects other people from radiation. Pregnant women and children are not allowed into your room. Other visitors may be able to stay for a short time when it is safe for them to do so.
People who are externally contaminated with radioactive material can contaminate other people or surfaces that they touch. For example, people who have radioactive dust on their clothing may spread the radioactive dust when they sit in chairs or hug other people.
As long as you talk to your healthcare team and take the appropriate measures to reduce your risk of infection, your furry friends can stay by your side during cancer treatment!
It is safe to touch other people while on chemotherapy. You can hug and kiss. But you do need to protect others from coming into contact with your medicine.
With internal radiation, you may need to avoid touching the patient until the implant is removed or limit the time you spend very close to them. With systemic radiation therapy, you may also have to avoid the person's bodily fluids for a few days after treatment.
The two types of radiation that would cause to wear an air filter mask are Alpha and Beta particles. Both of these types of radioactive particles are easily stopped by a gas mask. Alpha radiation is a low energy particle that quickly loses energy as it travels from its source.
As soon as the exposure is complete, there is no more radiation present in the x-ray machine, the room, or any surrounding areas.
The radiation from implants or injections can stay in your body for a few days, so you may need to stay in hospital and avoid close contact with other people for a few days as a precaution. You may need to avoid close contact with children and pregnant women when you go home for a short time.
The radiation will pass out of your body through your urine within days. Until that time, you will give off radiation in your sweat, your saliva, your urine, and anything else that comes out of your body. It is important to avoid exposing other people to the radioactivity from your body.
Treatment for cancer, including radiation and chemotherapy, can also cause sleep problems because it can throw off patients' sleep cycles, possibly due to hospitalizations (which can interfere with regular sleep patterns) or because of physical symptoms (such as pain) that can make it difficult to sleep.