Danielle Fishel: It ‘Hurts to Be Awake’ After 20 Rounds of Radiation

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Danielle Fishel has officially completed her treatment for breast cancer — but not without some painful side effects.

Fishel, 43, shared she was “officially” done with treatment during the Monday, January 13, episode of her “Pod Meets World” podcast. However, she is now dealing with the painful side effects that come after 20 rounds of radiation.

“I am officially done with radiation,” she told her cohosts and Boy Meets World costars Rider Strong and Will Friedle, before clarifying she was “officially done with what is considered active cancer treatment.” Fishel announced her diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a form of breast cancer, in August 2024.

“I did 15 rounds of whole breast radiation and then five rounds of targeted radiation, which just means they focus in on the very small area where my cancer was versus treating the entire breast,” she explained.

“It will help significantly lower my chances of recurrence, which is always good news, but, boy, I am feeling the effects … Physically, I have a very bad sunburn,” Fishel continued, before sarcastically adding, “I also have a rash on top of the sunburn, which is just great.”

Fishel, known for her portrayal of Topanga Lawrence on Boy Meets World, told her cohosts that radiation treatment was “relatively easy. You don’t really do anything. You just lay there.”

However, her recovery from radiation has proven to be a bit more difficult. She further described her post-treatment side effects, saying it “hurts to wear a bra, hurts to not wear a bra. It just hurts to sleep on my side, hurts to sleep, period. Hurts to be awake.”

On top of all of that, she said, “It’s very itchy, and, also, you can’t itch it, because if you even come close to touching it, you wanna cry.”

Despite the pain, Fishel is still trying to look on the bright side. “You know what? It’s not gonna last forever,” she said. “Physically, every day now, I’m supposed to be getting better. Fatigue-wise, I am really very stinking tired.”

Her doctors also told her she’d begin to feel better in “two to three months,” and to “work out and drink water.” Fishel joked of her doctor’s orders: “I’m sorry, you want me to be tired and take care of myself?” However, she confirmed that she “did start working out.”

“I worked out yesterday. I’m gonna work out again on Friday because he said all the working out and drinking water helps my body get rid of all the damage that the radiation did,” she continued.

Fishel further told her cohosts that she will begin Tamoxifen, a hormone therapy, once she starts to recover from the radiation. “They didn’t wanna overload me with negative side effects,” she stated.

Last year, Fishel underwent two successful lumpectomy surgeries to remove the cancer.

“There is no evidence of disease, so the surgery was successful and got the cancer out of my body,” she told Today.com in October 2024 following the procedures. “But they call cancer a journey for a reason. It’s not just walk in and have even one procedure and then you’re done.”

It was after this surgery that Fishel began her radiation treatment, telling the outlet at the time she was being “constantly monitored,” which included mammograms every three to six months and the potential of annual MRIs.

“I was so lucky that I found my cancer so early because I went and had my annual mammogram on time,” she said at the time. “I was thinking, like, ‘Great. I caught it early. I can be done with this soon.’ But there really is no ‘done with it.’ And so that has been an emotional and mental process.”