Your emotions and radiotherapy

People may experience different emotions while having radiotherapy treatment - you may feel low or weepy at times. These emotions are shared by many people who have radiotherapy or any treatment for cancer. Many people who have radiotherapy will already have had some cancer treatment; for others it may be the beginning of a long treatment period. Radiotherapy can also cause physical changes, such as the menopause| or hair loss|, which can be very distressing.

Sometimes the hardest thing to cope with is when treatment finishes. You and your family and friends will probably see this as the time to get back to normal, but recovery time varies. No one can say for sure how long it will take you to get over the physical and emotional side effects.

The end of the visits to hospital for treatment can leave you feeling alone and neglected. Many people find they feel very low and emotional at this time, when they had expected to be able to put the cancer and the treatment behind them.

We all have our own ways of coping. Some people have a close network of family and friends who give emotional support. Others would rather seek help from people who are not involved in their illness. Either way, it’s important to know that support is available if you need it. You can ask at the hospital if help is available locally, or contact a support organisation|.

You can also call one of our cancer support specialists|. Some people find it helpful to talk through their feelings with a trained counsellor.

You might also find useful information in the following sections:

• Talking to someone with cancer - for relatives and friends of people with cancer. It looks at some of the difficulties people may have when talking about cancer, and suggests ways of overcoming them.
• Talking about your cancer - suggests simple, practical ways to help you talk about your needs and feelings.
• The emotional effects of cancer - discusses the different emotions that may occur and has tips on dealing with them.
• Talking to children about cancer - a guide for parents with cancer.