One of the good things about breast cancer, if I dare label anything about it "good," is that the breast is one of the easiest parts of our bodies to radiate. It's outside the body cavity so we don't have to go through other organs to access it for delivery of radiation therapy.

Radiation usually needs to be done daily for many weeks - six weeks for traditional external beam radiation - but each daily treatment takes only a few minutes. It's not unusual for a woman to spend more time parking the car and getting her clothes on and off than she actually spends in the radiation therapy room.

Some women experience symptoms resembling sunburn from radiation, but most don't. The most common side effect of radiation is fatigue during the last two weeks of treatment. That's because radiation is cumulative, which means it builds up in the body over time.

I encourage women getting radiation therapy to continue their routine daily activities. Most radiation facilities will work with you to find a convenient time for your radiation appointments. Some women choose to schedule their appointments on their way to or from work.

The mission of radiation is to prevent local recurrence of breast cancer to any remaining breast tissue and to the armpit area if you've had positive lymph nodes. So stick to your daily routine and just add this extra little assignment into your schedule each day. It's important to go every day, Monday through Friday, as instructed. Going at the same time each day is also wise.