When will my side effects go away?

There's a very broad spectrum of side effects and resolution to those side effects. Everyone's different; you'll hear that over and over. That said, I also asked those sorts of questions, looking for some idea of, not so much, what to expect as what was possible. With that in mind--and remembering that my experience is mine, not yours--I'll tell you that my external burns, which were 2nd and 3rd degree and very painful, were healed 2 weeks post treatment. I had experienced an incapacitating internal pain from either a fissure or a tear (never ascertained) from week 2 that left me screaming into a towel each time I went to the bathroom and that had me yearning for a sudden, humane death sitting on the john--and that pain was resolved 4 weeks post treatment.  I can eat almost anything that I want, but do so with care anyway, and am still mindful about drinking 3 liters of water daily and taking a lot of stool softeners. The incapacitating radiation fatigue that I've had all along is also lifting  (I'm receiving accupuncture once a week to treat it), just started walking on a treadmill and I'm now 7 weeks post treatment. So these have been my experiences.  I hope that they give you something to look toward as a possibility for a rapid recuperation because in hindsight, it seems pretty fast to me.  I remember that when my medical oncologist told me at the end of January that I'd feel like a new person by March I thought he was crazy, but he was right. I wish you a speedy recovery as well.  

LisaMMiles said:

LaCh, thank you so much

LaCh, thank you so much for your input! That gives me some relieve as I am just starting my healing. Are you a male or female? Cause I am a female and have major concerns with my vaginal and bladder area All this talk of vaginal dialators and it closing if I dont take care of it. I am very scared of that as I am only 46 yrs old. Do you have any imput on those issues or know someone on here that could help me with that?

I think that LaCh gave you a great summary of the healing timeline.  I am now 5 months post-treatment and have been back at work part-time for 3 weeks.  A couple of months ago I would not have believed I would be able to do that due to extreme exhaustion and pain.  But I am so much better.

It sounds like you may have cystitis.  I did and took pyridium for many weeks to sort of numb the internal pain while urinating. I also dabbed on a bit of lidocaine gel to numb the area.   Also, I started using a dilator about 10 days after treatment ended.  I started to have problems with my labia sticking together which completely freaked me out.  I could only separate them when I soaked in the tub or if I constantly applied some aquafor on them.  When I called my radiation onc. about the problem she said it was time to come in and get my dilators.  I'm careful to use the dilator regularly and I hope that I'll see that my diligence pays off when I go for a PAP smear next month.  I hope it won't be too painful.

I copied the below comments from the other thread.

I think most people on this board will agree with me that most side effects diminish rather quickly after treatment ends. I felt much better in about 10 days. Some side effects do linger and occasionally some can be long-term, but most of us have learned to cope with any such issues and live pretty normal lives. This is my hope for you. Just give yourself some time to heal, as your body has been through a lot in the last few weeks. No one can tell you how long it will be before things improve, as everyone is different, but in most cases, healing happens fairly quickly. Don't get discouraged and just be patient. Stay well-hydrated and eat lots of good protein to promote healing. A little light exercise every day will also help to boost your energy. I wish you all the best and hope you'll keep us posted on how things are going

mp327 said:

Lisa

I copied the below comments from the other thread.

I think most people on this board will agree with me that most side effects diminish rather quickly after treatment ends. I felt much better in about 10 days. Some side effects do linger and occasionally some can be long-term, but most of us have learned to cope with any such issues and live pretty normal lives. This is my hope for you. Just give yourself some time to heal, as your body has been through a lot in the last few weeks. No one can tell you how long it will be before things improve, as everyone is different, but in most cases, healing happens fairly quickly. Don't get discouraged and just be patient. Stay well-hydrated and eat lots of good protein to promote healing. A little light exercise every day will also help to boost your energy. I wish you all the best and hope you'll keep us posted on how things are going

Hi, 

I am 7 weeks post treatment. I have to say that I was very fortunate to heal very quickly. I was off painkillers soon after treatment ended. Urinationwas painful due to burns, but I used a portable bidet and used that filled with a salt water mix into which I  urinated. I had some diarrhoea for a few weeks after but managed that with loperamide. Apart from some fatigue, I am not feeling too bad. I am managing the treadmill a few times a week, although gently. I still stick mainly to a low fibre, no spice diet, but gradually reintroduciing more foods & finding that ok. 

I didn't think recovery would be a quick as it has been.

Good luck with yours

Liz