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Anal Cancer

NEW Discussion on Brachytherapy (seeds)
Hi everyone, I'm sneaking up on my treatment decisions, and I was told that UCLA might do brachytherapy INSTEAD of external beam if the tumor is of a certain size and shape. My MRI isn't until 5/5/17, so I don't know that information yet. When I get it I'll be sending it to them to determine whether I am eligible. If it…
What should I expect next
tomorrow I start my second round of chemo and 5 week of radiation. My doctors keep telling me thing are going to get worse but when I ask them what side effects am I going to get, they say more of the same. Well gee, that rally doesn't help me prepare. So can you help me understand what "worse" means and the time line? I…
5 more to go, questions
Hi everyone, new to the forum and thank you for all who have posted such valuable info. I have 5 more radiation treatments and today they started come down. My skin is in pretty bad shape this week for first time. He actually said if it were last week we would break but so close we are going to push through. Doc wants me…
PET Scan instructions
I was just visiting over at the Colorectal forum. There was a post regarding pre-PET instructions. Several members mentioned that they were told to follow a low-carb diet prior to their PET. One member also said that they tested her blood sugar level each time, pre-PET scan. I have never been given these instructions, nor…
3 wks pst treatment :dizziness
Hello i am 3 weeks post treatment and I doing relatively well. However I am experiencing lots of dizziness when changing position. I had IV fluids 3 times during the treatment. I had one iv fluids last Monday and it did not help the dizziness. I am not dehydrated. I also have nausea and headaches which I believe are caused…
Should I be happy?
Hi again! So, I got my pet scan results, and both doctors said everything looks "great"! They both talked about expected hot spots due to inflammation from radiation, but that I have responded very well to treatment. My colorectal surgeon did a DRE and said he didn't feel a mass at all. With that and nothing "suspicious"…
Started tx 8 years ago today.
Hello all. I just wanted to drop in to let those newly diagnosed, or those going through tx or those whom have recently completed tx know there is life after anal cancer. I started chemo (mitomyicin and 5FU) and 28 radiation txs 8 years ago today. I was Stage II (T2N0M0) with a 4 cm tumor on my sphincter muscle. Treatment…
Surgery
My moms colostomy surgery was booked for next Tuesday but her diabetes has been out of wack a1c of 10 and running blood sugars of 250. Her dr said she would never heal preperly with her sugars like that he wants postpone for 3/4 weeks. Her pet scan came back clear for any lymph node or matastis is waiting that long could…
How quickly did you get radiation burns?
I started radiation last Wednesday so have had three treatments. Today the radiation burns are bad enough that I have second thoughts anytime I have to touch the area. The area looks like raw meat and it looks like very rare meat. From everything I have read, this sounds w-a-y early. if it is this bad in just a couple of…
PET scan
I had my follow-up PET/CT on Wednesday and got mixed results. My anal cancer is gone, but it showed some uptake in the pulmonary lymph nodes. I saw a pulmonologist on Friday and he said its probably sarcoidosis and he's not worried about cancer. I will be having a bronchoscopy with lymph node samples taken next Friday to…
Hi, my wife has CEA of 104
Just found out my wife has colon cancer. The doctor said her CEA is 104, and he said that is of grave concern. I'm simply chocked from all this sudden news. What to make of it?
Working and changing jobs during treatment
Hi Everyone, I have been looking on the past posts to see if anyone has made it through treatment and recovery without needing many days off. Is there anyone out there that this has been their experience? If so how did you mange side effects? I am in the 1-2 stage and have excellent curable rate. That’s my first question.…
Malabsorption syndrome
I wondered if my body could be getting any benefit from food at all, or the supplements I take (vitamins/CQ10/Krill oil/calcium) since i have 4-6 bowel movements a day. I am 6 1/2 yrs post treatment and this is the only side effect I have. I am able to make it to the bathroom, but cant dilly dally about it. And my stools…
Constantly tired
Hi everyone im 4 years post treatment . I had 2nd stage anal cancer its been awhile since I've been on here and this place has always been encouraging for me as the years have gone by I'm getting increasingly fatigued to the point where it is debilitating . i have central sleep apnea and the drs say it has to do with the…
Preventive tips for burns?
Hello, i just started treatment last week. Do you have any recommended tips/creams to prevent burns? Thank you! Dominique
Paranoia
Hey everyone, I hope this message finds you all well. It's been a week or so since I've posted, although I have been reading posts from others. I am about 4 weeks out from radiation and feeling pretty good. I have a PET/CT scheduled for this coming Saturday, so I'm a bit anxious about that. Every little thing is spinning…
Hi everybody
Hey, Long, long time since I wrote on here! I'm actually now 29, not 26 - wow, that time has flown, it seems like a different universe now when my mum had just been diagnosed with cancer. She had her most recent scan in September 2016 which was all clear, so she was NED by about 13 months. She had 4 scans that year…
IUD update
I went to get another opinion on what to do about my IUD which is scarred in due to vaginal stenosis. I was so nervous at the appt my pulse was 114 and blood pressure was up too! I did like the gyn doctor, he examined me (which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, he used a speculum about a third the size of normal) and…
HPV vaccine
The specialist I went to for the IUD ( see previous post) helped to create the HPV vaccine. I asked him about his opinion about what to do if your child already has gotten the gardisil series of shots that protects against 4 strains of HPV since now there is one that protects against 9 strains. There are no official…
Low blood counts
This is my third week of treatment, and so far it seems like everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Last week I started having anal leakage and I was mortified because I certainly didn't expect it only a week and a half into treatment. Maybe TMI here, but the consistency was like pudding and I never even felt it. I…
Biopsy 2 weeks ago
My moms biopsy was 2 weeks ago and she's still so sore, she had no pain, drainage, bleeding or anything before the biopsy and has been miserable since with drainage and pain. Tumor is said to be 2 cm
going out of my mind with worry
i went to see my oncologist today thinking i would be just offered chemotherapy as everyone has said that its a wait and see game but my latest mri and ct was clear...to my horror i get told the following In 3 weeks my CEA has gone from 8 to 31 and I have had an MRI and a CT and they cant find anything? They looked at my…
what now?
hello, I am here because my beloved cousin has stage 4 colon cancer. He lives in Maine and is Dr set it up for him to go to MD Anderson, Richard and his family made the trip to be told this!: At MD Anderson we learned that the clinical trials they have for which Richard might fit criteria for all have waiting lists. I am…
Successful treatment with recurrence anyone?
Just wanted to hear from anyone who had recurrence, what was tre and outcome?
metastasized sqamous cell anal cancer
In 2011 I was diagnosed with stage two anal cancer with no lymph node involvement and no spread from the anal area. I underwent 33 radiations and chemo with 5Fu and mitomycin. Five years later (late 2016) I was diagnosed with squamous cell anal cancer metastasizes to the lungs and peritoneum. Because I have chronic after…
Hair loss
I finished radiation Jan 14. I finished chemo Dec 14 (went through 2 cycles) My hair is very very thin and continues to fall out. It is really dry. When my hair stop falling out. My pubic hair was completely gone but i's going back, but the hair on my head is still thinning. Does anyone else have this problem? Thanks for…
Post-treatment pain with BMs
Hello all! I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far! I am only two weeks out of treatment, and am having pretty bad pain with my BMs. My doctor said this was pretty normal, but I thought I'd bring the question here because you've all actually been through or are going through this. My body tends to constipate…
itching
this itching is driving me crazy. My vajay jay is on fire. Any help?
Diet
I am six years out and still cannot get my diet under control. i am gluten free due to my ataxia. i cannot eat salad or raw vegetables or any vegetable that is not cooked to death. I cannot have pasta, bread or rice. i have been living on chicken, salmon and over cooked broccoli and nuts (I grind them up to a paste) for 6…
Psyllium
I am looking for directions on the use of psyllium to help lessen urgency and frequency of BMs. When I had my check-up in January, my doctor said to try psyllium for this issue. He said to start with 1/2 a dose. I tried for about a week and it seemed like it was having the opposite affect on me (more frequent BMs). This…

Anal Cancer

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