what to do with the pain after treatment

dssdesi

Hi , on 3rd day since treatment ended. i am looking for any suggestions on what to do with the pain down there. my bum it is red and raw and the vag. feels real sharp pain. i am only taking the drugs at night, still so groggy through the day. sitz or shower lots and ointmennt . how long untill i feel better. i took walk today but was slooow to go. i have started the stool softners as the first day darn near killed me to go to the bathroom. and its comes on sudden like i read lots here. has anyone gone back to the way they were before radiation. feeilin so down. thanks for any suggestions.

geeo

I join you as a newbee. 8 radiation treatments so far. Discomfort is minor but increasing. I'm looking for ways to cope with and (hopefully) minimize what sounds like an awful couple of months.

dssdesi

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1710147#Comment_1710147

My heart goes out to you, but we can have to do this right! I am on my 5th oinment to try and so far the best for where i am at now. stay on top of it , if you feel you need something dont wait. my radiation doc. was always vague and not really suggesting what to do. i did not get my bathroom habits down untill later in the game , once again trial and error. please feel free to ask any questions .or let me know how your doing . i did not find this site untill after treatment.

b3strong

The burning in the anal area was very significant by the last week of treatment for me in 2012. For some it can get so bad that the last treatments may need to be delayed to give the area a break. My radiation doctor prescribed silver sulfadiazine for the burning butt which worked well. But, I don't believe any cream of any sort can be on the radiation target so you'll need to wipe the area clean before the next radiation. Your radiation doctor or nurse may have more methods to help you so be sure to discuss burning with them. If it gets to the point of needing prescription pain meds, be sure to consider staying on the stool softeners or a safe laxative like Miralax (assuming you don't have diarrhea). I kept the area super clean and exposed to air as much as possible. I cut the whole crotch out of a pair of tights and wore those under a knee length nightie to help with exposure towards the end of treatment and 1-2 weeks post-treatment. (I'd lay on my side with the area exposed.) Also, when going to the loo, I used a spray bottle with distilled water to spray while I urinated as my vagina took a hit, too, during treatment. I also sprayed my butt to help with non-contact cleaning. Some anal cancer patients (on the former Blog For A Cure site) shared they ultimately had to do the BM or urination into water (e.g. sitz) because of the pain. I was down for the count the last week of radiation, but I made it. It will start to get better only days after the end of treatment, but it took me a good 3 months to heal. Others had no issues so maybe that's where your journey will ultimately take you. The urgency issue for me lasted over a year...To this day I go places without immediate restroom access with a set of underwear, wet wipes and poop bags in my purse. I'm 11 years out of Stage 3 AC now and thriving. My hope is for you to get through this and then Live On!!! Best of luck. (By the way, the Analcancerfoundation.org site has tons of good coping info.)

geeo

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1710157#Comment_1710157

Thank you, b3strong, for sharing your experience and coping strategies!!!

My experience started with hemorrhoidectomy (the biopsy and diagnosis were a surprise by-product) so my anal discomfort started before radiation. Pre-radiation I was using 'pads' (full-time) (I trim them to fit male anatomy). Now that radiation is underway I am applying vast amounts of sunburn relief gel (with lidocaine HCI), Coloplast, and Balmex. I apply this directly to skin and to pads to reduce pad-friction and will ask if this is diminishes radiation effectiveness (hope not).

Bidet strategy: I have found that a bidet is wonderful for no-contact cleansing and also facilitates bowel movement / stool passing. (Lucky me: A couple years ago my wife requested a bidet as holiday present. I purchased a high-end Toto, installed it, but never used it (felt it was much too unmanly). Now it is my default, and I just purchased a 2nd one for 'my' bathroom and will be installing it later this morning. My concern, now, is needing to 'go' and being somewhere where a bidet is not available - - which is just about everywhere, here in the U.S.

(Note: bidets are something to consider whether home-owner or renter. Good ones are somewhat expensive, but installation is not overly complex, and (if a renter) it can be removed and taken along when moving. Something to consider).

Thank you again, b3strong. I greatly appreciate your sharing. And I congratulate you on your recovery and openness in helping others.

b3strong

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1710211#Comment_1710211

You're so welcome. I wish I had installed a bidet in my home as that would've been extremely helpful during AC treatment and in general so helpful and better than the never-ending waste of wet wipes. My heart goes out to you on the hemorrhoidectomy preceding this AC madness. That's got to add several degrees of pain to this journey. By the way, I was told by my radiation nurse that cream, solutions, lotion, et al on the bum before radiation can heighten the topical burn (but not lessen the radiation effect) which is what I meant by my prior statement. You likely already know this, but pelvic floor (PF) therapy is another tool in the arsenal for helping with the urgency issue. I haven't tried it myself with a PF therapist but know (from Blog For A Cure former users) that it helped some AC patients. To this day, a decade post treatment, if my body decides it's time to empty, I have very little time to make it to the loo (or off the trail as I'm a hiker). But I have more time (~ minutes) than I did in the first few years of recovery. I think radiation fries the sphincter. Thanks so much for the info on Toto. Best wishes for you and keep the faith that all will be better eventually.