weird, weird, question, anybody ANYBODY......??????

LaCh

Ok, so I know how this sounds but has anybody ever passed the tumor while going to the bathroom?  I think I just did.  I was able to retrieve it and have saved it and will show it to my gastroenterologist, but I swear, I think that's what happened.  I've been saying all week that I can feel the tumor, I knew the location and that's where the pain was localized, I've been to the bathroom about 20 times today, I've been in agony all day and after passing what I believe was the tumor I can sit on my butt for the first time in two days and I feel nothing inside now. The external pain is still there from the radiation but the internal pain is gone.  I don't know if it would change the treatment protocol in any way and maybe isn't even all that unusual--I guess that if the chemo and radiation are killing the tumor, it's going to detach from the wall inside and it would have to go somewhere...  so maybe it isn't so unusal.

Has anybody heard of this or experienced it and if so, what effect, if any, did it have on the treatment protocol?

 

z

lach

Hello, I know I had a large skin tag near the tumor and my surgeon said it would fall off from going through treatment.  Well it never did, so when I had a biopsy the surgeon went ahead and removed the skin tag.  Maybe it was a skin tag.  Thats neat that you were able to save it.  Let us know what you find out.  Lori

LaCh

z said:

lach

Hello, I know I had a large skin tag near the tumor and my surgeon said it would fall off from going through treatment.  Well it never did, so when I had a biopsy the surgeon went ahead and removed the skin tag.  Maybe it was a skin tag.  Thats neat that you were able to save it.  Let us know what you find out.  Lori

Lori

I'm not 100% sure it was the tumor (maybe 95% sure) but I'm 100% sure it wasn't a skin tag.  I'll definitely let you know.   The more I think about it, the less strange it seems, keeping in mind that my tumor was pedunculated (on a stalk) and the treatment is going to kill the tumor so if it dies, the tether to the anal wall will weaken and it would have to go somewhere.   Maybe it's common but goes unrecognized, who knows. And while it probably won't alter very much the treatment protocol, I'm wondering how it can't alter it somewhat.  I mean, if a 5cm tumor receives a certain amount of targeted radiation and a 2 cm receives less, how much target radiation should the area now receive if this thing is no longer there?  (It's still in the underlying tissue, but again, I'm wondering; if this part died, what happened to the rest?)  That's why I need to speak to someone I trust and that person isn't the radio oncologist, it's my gastroenterologist.  Yes, it's good that I was able to retrieve the thing.  I'm kind of dying to know, myself...

mp327

LaCh said:

Lori

I'm not 100% sure it was the tumor (maybe 95% sure) but I'm 100% sure it wasn't a skin tag.  I'll definitely let you know.   The more I think about it, the less strange it seems, keeping in mind that my tumor was pedunculated (on a stalk) and the treatment is going to kill the tumor so if it dies, the tether to the anal wall will weaken and it would have to go somewhere.   Maybe it's common but goes unrecognized, who knows. And while it probably won't alter very much the treatment protocol, I'm wondering how it can't alter it somewhat.  I mean, if a 5cm tumor receives a certain amount of targeted radiation and a 2 cm receives less, how much target radiation should the area now receive if this thing is no longer there?  (It's still in the underlying tissue, but again, I'm wondering; if this part died, what happened to the rest?)  That's why I need to speak to someone I trust and that person isn't the radio oncologist, it's my gastroenterologist.  Yes, it's good that I was able to retrieve the thing.  I'm kind of dying to know, myself...

LaCh

I don't recall passing my tumor.  I would think this is totally possible though.  I would also have to believe that your treatment would remain on the same original course.  Just because the tumor may have been severed by the radiation, there may be remaining cancer cells that need to be zapped.  If it were me, I would want to complete the entire course of treatment to make sure all cancer is gone.  After all, you have no concrete proof that this tissue you passed was the tumor or the tumor in it's entirity.  Let us know what your gastro doc says.

LaCh

mp327 said:

LaCh

I don't recall passing my tumor.  I would think this is totally possible though.  I would also have to believe that your treatment would remain on the same original course.  Just because the tumor may have been severed by the radiation, there may be remaining cancer cells that need to be zapped.  If it were me, I would want to complete the entire course of treatment to make sure all cancer is gone.  After all, you have no concrete proof that this tissue you passed was the tumor or the tumor in it's entirity.  Let us know what your gastro doc says.

mp327

I will.  I'm not really sure what it is and the office is closed till Wednesday.  

eihtak

LaCh said:

mp327

I will.  I'm not really sure what it is and the office is closed till Wednesday.  

LaCh

I agree, totally possible. If nothing else its great that some of your pain internally is releived! We'll all be waiting to hear what you find out.

eihtak

LaCh said:

mp327

I will.  I'm not really sure what it is and the office is closed till Wednesday.  

LaCh

I agree, totally possible. If nothing else its great that some of your pain internally is releived! We'll all be waiting to hear what you find out.

AZANNIE

LaCh

Haven't heard of this happening, but it's a possibility of something sloughing off. Sometimes I wondered if some of mine was sloughing off. I agree with the others that it's best to continue treatment to make sure all cancer cells get zapped. Anxious to hear the findings. Glad your internal pain is gone!

Ann

LaCh

AZANNIE said:

LaCh

Haven't heard of this happening, but it's a possibility of something sloughing off. Sometimes I wondered if some of mine was sloughing off. I agree with the others that it's best to continue treatment to make sure all cancer cells get zapped. Anxious to hear the findings. Glad your internal pain is gone!

Ann

azannie

Well, the localized internal pain is much less but the overall pooping pain is still abolutely excrutiating.  And I'm just two weeks and a bit more into it.  I wonder what it's going to be like in week 4? 5? 6? if it's so painful now.... 

mp327

LaCh said:

azannie

Well, the localized internal pain is much less but the overall pooping pain is still abolutely excrutiating.  And I'm just two weeks and a bit more into it.  I wonder what it's going to be like in week 4? 5? 6? if it's so painful now.... 

LaCh

Ask your docs for some Lidocaine cream.  You can try applying this to the anal area prior to a BM and it will numb things up.  It would at least be worth a try.

LaCh

mp327 said:

LaCh

Ask your docs for some Lidocaine cream.  You can try applying this to the anal area prior to a BM and it will numb things up.  It would at least be worth a try.

mp327

Doesn't anything applied in or on need to be completely removed for radiation?  That's been my concern....   So far my pain is from the inside...  and I don't know how to assure that it's completely voided. 

mp327

LaCh said:

mp327

Doesn't anything applied in or on need to be completely removed for radiation?  That's been my concern....   So far my pain is from the inside...  and I don't know how to assure that it's completely voided. 

LaCh

Sorry.  I misread your previous comment where you stated this pain was internal.  I'm not sure anything can be done about that.

LaCh

mp327 said:

LaCh

Sorry.  I misread your previous comment where you stated this pain was internal.  I'm not sure anything can be done about that.

mp327

No, that's ok, don't give it a second thought.  Between the excruciating pain in my as* and the increasingly painful neuropathy in my knee, plus the constant discomfort from the port (currently not in use), if not for the high stakes and gravity of the situation, all of this might actually seem funny.  But...  it isn't.... 

z

LaCh said:

mp327

No, that's ok, don't give it a second thought.  Between the excruciating pain in my as* and the increasingly painful neuropathy in my knee, plus the constant discomfort from the port (currently not in use), if not for the high stakes and gravity of the situation, all of this might actually seem funny.  But...  it isn't.... 

LaCh

I don't know if your taking any pain meds, but that got me through the roughest parts of the pain.  I only took them after I came back from radiation.  I only used them for a couple of months and that was it.  It really helped also, the daily bath before radiation.

islandgirlculebra

LaCh said:

mp327

No, that's ok, don't give it a second thought.  Between the excruciating pain in my as* and the increasingly painful neuropathy in my knee, plus the constant discomfort from the port (currently not in use), if not for the high stakes and gravity of the situation, all of this might actually seem funny.  But...  it isn't.... 

Port Pain

Just thought I would make a suggestion about port pain. (I thought I was the only one who experienced this cuz no-one else seems to talk about their ports bugging them). I had some discomfort from the port, and sometimes I would take an ice pack and lay it on my chest, not directly on the port cuz I couldn't stand pressure on it, but I would lay it close to the port, and the coolness seemed to relieve the discomfort. Just a suggestion...........

LaCh

islandgirlculebra said:

Port Pain

Just thought I would make a suggestion about port pain. (I thought I was the only one who experienced this cuz no-one else seems to talk about their ports bugging them). I had some discomfort from the port, and sometimes I would take an ice pack and lay it on my chest, not directly on the port cuz I couldn't stand pressure on it, but I would lay it close to the port, and the coolness seemed to relieve the discomfort. Just a suggestion...........

islandgirlculebra THE PORT

Thanks Islandgirl, I'll definitely try that.  Yes, it seems that some people aren't too bothered by the port and others are very uncomfortable/pained by it.  When I go for the radiation treatments, I bring a special U-shaped pillow with me so that I'm not resting my weight on the port.  It's made a big difference but will become a little tricky when I'm back with the chemo pump.  I've also kept the port covered with a gauze square to give it a small cushion and to prevent my clothing from rubbing against it.  I can't wait to get this thing outta me.  Thanks for the ice suggestion.

tracy p.

LaCh said:

islandgirlculebra THE PORT

Thanks Islandgirl, I'll definitely try that.  Yes, it seems that some people aren't too bothered by the port and others are very uncomfortable/pained by it.  When I go for the radiation treatments, I bring a special U-shaped pillow with me so that I'm not resting my weight on the port.  It's made a big difference but will become a little tricky when I'm back with the chemo pump.  I've also kept the port covered with a gauze square to give it a small cushion and to prevent my clothing from rubbing against it.  I can't wait to get this thing outta me.  Thanks for the ice suggestion.

port pain

My port was VERY bothersome! I could not lie comfortably on the port side, and even resting on the other side was uncomfortable. The docs made me wait until the firrst CT scan (clear) to have it out and oh what a relief! As to the pain, take the meds! I was prescribed B&O supositories, but found they burned a lot. The bottom line (ha-ha) is that going to the bathroom is just awful for a while and if you gotta scream, do it. I spent a lot of time soaking in the tub just for the overall comfort it gave me. The good news is, I am over a year post treatment and while things are not like they were before, the "new normal" is very managable. Once your treatment ends, you should start feeling better 2-3 weeks later and then steadily better afterwards. Good luck and God bless!