Nerve Pain??

Brendaklein
Brendaklein Member Posts: 121 Member
edited December 2021 in Anal Cancer #1

Saw my colon surgeon today, everything looked fine he said. No cancer. I'm 3 years out from treatment. Chemo and rad. I started having pain and burning in the anal area where the cancer was about a week ago. Hurts to sit. No pain when I lay down. Pain and burning after bm last all day. Please if anyone else is going through this, let me know how you get through it. My CT scan last month was good. Creams and lidocaine dose not help. I'm thinking nerve pain. Sometime on the left side of my vagina. Now just on my anal area. Help!

Comments

  • CarolACS2021
    CarolACS2021 Member Posts: 1 Member

    I finished treatment 6 months ago, had a PET scan in Oct which showed some activity, then a biopsy which came back negative - great news, I'm thrilled. But I continue to have mucus-like discharge (I wear a pad), almost zero control of frequent BM's (I understand in the UK they actually have a "need to go" health card), but the worst is severe pain following a BM, not during but after. Some bright red blood, but not much.

    Aside from doing a lot of Googling of hemorrhoid information almost exactly a year ago, I give myself credit for not doing much extra reading during treatment. I love my doctors at Yale and Trinity but they frustrate me post treatment - making me feel like I'm imaging how horrendous this is. "It'll get better, it's just aftereffects of radiation, etc." Even my surgeon after I told her I'm having continued pain and a small amount of bleeding said "If you have more pain and bleeding, let me know". Ugh!

    I've self-diagnosed "Chronic Radiation Proctitis" - at least now I have some information to present to my primary and/or Oncologist.

    Chronic Radiation Proctitis is considered relatively rare, but so is Anal cancer - so now I'm curious how many cases of anal cancer my doctors have actually treated to have been so dismissive at this stage.

    Much of the online data I could find is rather dated, but Volume 61, Diseases of the Colon & Rectum published 2018. I'm too new to post a link but search for "American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Treatment of Chronic Radiation Proctitis" select the link for RAD_PROTITUS_CPG_2018

  • Brendaklein
    Brendaklein Member Posts: 121 Member

    Thank you very much for your reply. I am doing better now. I have lower back pain and lower disc problems. I think that is my problem, bone spurs pressing on the nerves to my anal area. My colon Doctor said everything looked good down there. CT scan was good last month. No cancer. I still need to use meta mucil in the mornings and Miralax in the evenings. This seems to help me a lot with my bm's, I wish you well. Thank you