For those with bleeding from radiation proctitis

LaCh · February 2014

Not recommending anything for anybody else, I'm simply relating my own experience so that others can put it into their mental toolbox, to be used if desired and deemed prudent. I was treated with argon gas to cauterize the area affected by radiation proctitis, which was the entire area of real estate in there. Argon gas is used when the area is diffuse and the tissue is friable. It creates scarring, which, in my case, has stopped the bleeding. It took a week and a half post tx for the scarring to form and the bleeding to stop, but it has. If another area needs tx, which is likely, I'll consider it, and the only reason that I'd either decline it or delay it is because I'm not worried about the tumor returning (so there's no need to look for the source of the bleeding) and the bleeding is an annoyance, but nothing more. So I'd weigh all things and decide, but for those with a different set of concerns or a different pov, argon plasma coagulation (it's medical call-name) worked for me.

pializ · February 2014

LaCh

Thanks for that LaCh.

I am having an examination under anaesthetic tomorrow for similar symptoms. I will bear this information in mind, though I doubt it will be available to me here in the UK. My experience here is that I have had to fight for care from diagnosis to follow up. Despite the recommended follow up during the first 2 years post treatment being 3 monthly, I was not going to have a follow up physical examination for 8 months.Hmmm! My consultant's secretary was amazed??? at my knowledge base. Well, as I informed her, my life has literally depended on it.

I am glad to see you are doing ok, maybe not perfect, but sufficiently well that you & your dog can look forward to Spring walks in Central Park.

Thanks again for sharing

Best wishes

Liz

mp327 · February 2014

LaCh

Thanks for posting this information. As you know from being on this site, a lot of us deal with bleeding post-treatment. I hope you are doing well!

LaCh · February 2014

mp327 said:
LaCh
Thanks for posting this information. As you know from being on this site, a lot of us deal with bleeding post-treatment. I hope you are doing well!

full disclosure

sorry everybody. Unfortunately, my run of blood free days has come to a sorry end. BUT... that's not to say that the treatment might not last longer for others. To me, the bleeding hasn't even risen to the inconvenience level; it's just there, it doesn't bother me, I just note it and go on with my day, so I don't really mind it. A word of caution; the argon gas can make you feel nauseated and queasy for a few hours afterwards.

But ...don't judge your (potential) experience by my experience, not in terms of the nausea and expecially not in terms of the results. Everyone's different. If you're having something that requires sedation anyway... what's the difference? Get a blast of argon gas lit up in the nether regions and see what happens. Your blood-free run might last longer than mine.

Marynb · February 2014

pializ said:
LaCh
Thanks for that LaCh.

I am having an examination under anaesthetic tomorrow for similar symptoms. I will bear this information in mind, though I doubt it will be available to me here in the UK. My experience here is that I have had to fight for care from diagnosis to follow up. Despite the recommended follow up during the first 2 years post treatment being 3 monthly, I was not going to have a follow up physical examination for 8 months.Hmmm! My consultant's secretary was amazed??? at my knowledge base. Well, as I informed her, my life has literally depended on it.

I am glad to see you are doing ok, maybe not perfect, but sufficiently well that you & your dog can look forward to Spring walks in Central Park.

Thanks again for sharing

Best wishes

Liz

Liz
I am glad that you are being seen tomorrow. Good luck! You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Marynb · February 2014

LaCh said:
full disclosure
sorry everybody. Unfortunately, my run of blood free days has come to a sorry end. BUT... that's not to say that the treatment might not last longer for others. To me, the bleeding hasn't even risen to the inconvenience level; it's just there, it doesn't bother me, I just note it and go on with my day, so I don't really mind it. A word of caution; the argon gas can make you feel nauseated and queasy for a few hours afterwards.

But ...don't judge your (potential) experience by my experience, not in terms of the nausea and expecially not in terms of the results. Everyone's different. If you're having something that requires sedation anyway... what's the difference? Get a blast of argon gas lit up in the nether regions and see what happens. Your blood-free run might last longer than mine.

LaCh
Thanks for the information!

pializ · February 2014

Marynb said:
Liz
I am glad that you are being seen tomorrow. Good luck! You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Marynb

Thank you for your kind thoughts.

I have been wondering about you and where you are in your journey.

It is 1.45 am. I have had a very productive evening distracting myself. I have bulk cooked tiL I can cook no more. Oh well, my freezer is full again lol.

Take care & keep us posted.

Liz

pializ · February 2014

pializ said:
Marynb
Thank you for your kind thoughts.

I have been wondering about you and where you are in your journey.

It is 1.45 am. I have had a very productive evening distracting myself. I have bulk cooked tiL I can cook no more. Oh well, my freezer is full again lol.

Take care & keep us posted.

Liz

Marynb

Just an uodate.

Consultant confirmed symptoms are from radiation damage. He has now said that as I will be seen in 4 months 'due to MY concerns'.

So far, so good.

Kind regards,

Liz

mp327 · February 2014

pializ said:
Marynb
Just an uodate.

Consultant confirmed symptoms are from radiation damage. He has now said that as I will be seen in 4 months 'due to MY concerns'.

So far, so good.

Kind regards,

Liz

Liz

I am glad your doctor was able to pinpoint the cause of your bleeding. Unfortunately, this seems to be common among us and part of the new normal. I hope this gives you peace of mind knowing that it's nothing more serious.

pializ · February 2014

mp327 said:
Liz
I am glad your doctor was able to pinpoint the cause of your bleeding. Unfortunately, this seems to be common among us and part of the new normal. I hope this gives you peace of mind knowing that it's nothing more serious.

Martha

Well, I hoped it was radiation damage & can see so many others suffer the same.& thankfully that's what it is.

I know none of us want collateral damage, but there is, at this time anyway, not much in the way of options to treat AC. I was stage 3A, and due to my right ovary masquerading as a lymph node which could have heen involved (no PET scan for AC here), I had a lot of me irradiated, so I am not surprised to have some problems.

But, still NED!

Thank you Martha

Liz x

LaCh · February 2014

Marynb said:
LaCh
Thanks for the information!

to all

Can't speak for others but only for myself. I don't know why I'm not worried about a recurrance when many other people are, but I'm just not. The tumor is gone and my assumption is that it'll stay "gone." With that in mind, I think I'm going to lay off the flex sigmoidoscopies for a while; I only did this last one at my gastroenetrologist's urging, and while they're no big deal, I'd rather be doing something else. A little blood isn't going to kill me. I just note it and go on with my day, which I think a lot of people here do. Thinking about my butt is getting old.

Anyway, Cheers.

mp327 · February 2014

LaCh said:
to all
Can't speak for others but only for myself. I don't know why I'm not worried about a recurrance when many other people are, but I'm just not. The tumor is gone and my assumption is that it'll stay "gone." With that in mind, I think I'm going to lay off the flex sigmoidoscopies for a while; I only did this last one at my gastroenetrologist's urging, and while they're no big deal, I'd rather be doing something else. A little blood isn't going to kill me. I just note it and go on with my day, which I think a lot of people here do. Thinking about my butt is getting old.

Anyway, Cheers.

LaCh

I had to chuckle a bit when I read your sentence about how thinking about your butt is getting old. I feel that way on a daily basis!

LaCh · February 2014

mp327 said:
LaCh
I had to chuckle a bit when I read your sentence about how thinking about your butt is getting old. I feel that way on a daily basis!

thoughts...

I used to feel that way more than I do [that the thoughts get old] but don't so much anymore because I rarely think about my butt anymore. The way I see it, every minute that I'm thinking of that, I'm not thinking about the sketch I'm working on or the book that I'm reading or the book that I'm writing. Thoughts about my butt live where they belong; in the past. I'm lucky enough to be able to say that the tumor is cured and have no fear that it's going to return. Why squander that gift by dragging it along behind me in my present, in the form of thoughts, worry, all of that... In any case, I ran out of things to think about it a long time ago.... I thunk it to death and then I moved on. But that's just my take. We each find our own way....

sephie · February 2014

LaCh said:
thoughts...
I used to feel that way more than I do [that the thoughts get old] but don't so much anymore because I rarely think about my butt anymore. The way I see it, every minute that I'm thinking of that, I'm not thinking about the sketch I'm working on or the book that I'm reading or the book that I'm writing. Thoughts about my butt live where they belong; in the past. I'm lucky enough to be able to say that the tumor is cured and have no fear that it's going to return. Why squander that gift by dragging it along behind me in my present, in the form of thoughts, worry, all of that... In any case, I ran out of things to think about it a long time ago.... I thunk it to death and then I moved on. But that's just my take. We each find our own way....

moving on is the best

lach, my stupid butt will not let me forget it....each and every day, it hurts on left side----always has and i guess after 4 years, always will... i have to try to sit differently or take a shammy cloth to dry it off or use the hair dryer on cool.... if one particle of anything including tp is in there, it is painful....but i am grateful for whatever i can do....yes, blood does not bother me any more...well, one time it did because it was like i was flooding but that slowed down after a week....anyway....all of us are different.....give your dog a huge hug ...... i would love to have a large mastiff but too hot down here......congrats on writing......sephie

Lorikat · February 2014

sephie said:
moving on is the best
lach, my stupid butt will not let me forget it....each and every day, it hurts on left side----always has and i guess after 4 years, always will... i have to try to sit differently or take a shammy cloth to dry it off or use the hair dryer on cool.... if one particle of anything including tp is in there, it is painful....but i am grateful for whatever i can do....yes, blood does not bother me any more...well, one time it did because it was like i was flooding but that slowed down after a week....anyway....all of us are different.....give your dog a huge hug ...... i would love to have a large mastiff but too hot down here......congrats on writing......sephie

Years ago after childbirth I

Years ago after childbirth I had hemmeroids. The doctor told me to "sit on a bag" of frozen peas. I had forgotten that untill a couple of weeks ago. I tried it and it worked! Eased the pain, and the litte bit of bleeding, external, I guess, stopped. Just saying.... But will repeat check with your Doctor first!

For those with bleeding from radiation proctitis

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