Preparing for Radiotherapy: How do you do it?

Prep-4-RT: A guide to preparing (prehabilitation) for radiotherapy for people with head and neck cancer and their carers.

In the weeks leading up to radiotherapy there are many things you can do to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing. Improving your nutrition, emotional and physical health can reduce side effects of treatment and help with your recovery. Watch the video for tips and information from a dietitian, psychologist, speech pathologist and physiotherapist about how to prepare for radiotherapy.

Read on for tips, advice and resources for looking after your nutrition, swallowing and speech, emotional health, physical health and oral health.

    Food and drink are your body’s fuel. What you eat and drink gives you energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. You need all of these to make sure your body works well. A dietitian is an expert in food and nutrition and can help you make a plan to ensure you are getting all the nutrition you need. A dietitian can give you advice on how to make eating and drinking easier, to help maintain your weight and muscle. Eating well prior to radiotherapy can help you get through treatment, keep your strength and energy levels up and help you to recover more quickly. Before, during and after treatment, it is important that you try to maintain your weight and muscle.

    Read more in the Looking After your Nutrition fact sheet.

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    Fact sheets:

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    Swallowing and speaking (which also includes your voice) are vital functions that we use every day. Many different muscles work together to help you swallow and speak but sometimes these muscles can be affected by radiotherapy. A speech pathologist can provide exercises, advice and strategies to maintain your function and to help when your swallowing or speech has been affected by radiotherapy.

    Read more in the Looking After your Speech, Swallowing and Communication fact sheet.

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    Fact sheets:

    It is common to experience a range of emotions after a diagnosis of head and neck cancer, including sadness, shock, numbness, worry, anxiety, frustration and concerns about appearance. Radiotherapy can be stressful, including treatment itself but also treatment side effects, such as pain, difficulty swallowing, speech changes, sleep disruption and fatigue, as well as changes in relationships and social connections. Family and friends may also have difficulties coping and experience similar emotions. There are lots of things you can do to look after your emotional health. This could include, learning relaxation skills, ways to manage worries, managing expectations, getting good sleep and looking after your relationships.

    Read more in the Looking After your Emotional Health fact sheet.

    Find out more about emotional health:

    Web resources:

    • Find a Psychologist - The Australian Psychological Society (APS) Find a Psychologist website helps you to find a psychologist. It allows you to search for psychologists by location, area of practice or presenting concern.

    Booklets:

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    Emotional Support Services:

    • Cancer Council provides an information and support line to Australians affected by cancer. You can call 13 11 20 to speak with a specialist cancer professional about anything to do with cancer.

    Exercise is planned, structured and tailored. Research shows that exercise benefits you before, during and after cancer treatment. Exercise prior to cancer treatment can help to speed up your recovery, reduce fatigue, improve your fitness, reduce side effects, and help you to return to your pre-treatment way of life. A physiotherapist or exercise physiologist can help you if you are unsure about getting started with exercise and provide personalised needs-based advice.

    Read more in the Looking After your Physical Health fact sheet.

    Information Sheet: Looking after your physical health

    Find out more about my physical health:

    Webinars:

    • Let's Talk Exercise webinar: held once a month via Zoom, this is an informative presentation by an Exercise Physiologist from Peter Mac about the benefits and types of exercise you should be aiming to complete.
    • Let's Talk about Changes in Memory and Thinking: held once a month via Zoom, this is an informative session by an occupational therapist from Peter Mac about cancer simple strategies to help you cope with your cognitive problems in everyday life.
    • Let’s Talk Fatigue:  held once a month via Zoom, this is an informative session by an occupational therapist from Peter Mac about cancer, fatigue and how best to cope in everyday life.
    • Let’s talk lymphoedema: held once a month via Zoom, this is an informative presentation by a lymphoedema therapist from Peter Mac about how to prevent and treat lymphoedema.

    Videos:

    Booklets:

    Oral hygiene is about how you look after your teeth, mouth and gums. Radiotherapy treatment may affect your oral health, including oral side effects such as, dry mouth, tooth decay, mouth ulcers or inflammation, taste disturbance, difficulty opening your mouth or impacts on your jaw bone. Your dental team can support you to manage these side effects and look after your oral health. You can refer to the following resources for more information.

    Web resources:

    Fact sheets:

    People who have had cancer treatment in the Parkville Precinct (Peter Mac, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Royal Women’s Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital) highly recommend use of the Health Hub. The Health Hub is a secure website and mobile app that will give patients access to information about their care and treatment at Peter Mac, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Royal Women’s Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital.

    If you are receiving treatment at Peter Mac, click on the following links to learn more about it and how to sign up.

    If you are treated elsewhere you can go to your health service website or enquire about online options for accessing appointment bookings and health information.

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