Radiation does affect the skin, and it kills cells. You end up with not only a really cool, perfectly square tan on half your chest, you also come out of it with tiny tattoos, which they use to target the blast. I couldn't talk them into doing little roses. The actual treatment takes about a minute. But you do it every weekday, so it is somewhat of a drudge.
Some people say they grow tired at the end of the day because of radiation.
I never experienced that. Your hair starts to grow back, though. The drug Taxol was used for the final four chemotherapy treatments. It is a slow drip that is paired with Benadryl, so you fall asleep. While side effects of Taxol are wide-ranging, the one I had was tingling of the toes, a feeling that my feet were asleep.