Long term effects eight years after treatment

gabby_ca
gabby_ca Member Posts: 38
in Anal Cancer #1

I thought it a good idea to make a post about the long term effects that I STILL have 8 years after treatment for this cancer.

1.  Food sensitivities - I find that I will get very very loose stools almost immediately if I eat greasy or fatty foods.  This includes chinese food etc.  Within 5 minutes, I am RUSHING to the washroom and will continue to do so for a few hours which makes for a really sore bum. lol  I do sometimes still tempt fate though and spend hours in the bath tub afterwards trying to calm the old bum down.  I still use a peri bottle instead of tissue paper most of the time.  I always have and carry a small bottle in my purse for when I am not at home.  The radiated skin still sometimes causes me issues and I use aveeno which tends to calm it down.

I avoid dairy with the exception of a big fruit smoothie which I have every morning and in that, I put a cup of skim milk, greek yoghurt and fruit.

2. I had and still continue to have an urgent need for BM's in the morning.  I think this will stay with me forever.  Upon waking, I am guaranteed 5-6 BM's within the first 30 minutes of waking up.  This is MY new normal.  I have NEVER had constipation EVER since diagnosis.  I stay away from high fibre foods as I find that this type of food makes me go to the washroom even more.  My doctor says that my radiation damage is almost akin to IBS.  Spicy food does NOTHING to me at all which is strange as one would think I would have issues with spices and I do not.

3. I have no issues with my hips or strength 8 years out.  In fact, I do 10,000 steps before lunch dealing with massive horses and I am probably in the best shape of my life.  I had a bone density test done a few months ago and my bones were in amazing shape.  I had to have this test done as I jumped off the tail gate of my truck and broke both the tibia and fibula in my leg and I was in a walking cast for 5 months after I took 3 hours off of work to get a cast and an x-ray and I Went right back to work. :) It was determined that I broke the bones by landing on my ankle the wrong way when I landed.

Other than the above, I have no issues other than late at night, I still wonder sometimes why my body let me down.  Yes, I still get scared sometimes that the cancer will come back and I try and make myself NOT think about it as it really is out of our control anyways.

 

 

Comments

  • Lorikat
    Lorikat Member Posts: 681 Member
    #2
    Thank you!

    Thank you soooo much!  I could have written that myself and I am 2 yr 2 mths out.  The docs want me to eat more fibre but like you, it makes me spend MORE time in the bathroom.  No greasy food, EVER.  And the sore behind?  Ouch!  It gets raw and burns like crazy.  

    Heres where thank you come in:  it's not just me!  I'm not imagining or overstating, this just is the way things are.  I am living and going and doing, just working at enjoying my life as it is, the best I can, when I can. Blessings!

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #3
    Gabby

    At 5-years post-treatment, I feel very fortunate to have only minimal/occasional side effects.  I do get bouts of constipation, which can morph into slight bleeding episodes.  My bowels can also behave badly the other way, with multiple BM's during the day, perhaps not to the diarrhea stage, but sometimes close.  It all seems to depend on what I eat and my fluid intake.  I confess to not liking to drink water and I know I do not drink nearly enough.  Morning is definitely the worst time for me and I avoid morning appointments whenever possible.  In January 2013, I began having episodes of severe abdominal pain, unlike anything I had ever experienced previously, accompanied by vomiting.  After having several attacks, one night I had one so severe that I woke my husband up and told him we needed to go to the ER.  It turned out to be a partial small intestine obstruction.  I was admitted and spent the next day and night in the hospital.  It was some of the worst pain I have ever experienced.  I have had a few minor bouts of it since, but not for awhile (knock on wood!).  For a long time after that, I was very cautious about what I ate and being sure not to get too much fiber.  I avoided beef (and still do except on the rare occasion) and other foods that are hard to digest.  I have gradually added some foods back into my diet and so far, so good.  As for the hips, mine ache a little now and then after a run and my flexibility is not nearly as good as it used to be.  I have had a couple bone density scans and both showed osteopenia.  I do worry about fractures, as not only do I have the osteopenia, but I'm very small boned.  I'm sorry to hear that you had the leg fractures, but I hope you are now healed.

    I think we all wonder from time to time why our bodies turned on us.  I have always tried to take fairly good care of myself.  Some people treat their bodies like a rental car and never get cancer.  It doesn't make sense, but some things just can't be explained, I guess.     

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