How long does it take for the affects of radiotherapy to disappear?

The affects of radiotherapy and surgery under my arm has left me with severe numbness

I am a 21 year breast cancer survivor.
I still have some numbness under my arms, some adema (swelling), and poor circulation. However, these things do not prevent me from living a full life. The key is to accept that 'normal' now has a new meaning for you and just get on with adapting to your new normal.
I don't let my cancer history affect my life any more than I do the fact that I have brown eyes instead of blue. It is what it is.

Like surgery, radiation therapy is a local treatment; it affects cancer cells only in the treated area. Radiation can come from a machine (external radiation). It can also come from an implant (a small container of radioactive material) placed directly into or near the tumor (internal radiation). Some patients receive both kinds of radiation therapy.

External radiation therapy is usually given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic 5 days a week for a number of weeks. Patients are not radioactive during or after the treatment.

For internal radiation therapy, the patient stays in the hospital for a few days. The implant may be temporary or permanent. Because the level of radiation is highest during the hospital stay, patients may not be able to have visitors or may have visitors only for a short time. Once an implant is removed, there is no radioactivity in the body. The amount of radiation in a permanent implant goes down to a safe level before the patient leaves the hospital.

It really depends on where you were treated and what your total dose was. I'm having some problems now that we 'think' are related to the radiation, and it's been 3 years.
Best wishes to you!

I had radiation therapy about 3 years ago for breast cancer. To this day I still have some effects. I get numbing in and around the treatment site occasionally, when it gets really hot out I get a rash on my treatment site, I still have fatigue. I have a friend who's mom had radiation for cancer over 8 years ago and she still has treatment effects. I think it may vary from person to person. Good luck to you. I feel your pain!

The effects of radiation can last for some time. Some are permanent and some are only temporary.I am guessing you had breast cancer because of the arm numbness. This is usually a result from surgery although,radiation could also have compounded the problem.If it keeps feeling numb,I would see my surgeon as there are drugs you can take to help with this.Good luck.

With radiation therapy, the side effects depend on the treatment dose and the part of the body that is treated. The most common side effects are tiredness, skin reactions (such as a rash or redness, permanent pigmentation, and scarring) in the treated area, and loss of appetite. Radiation therapy can cause inflammation of tissues and organs in and around the body site radiated. This can cause symptoms that depend on what organs are affected and to what degree. For example, radiation can inflame skin to cause a burn or permanent pigmentation. It can also irritate the colon and cause diarrhea. Radiation therapy can also cause a decrease in the number of white blood cells, cells that help protect the body against infection.

Although the side effects of radiation therapy can be unpleasant, they can usually be treated or controlled. It also helps to know that, in most cases, they are not permanent. To a great degree, the possible side effects of radiation therapy depend on the location and the amount of radiation.