Pending Pain

eves0411

Hi everyone!  I am new.  I am trilled to find people to talk with that understand.  I am beyond upset and scared regarding pain. Was scheduled to have old implant replaced from mastectomy 14 years ago; and scheduled a colonoscopy just to check it off my list.  What was thought as diverticulum came back as pre-cancer; sending me to a surgeon. The surgeon removed what he could - 1.3 cm in size. Two days before my breast surgery results came in as Stage 1T.  Needless to say, the breast surgery was canceled.  So this is what worries me:  my radiation oncologist told me the treatment is one of the most difficult and painful treatments for cancer. I can take a lot of pain (natural childbirth to a watermelon sized baby, hysterectomy, mastectomy, reconstructive surgeries - all just really needing Advil with an occasional opioid) however the removal of the spot in my anal area hit a level of pain I didn't know existed and has been hard to manage. For those who have gone through this, how much more painful is the radiatio/chemo?  I am so frightened. Thank you!  

pializ

Eves0411

Hi there!

I am sorry for your need to find our clan. However, here we are and ready to support you as best we can. 

I think it's fair to say that we are all different in how our bodies handle the treatment, & forgive my memory of treatment as I started mine almost 7 years ago. I had a PICC line inserted for chemo to be administered. I had a bolts of mitomycin and then Flouracil for 5 days & Then another 5 Days of flouracil towards an end of my 28 radiation sessions (Mon to Fri except for Xmas & Boxing days).

It took a couple of weeks for me to need pain relief and I used a combination of strengths of codeine and paracetamol. I was prescribed oromorph but didn't actually need it and within 3 days of completing treatment I was off painkillers completely. I am lucky that my treatment centre was less than 8 miles away so travelling wasn't so painful. My sheepskin rug became my best friend to sit on and going commando when possible was a must. A portable bidet was my other best friend. 

If you have any questions, Please don't hesitate to ask. 

Take care

Liz

PainInTheBum

You can do this!

My treatment of 8 weeks of radiation and 2 weeks of chemo ended the end of May.  I was tired a lot of the time, especially after radiation...took lots of naps.  It was painful after a few weeks, the worst for me was about 2 weeks after the last radiation treatment.  But healing begins soon after and a little at a time I felt better.  I took oxycodin, just one pill a day during the toughest time of day which gave me comfort for several hours.  Everyone is different so don't let it scare you.  The doctors like to prepare you for the worst.  There are ways to make you feel better too.  Creams, epsom salt soaks, pain pills, etc.  It's a rough treatment, but doable.  Coming to this forum and reading up what others went through really helped me a lot.  Lots of good advice on here.

CAMDEN6918

Take a deep breath..

You‘ll manage. The best thing to know is that in most cases, the duration of the treatment is short...about 2 months. It won’t be pleasant but it is manageable. The chemo drugs were better than I expected....no nausea. The worst chemo side effect for me was mouth sores at the end of the first week. An Rx for ”Magic Mouthwash” will help. I needed it the first round of chemo but not the second. The radiation was difficult. 30 Treatments to cover the anal area and, since I had three lymph nodes involved, the groin. The burn and pain didn’t appear for the first 2 weeks. A nurse told me to add Mylanta to the sitz baths. There’s no getting around the fact that during treatment and a few weeks after, it will be like peeing and pooping razor blades. Toilet paper and cleansing wipes were harsh. My husband found Spa Pads on Amazon which are soft but not flushable. My husband also “buttered my butt” for 2 months with Rx burn creams. Don’t be hesitant to tell your team what you’re experiencing...they’ve seen it all and and in many cases have something to help. The exhaustion is real and naps will be your best friend. I had to go to the hospital for 8 days when my blood levels cratered with only 4 radiation treatments to go. Transfusions and pain management got me back on track. I was hoping they’d forego the last 4 treatments but, no. I was back in treatment the day after I got out of the hospital. The radiation pain started easing up after about 2 weeks post-treatment. The best part? Having a caring, committed team that helped my body, mind and soul. Ask for help. Two months after treatment, I had another biopsy done (this time under sedation because I never wanted to feel pain in that area again.. The prize for the pain? Hearing the doctor say...”It’s all gone. It’s melted away”....that was 2 years ago.

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

annie4145

I am a weakling for pain.  I

I am a weakling for pain.  I don't handle it at all well,  But I can say that treatment was not as bad as I expected.  and I think that the head and neck people have it much worse than us, although it would be nicer to tell people, "Oh I have throat cancer" instead of what my kids say about my cancer "mom has butt cancer".    If you can handle childbirth, you can handle this for sure.   This is much easier than that.  What I did when I got really irritated down there, was apply pain gel before I went to the bathroom. (The cream hurt a  little to put on, but I could put it on a little at a time, so then when I did go to the bathroom it wasn't so painful.  I also spent a heck of a lot of time in the bathtub after I got out of radiation therapy (The first week or two.)  It easied the discomfort.  I think a bidet is a good investmetn (from Amazon not that expensive.)  Other than that, the hopsital gave me pretty much everything I needed. 

eves0411

pializ said:

Eves0411

Hi there!

I am sorry for your need to find our clan. However, here we are and ready to support you as best we can. 

I think it's fair to say that we are all different in how our bodies handle the treatment, & forgive my memory of treatment as I started mine almost 7 years ago. I had a PICC line inserted for chemo to be administered. I had a bolts of mitomycin and then Flouracil for 5 days & Then another 5 Days of flouracil towards an end of my 28 radiation sessions (Mon to Fri except for Xmas & Boxing days).

It took a couple of weeks for me to need pain relief and I used a combination of strengths of codeine and paracetamol. I was prescribed oromorph but didn't actually need it and within 3 days of completing treatment I was off painkillers completely. I am lucky that my treatment centre was less than 8 miles away so travelling wasn't so painful. My sheepskin rug became my best friend to sit on and going commando when possible was a must. A portable bidet was my other best friend. 

If you have any questions, Please don't hesitate to ask. 

Take care

Liz

Thank you Liz!
 
Eve

Thank you Liz!

 

Eve

eves0411

PainInTheBum said:

You can do this!

My treatment of 8 weeks of radiation and 2 weeks of chemo ended the end of May.  I was tired a lot of the time, especially after radiation...took lots of naps.  It was painful after a few weeks, the worst for me was about 2 weeks after the last radiation treatment.  But healing begins soon after and a little at a time I felt better.  I took oxycodin, just one pill a day during the toughest time of day which gave me comfort for several hours.  Everyone is different so don't let it scare you.  The doctors like to prepare you for the worst.  There are ways to make you feel better too.  Creams, epsom salt soaks, pain pills, etc.  It's a rough treatment, but doable.  Coming to this forum and reading up what others went through really helped me a lot.  Lots of good advice on here.

Dear PITM - I actually read

Dear PITM - I actually read your first posting of how scared you were.  It hit home with me for sure!  Relieved you made it through! Thanks for the advice  Eve

 

 

eves0411

CAMDEN6918 said:

Take a deep breath..

You‘ll manage. The best thing to know is that in most cases, the duration of the treatment is short...about 2 months. It won’t be pleasant but it is manageable. The chemo drugs were better than I expected....no nausea. The worst chemo side effect for me was mouth sores at the end of the first week. An Rx for ”Magic Mouthwash” will help. I needed it the first round of chemo but not the second. The radiation was difficult. 30 Treatments to cover the anal area and, since I had three lymph nodes involved, the groin. The burn and pain didn’t appear for the first 2 weeks. A nurse told me to add Mylanta to the sitz baths. There’s no getting around the fact that during treatment and a few weeks after, it will be like peeing and pooping razor blades. Toilet paper and cleansing wipes were harsh. My husband found Spa Pads on Amazon which are soft but not flushable. My husband also “buttered my butt” for 2 months with Rx burn creams. Don’t be hesitant to tell your team what you’re experiencing...they’ve seen it all and and in many cases have something to help. The exhaustion is real and naps will be your best friend. I had to go to the hospital for 8 days when my blood levels cratered with only 4 radiation treatments to go. Transfusions and pain management got me back on track. I was hoping they’d forego the last 4 treatments but, no. I was back in treatment the day after I got out of the hospital. The radiation pain started easing up after about 2 weeks post-treatment. The best part? Having a caring, committed team that helped my body, mind and soul. Ask for help. Two months after treatment, I had another biopsy done (this time under sedation because I never wanted to feel pain in that area again.. The prize for the pain? Hearing the doctor say...”It’s all gone. It’s melted away”....that was 2 years ago.

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

Thank you- I'm so happy they

Thank you- I'm so happy they got it all!  Thanks- Eve

eves0411

annie4145 said:

I am a weakling for pain.  I

I am a weakling for pain.  I don't handle it at all well,  But I can say that treatment was not as bad as I expected.  and I think that the head and neck people have it much worse than us, although it would be nicer to tell people, "Oh I have throat cancer" instead of what my kids say about my cancer "mom has butt cancer".    If you can handle childbirth, you can handle this for sure.   This is much easier than that.  What I did when I got really irritated down there, was apply pain gel before I went to the bathroom. (The cream hurt a  little to put on, but I could put it on a little at a time, so then when I did go to the bathroom it wasn't so painful.  I also spent a heck of a lot of time in the bathtub after I got out of radiation therapy (The first week or two.)  It easied the discomfort.  I think a bidet is a good investmetn (from Amazon not that expensive.)  Other than that, the hopsital gave me pretty much everything I needed. 

Hi Annie - great advice on

Hi Annie - great advice on the bidet. Quick question did you get the one with cold/hot water or just cold water?  Thanks - Eve 

annie4145

eves0411 said:

Hi Annie - great advice on

Hi Annie - great advice on the bidet. Quick question did you get the one with cold/hot water or just cold water?  Thanks - Eve 

I just got the one with cold

I just got the one with cold water.  I am sure that the hot water would have been nice, but the cold water was Ok and it is easy to install.