anal cancer

cinderthistle

Dear mak1970—-Thank u!

kittpugh

Dear Cinderthistle: Good for you!! Yes, now is the time to move forward. My prayers will be with you and on you every day. Let us know how many treatments that the doctor has required. And DITTO Mak1970, stock up on everything you can think of. I can't make suggestions here because my cancer was anal and I bought those Dollar Store square cotton pads and sanitary pads GALORE!!! due to discharge that continued into the 3rd week of recovery. I'm still using them up! Just in case there is any incontinence, though the discharge has dried up. God Bless You and God be with you!

kittpugh

Dear Cinderthistle: One (last?) thing that I will share is that I had to arrive at my Radiation appt. with a full bladder and if it wasn't full enough, the technicians wouldn't go ahead as planned. One time I was told to get off the table and go drink more water (which I dreaded because I didn't want my appt. to hold up my volunteer driver. Apparently the Radiation damages the bladder if it isn't full or full enough. I would drink a 2 cup bottle of water on my way to Windsor. But I disliked drinking all of that plain water, who knows why, and plus I didn't feel particularly hydrated afterwards. So I started consuming about a cup of Campbell's Mushroom Broth before I left the house (it has the lowest salt content compared with Chicken, Beef, or Vegetable Broth and I thought it tasted quite okay!!) The Broth also gave me a fuller hydrated sensation that would last for hours. Sometimes I would arrive at the Clinic and a Radiation machine (there were 3) was down. Then bookings got backed-up. If I couldn't hold it, I'd have to go pee and then while waiting for the back-up to clear, start again drinking water and even walking around for a bit. Life happens, right? But, yes, I'm pretty sure the full bladder will apply to you as well. God Bless and God be with you!

cinderthistle

I've just come home from the first radiation therapy appt. I met the doctor and all we did was talk. She says I won't be doing radiation for a while; first, I'll do chemo. I'm glad! She had a bad bedside manner, so to speak. Wouldn't let me finish a sentence. I ended up feeling that I'd done something wrong because I hadn't scheduled the chemo yet and didn't have the hospital extension to do so. Then she gave me the wrong number to call

cinderthistle

I just got home from the radiation appt. The doctor was actually short with me, like I'd done something wrong because I hadn't scheduled my chemo appt yet. But I didn't have the phone number. Then she gave me a wrong number for it. I left hoping I won't need to talk to her for a while. That's because she told me I'd do chemo first, then radiation for 5 or 6 weeks, then surgery. And she's the radiation doctor. I'm shaking inside. Perhaps I shouldn't expect doctors to be supportive. But I can't stop thinking about the tone she used toward me.

She gave me a ton of reading. That's something I can do now so I don't worry.

mak1970

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1723825#Comment_1723825

so sorry that the doctor was short with you. Remember she is just a person so perhaps she was having a bad day- unfortunately, all people including doctors have their own personality and style and there’s not much you can do as the patient. For the radiation, you will be mostly with the techs, the doctor will be reviewing the progress and will only meet with you occasionally. Remember with the chemo to keep your strength up by eating well (lots of protein), and even try to bulk up when you can because the nausea and other side effects may come soon enough. Report any side effects, especially the fevers and do not hesitate to take the anti-nausea. I’m rooting for you and please keep updating!

cinderthistle

Dear mak1970—-I just found your above post; thanks for it! I didn't know how to find all the responses to my comments. Usually they appear in my email. Now I know how to access them thru the Cancer Survivor's website. I'm glad I found your post. Geez, the support really helps.

I allowed my feelings about the radiation doctor to affect me over the past 24 hrs. (All the other VA doctors have been very careful and easy to talk to.) I was able to get a little more info on what went wrong yesterday: I was supposed to see Chemo before Radiation, but somehow Chemo never got the request to make an appt with me. The Radiation doctor was disturbed because she should've received reports from Chemo before I saw her, and she didn't have what she needed for a "team meeting" (?) next week.

Now I can get on to upcoming appts. Next Wednesday I go to Pulmonary for a biopsy of my lung. My surgeon told me a little about how the biopsy is done—-by inserting a needle into my side, with a local anesthetic, then into my lung. She told me it wouldn't hurt. That's all I know.

Then the Chemo. I really appreciate all the detail you and kittpugh have described. The Radiation doctor said Chemo could restore some of my strength because it would "melt" the mass. Also, kittpugh, I've already looked at anti-nausea wristbands on Amazon (thanks!).

Oh and another thing: She said she doesn't believe it's cancer in my pancreas.

And the radiation will begin after all the above.

Thank you, all of you. I pray for you every night.

kittpugh

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1723729#Comment_1723729

Dear Cinderthistle: I was so relieved to read your post. I'm afraid I'm still a little clueless in how to navigate the site in order to read the latest posts! Maybe Email is the best way. I know I wrote a quick post on Wed. July 31st, as that would be your first day in Treatment. I understand totally your Radiation doctor's frustration when the Chemo treatment failed to take place prior to the Radiation. But, it will get sorted. I don't know how many treatments the doctors have selected, but that is such good news about your pancreas showing little to no cancer!! One less worry! It's now the weekend and as was in my case I didn't have to take the Chemo pills. They were only taken on the days of Radiation which was Monday to Friday. So I'm hoping the same happens for you and I thank God for any and all small mercies. I'm glad to hear that you found the wrist bands on Amazon. A small reminder about the crystal ginger cubes for anti-nausea, product name "Elan", I sucked on them constantly. But we are all different. Apparently my mother who passed away quickly in 1989 with small cell cancer that grows so quickly, no one escapes, had a terrible, terrible time with nausea while on Chemotherapy (my sister, Anne related this) yet I was the complete opposite. My prayers are pressed for you every day! God be with you.

kittpugh

Dear Cinderthistle: I read your letter regarding the harsh and un-helpful attitude of your doctor over the missed Chemo appointment. I'm so sorry that you were subject to that. It happened to me also. I was at the Clinic in Windsor, wanting to share something I considered important enough to ask for an audience with my Radiation doctor. Another woman, and I think she was a technician, came into the little room where I was waiting to speak with Dr. A. Her manner was so rude and so uncalled for. I told her that I wanted Dr. A to take a look as something and she blurted out in a strong and loud tone, "We don't look that such things!!" I don't care who she thought she was because it mattered to me, the PATIENT! And you know being in my 70's, I'm no longer the meek and mild rug that let everyone walk all over. I stood my ground and though my responding words were not offensive, my TONE certainly established the boundary and it felt good! But here is a wonderful pictured quote that my other sister, Nancy, (I have 2 sisters, Anne and Nancy) had sent and it resonated with me. You might enjoy it as well. God Be With You.

Staircase Encouragement.jpg