Brachytherapy treatment

annie1029

I had to have brachy treatment this time last year along with radiation for a reacuurance that I had. I am still getting diarrhea from it. Doctors gave me medication,I eat the brat diet. How long will this last? Any one else suffer with this??

thank you

Tamlen

Happened to me too

Annie1029, sorry you're experiencing this. It sucks.

I started having diarrhea a few days after finishing brachy three years ago and couldn't really attribute it to anything else but the brachy. Mine manifested as diarrhea twice every single morning, about 30-60 minutes apart. It was bad enough for the first year that I had to get up extra early so that I could safely leave for work by 7 a.m. After those first two episodes every morning, I'd be fine until the following morning.

Both my gyn oncologist and my radiation oncologist shrugged it off, saying, essentially, maybe it's brachy, maybe it's stress, things happen. I had always had perfectly normal bowels until brachy. 

Three years later I'd say I'm about 80% back to normal. I'm vegetarian for 30+ years and eat a healthy, whole foods diet. I find that if I have at least 75 grams of protein a day, recommended to me by my cancer center's nutritionist, it's better, so I make sure that happens. I never really found much benefit from probiotics for this problem, but I know others find them helpful. I'm hoping that with time, it'll fully resolve for me, given the improvement since 2018. I still have to get up about two hours before I have to leave the house in the mornings, though. I hope your timeline for improvement is much faster.

What have you tried so far?

Tamlen

annie1029

Tamlen said:

Happened to me too

Annie1029, sorry you're experiencing this. It sucks.

I started having diarrhea a few days after finishing brachy three years ago and couldn't really attribute it to anything else but the brachy. Mine manifested as diarrhea twice every single morning, about 30-60 minutes apart. It was bad enough for the first year that I had to get up extra early so that I could safely leave for work by 7 a.m. After those first two episodes every morning, I'd be fine until the following morning.

Both my gyn oncologist and my radiation oncologist shrugged it off, saying, essentially, maybe it's brachy, maybe it's stress, things happen. I had always had perfectly normal bowels until brachy. 

Three years later I'd say I'm about 80% back to normal. I'm vegetarian for 30+ years and eat a healthy, whole foods diet. I find that if I have at least 75 grams of protein a day, recommended to me by my cancer center's nutritionist, it's better, so I make sure that happens. I never really found much benefit from probiotics for this problem, but I know others find them helpful. I'm hoping that with time, it'll fully resolve for me, given the improvement since 2018. I still have to get up about two hours before I have to leave the house in the mornings, though. I hope your timeline for improvement is much faster.

What have you tried so far?

Tamlen

brachy treatment

I wish mine were like that. when I have to go I have to go and sometimes i dont make it to the bathroom and I never know when its going to hit me. Ive tried medications,adjusting my diet. WHen I talked to my doc about it he just said its a side effect that could last a very long time and its already been a year. thanks for your input. 

Forherself

annie1029 said:

brachy treatment

I wish mine were like that. when I have to go I have to go and sometimes i dont make it to the bathroom and I never know when its going to hit me. Ive tried medications,adjusting my diet. WHen I talked to my doc about it he just said its a side effect that could last a very long time and its already been a year. thanks for your input. 

Gastroenterologist

Maybe you should see a specialist about this.  It could be some other cause.  It is definitely worth more input, as that is a very serious problem!  There are other causes you could at least rule out.   I would go see a gastoenterologist.

Harmanygroves

My Achy Brachy Heart

I was just pondering the fact that on 3, 4, 5 July--about a week ago--I was so horribly ill owing to Brachytherapy treatment #5 finally accumulating enough radiation in my body I couldn't get off the couch, except to go to the toilet.

The liquid diarrhea attacks ended on the 6th of July, and over the last week, my appetite has mostly returned. I had always had constipation previously, and now that the uterus is out (and everything else), no more constipation. I think my constipation was due to the cancer, although I always blamed my hypothyroid. 

In short, my bowel issues seem to be somewhat resolved, although I am continuing to suddenly have to go to the bathroom and it's typically urgent. I'm that person who has always hated taking a dump in a public bathroom, so I've had to tell myself that I need to just go with it. Sigh.

I've changed my diet somewhat--I only eat from noon on. I eat a grain-vegetable blend I get from Trader Joe's, watermelon, berries of all sorts. I am trying to mostly stay off dairy and sugar, and that's going okay, although the last few days I've had icecream owing to some party stuff still in my freezer. I'll get off that soon. 

My current focus is going to be eating much cleaner. I'm eating chicken and fish, and have never been much of a beef eater. I understand it's not good for us.

Best of luck to all of you!

Forherself

Harmanygroves said:

My Achy Brachy Heart

I was just pondering the fact that on 3, 4, 5 July--about a week ago--I was so horribly ill owing to Brachytherapy treatment #5 finally accumulating enough radiation in my body I couldn't get off the couch, except to go to the toilet.

The liquid diarrhea attacks ended on the 6th of July, and over the last week, my appetite has mostly returned. I had always had constipation previously, and now that the uterus is out (and everything else), no more constipation. I think my constipation was due to the cancer, although I always blamed my hypothyroid. 

In short, my bowel issues seem to be somewhat resolved, although I am continuing to suddenly have to go to the bathroom and it's typically urgent. I'm that person who has always hated taking a dump in a public bathroom, so I've had to tell myself that I need to just go with it. Sigh.

I've changed my diet somewhat--I only eat from noon on. I eat a grain-vegetable blend I get from Trader Joe's, watermelon, berries of all sorts. I am trying to mostly stay off dairy and sugar, and that's going okay, although the last few days I've had icecream owing to some party stuff still in my freezer. I'll get off that soon. 

My current focus is going to be eating much cleaner. I'm eating chicken and fish, and have never been much of a beef eater. I understand it's not good for us.

Best of luck to all of you!

I'm glad to hear the symptoms are improving

I have to share a story since you mentioned the dump thing.  My husband once came out of the men's room, and he was laughing out loud.  He said he was in the bathroom and farted in his stall.  The man next to him then farted louder!  Then the next guy farted LOUDEST!  They all laughed.  When he told me I thought to myself, that is certainly one of the differences between men and women.  

Harmanygroves

Forherself said:

I'm glad to hear the symptoms are improving

I have to share a story since you mentioned the dump thing.  My husband once came out of the men's room, and he was laughing out loud.  He said he was in the bathroom and farted in his stall.  The man next to him then farted louder!  Then the next guy farted LOUDEST!  They all laughed.  When he told me I thought to myself, that is certainly one of the differences between men and women.  

wow!!

Oh, that made me laugh! thx for that!

Forherself

Harmanygroves said:

wow!!

Oh, that made me laugh! thx for that!

That was my intent

We need to laugh too.

Sue

yetti

Funny about the farting contest !

I always wait until I hear loud toilet flushing before I have a bum just in case it makes a noise !

Harmanygroves

yetti said:

Funny about the farting contest !

I always wait until I hear loud toilet flushing before I have a bum just in case it makes a noise !

Yetti is schooled in the ways of the "go"...

Well done. Well done.