Starting radiation for lung cancer: Any tips or words of wisdom?

@colleenyoung
I initially had nsclc in 2021. That was treated with a right lower lobectomy and 4 rounds of chemo. It was adencarcinoma stage 2b. It came back upper right lobe, in December 2025 and I was treated with 5 rounds of sbrt radiation. Yes I still have fatigue but it isn't as bad as it was. Radiation effects everyone differently. I have friends that had no side effects.

@blue717 "One week later, I feel some pain in my lungs, like a burning, but I would rate it at about a 2.5 pain level.............. I have to rest more often because I get tired faster than usual. "

I recommend you tell your doctor about this pain and your fatigue. It could be pneumonitis which is an issue with radiation to lungs. That would explain the fact that you need to rest more
Radiation comes with risks. My first treatment series of radiation caused pneumonitis, and I am now on oxygen because of it. My second round of radiation caused chest pain which fortunately has improved

@vic83 Thank you for your concern. Luckily, on Friday I had my yearly appointment with my cardiologist, who said my lungs are clear as a bell. I think the fatigue is normal for what we have just put our bodies through. Plus, I am probably a little too active. Ex: today I stripped the bed and put on new linens. Did a few loads of laundry. Swept and mopped my floors. Made two pans of baked Ziti. Went to the grocery store and took a 1/2 hour walk and 15 minutes of gentle exercise. Now I'm going to sit on my butt for about an hour until it's time to make salad and feed the dogs.

@lls8000 I didn't have surgery and could have a biopsy, i was given a clinical diagnosis of early stage lung cancer adenocarcinoma.
I had my last Session of sbrt radiation treatment Friday gone, i dont have any side effects yet, but I understand they could show up anytime as the radiation is still working on me.
It's been a long and stressful road since doctor called me to come and see him and was told I may have lung cancer and that road will now be much traveled by future appointments and scans to keep a check on my health.

@mosconiar we are on the same journey. I’m glad the treatments are over. I have a little pain in my lungs , more like soreness than anything. I hope it stays that way. I understand what you mean, even though I have accepted and come to terms with it. The thought will always be in the back of my head of its return. We just have to learn to live and enjoy life as if this never happened

@mosconiar Hi I completed 5 sbrt 5 rounds this past March for an early stage 1 adenocarcinoma in my right lower lobe....The treatments were not difficult at all..Maybe a little fatigue but honestly nothing really hard..As far as side effects after a few months, Ive had some inflammation in my lungs with some mucus, which was recently..Some twinges of pain intermittently, but again nothing really uncomfortable....I have had 2 CT scans since March, and both showed a non viable nodule, successfully treated. I will have another scan in October...Good luck .......I'm 73.

2 years ago I had a right upper lobe lobectomy. Every 3 months I would go to my doctor for check ups. The 4th check up and supposedly the last I found out it was back. It took 2 months of test to finally start treatment. I was to do 5 radiation treatments. By the time I was to start treatment it had spread and I did 30 radiation treatments 5 days a week and 5 chemo treatments. My husband wanted to drive me to all my appointments. The 1st radiation treatment I walked out to meet my husband and told him I couldn’t believe how fast and easy it was. I didn’t have any side effects from radiation treatments. Chemo was a different story. Aloe gel is what I used for my skin on the radiation area. I went for a PET scan in March of this year and it showed a seed size spot on my lung. That’s when I found out that the radiation is still working and they would retest in 3 months. I went back,I did blood test and it showed no cancer in my blood. Another 3 months is up next month. I have blood test and another PET scan scheduled. I am hopeful. Please find a way to calm yourself and keep the faith. About half the patients who were in my group drove themselves to appointments. Some came after work.

Welcome @littlefinn, thanks for sharing your experience with radiation. Recurrence is never easy, but I’m glad they found that spot, so you could act on it. Wishing you good results on those next scans!

@lindagoly, you must be so grateful to have supportive friends around you. They really make a difference. I bet it was also satisfying for them to know there was something meaningful they could do to support you.

It's been a few weeks now since completing radiation. How are you doing?

Well, I am at that difficult spot - I have some mild symptoms - low energy and I notice some effort with activities like walking up steps or at a normal pace. I'm hoping it is just the clean-up phase after radiation, and that it will get better. At the same time, I can't just try to ignore it all, in case it is developing pneumonitis. I will probably get ahold of my team this week sometime. Thank you for asking. Yes, supportive friends are wonderful!