burning

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melbas2
melbas2 Member Posts: 108
edited March 2014 in Anal Cancer #1
Hi, thanks for answering. The burning is mostly when I pee, when I have a BM it's just like sitting on glass. I'm almost done with radiation, so I'm hoping the "sunburn" will go away. What's should I expect after radiation? I really have no clue. Melodie

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  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
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    Hi Melodie!
    My rad onc told me that it would be approximately 3 weeks before I would stop having the pain with peeing and BM's. However, I'm happy to say that after about 10 days, things were SO much better. Your skin will heal quickly--just be kind to it and keep applying whatever creams or ointments you have been using. You will most likely continue to have some bowel issues (frequency/urgency) for awhile, so just be prepared for those. Carrying some extra undies with you is always a good idea when going out of the house. Don't expect to start eating all your favorite foods immediately after treatment ends. It will take some time for your intestines to tolerate any spicy foods, nuts, raw fruits and veggies, etc. Introduce things back into your diet gradually in small amounts. Keep a food journal so you can track what you ate and how you reacted to it. This will allow you to identify trigger foods so you can avoid them, at least for awhile. Continue to drink plenty of water and get adequate rest. Best wishes in getting those last rad treatments. Let us know how it goes.
  • cujuja4evr
    cujuja4evr Member Posts: 106
    #3
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    This might help...
    I posted a suggestion made to me a couple of weeks ago when I was experiencing some painful bowel movements that felt like I was passing jagged rocks, razor blades, and broken glass...I was told to fill a sitz bath with very warm water (as warm as you can bear it). I understand that you might still be burning from radiation, so you'll have to watch how warm your water is. Anyway, Sit on that sitz bath filled with warm water and actually release your stools in the sitz bath. The warm water relaxes the muscle around the anus to help the stools release and the warm water takes away some of the pain. It worked for me.

    I'm about 4 months post tx and my bowel movements are about as normal as they will probably get. I no longer have any pain or burning or broken glass feeling. You may also want to make sure you are taking stool softeners which are helpful. I never thought that I would feel normal again, but I do. You will too!

    As far as the burning urination, you may want to get a prescription for painful urination. That helped me. If the burning gets so bad you can't bear it, make sure you have your doctor check to to see that you don't have some kind of an infection. Unfortunately for me, I had a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) for 2 weeks that went undetected. If the pain persists, YOU have to be persistent...my rad kept telling me that the burning was normal, but I knew something was really wrong. I kept complaining about the burning and it took ANOTHER radiologist to take a further step, order and lab, and found out what the problem was.

    Best Wishes!

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