How Is Body Positioned For Radiation & Where Are Tattoos placed?

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  • judypruitt
    judypruitt Member Posts: 10
    #22
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch said:

    I stand with Phoebesnow.

    I am with Phoebesnow and am begging you to take your husband to someone with experience. As already has been pointed out above, this is considered a rare cancer. At the very MINIMUM, get a second opinion from someone with experience, be they male or female.

    Why was he discharged from the hospital with a brand new, procedure-caused prolapse??? Did the MD at least examine him??? What type of MD did this procedure - a colo-rectal surgeon? The tissue is probably traumatized and swolen which will make reduction more difficult (returning it to the anal canal). If your sweety is in pain, he needs an adjustment in either dose or medication. There's no excuse for pain and suffering. (Many pain meds can cause constipation as a side-effect. He will have to drink more and may have to add stool softeners or even laxatives to his arsenel.)  Has he been told to apply warm compresses, dressings, or to utilize sitz baths? How about applying moisturizers to keep the tissue from drying out while it's exposed to the air?

    Once he starts on radiation, though, he may have diarrhea secondary to radiation enteritis. He'll then need to switch to Immodium or Pepto-bismol as needed. Remain flexible!

    Regarding rectal cancer treaments, remember that anal cancer is NOT rectal cancer!!! Different protocols apply. Go back to the NCCN site and review their Anal Carcinoma document that has the standard protocols listed.

    I know this is all going very fast for you, but you do have time to take a breath and do more research and planning. The first impulse is to GET RID OF IT, but the cancer has been maybe 30+/- years in the making, so taking a bit more time may be okay while you regroup. And if you switch the oncologist, radiation oncologist, and facility, you may be able to get the treatments started more quickly.

    [PS: I am very confused where your husband is getting treatment. You've mentioned MD Anderson several times, CTCoA several times, and doctors who are doing procedures they never tried before. Where is your husband going?]

    Sorry 4 The Confusion

    OK....I have been a rambling soul.  CTCA would not take his insurance so that is out.  M.D. Anderson is scheduled 4 an appointment on 1/8 & another radiation oncologist on 1/5 that has experience in this type cancer.  I can never speak w/doc w/o an appointment & it is never a quick date.  His nurse answers questions.  I called his office on Tues a.m. ater his ultrasound on Monday & conveyed 2 her how I was thinking the ultrasound had his rectal tissues inflamed possibly & pushed the mass out of his anus so could dr. possibly prescribe an antiinflammatory.    She tells me that that this is a mass & an antiinflammatory would not help & get him N2 M.D. Anderson & nothing will change w/his cancer between now & then.  I was anxious that waiting that long is not good....especially since he was diagnosed in late October.  I am exausted trying 2 find him the best treatment!  Doc told him after his 1st rectal that he had advanced cancer & would end up w/a colostomy bag after chemo/radiation 2 shrink tumour.  Now he has said after therapies he would probably remove a polyp.  Hubby is scared & I am terrified....

    THANK U ALL!

  • qv62
    qv62 Member Posts: 434 Member
    #23
    judypruitt said:

    Sorry 4 The Confusion

    OK....I have been a rambling soul.  CTCA would not take his insurance so that is out.  M.D. Anderson is scheduled 4 an appointment on 1/8 & another radiation oncologist on 1/5 that has experience in this type cancer.  I can never speak w/doc w/o an appointment & it is never a quick date.  His nurse answers questions.  I called his office on Tues a.m. ater his ultrasound on Monday & conveyed 2 her how I was thinking the ultrasound had his rectal tissues inflamed possibly & pushed the mass out of his anus so could dr. possibly prescribe an antiinflammatory.    She tells me that that this is a mass & an antiinflammatory would not help & get him N2 M.D. Anderson & nothing will change w/his cancer between now & then.  I was anxious that waiting that long is not good....especially since he was diagnosed in late October.  I am exausted trying 2 find him the best treatment!  Doc told him after his 1st rectal that he had advanced cancer & would end up w/a colostomy bag after chemo/radiation 2 shrink tumour.  Now he has said after therapies he would probably remove a polyp.  Hubby is scared & I am terrified....

    THANK U ALL!

    judypruitt

    As the others have stated you MUST have him seen by a doctor well trained in anal cancer, glad to see you have an appt at MD Anderson. In the meantime you may be able to get a phone conference with Dr. Berry at UCSF, when I was at my witts end and ready to book a flight to San Fran I called Dr. Berry, he called me back one evening after seeing all his patients and was a wealth of information. It is worth a shot. As for the passing of his stool, a stool softener along with Senna would be a good idea.  We are here for you, please keep us posted.

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #24
    qv62 said:

    judypruitt

    As the others have stated you MUST have him seen by a doctor well trained in anal cancer, glad to see you have an appt at MD Anderson. In the meantime you may be able to get a phone conference with Dr. Berry at UCSF, when I was at my witts end and ready to book a flight to San Fran I called Dr. Berry, he called me back one evening after seeing all his patients and was a wealth of information. It is worth a shot. As for the passing of his stool, a stool softener along with Senna would be a good idea.  We are here for you, please keep us posted.

    Organizing your appointment.

    judypruit -

    Will your husband allow you to be with him when he sees the MD Anderson doctor or team?

    If so, do yourself a huge favor. Prior to the MD Anderson appointment, buy a notbook. Write the date of the appointment at the top and the name of the doctor(s) your sweety is seeing. Then write down every single question and ambiguity you both have on that page, leaving room for writing in replies.

    During the appointment, ask the doctor(s) each question and immediately write down the reply. Do not wait to write the answers in later as you won't remember, I guarantee you. Either leave the page in the notebook and use the next page for the next appointment or tear it out and put it in a manilla folder with the name of the doctor on the tab.

    If I don't write down my questions, I get swept away with the momentum of the appointment and skip things. I'm on my second notebook.now

  • jcruz
    jcruz Member Posts: 379 Member
    #25
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch said:

    Organizing your appointment.

    judypruit -

    Will your husband allow you to be with him when he sees the MD Anderson doctor or team?

    If so, do yourself a huge favor. Prior to the MD Anderson appointment, buy a notbook. Write the date of the appointment at the top and the name of the doctor(s) your sweety is seeing. Then write down every single question and ambiguity you both have on that page, leaving room for writing in replies.

    During the appointment, ask the doctor(s) each question and immediately write down the reply. Do not wait to write the answers in later as you won't remember, I guarantee you. Either leave the page in the notebook and use the next page for the next appointment or tear it out and put it in a manilla folder with the name of the doctor on the tab.

    If I don't write down my questions, I get swept away with the momentum of the appointment and skip things. I'm on my second notebook.now

    great advice

    I too used a notebook for my questions, leaving space for their answers.  I also sometimes told the docs to slow down or repeat if I were in an appt. by myself and I couldn't write fast enough to keep up with them.  In the beginning I had a friend come with me to all of the appts. and she did the writing.  I filled 2 notebooks my first year.  I continue to use a notebook for all of my appts. whether lit's oncology follow-ups or my shrink.  Everything goes in the book.  It is so important to do this.

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #26
    judypruitt said:

    Sorry 4 The Confusion

    OK....I have been a rambling soul.  CTCA would not take his insurance so that is out.  M.D. Anderson is scheduled 4 an appointment on 1/8 & another radiation oncologist on 1/5 that has experience in this type cancer.  I can never speak w/doc w/o an appointment & it is never a quick date.  His nurse answers questions.  I called his office on Tues a.m. ater his ultrasound on Monday & conveyed 2 her how I was thinking the ultrasound had his rectal tissues inflamed possibly & pushed the mass out of his anus so could dr. possibly prescribe an antiinflammatory.    She tells me that that this is a mass & an antiinflammatory would not help & get him N2 M.D. Anderson & nothing will change w/his cancer between now & then.  I was anxious that waiting that long is not good....especially since he was diagnosed in late October.  I am exausted trying 2 find him the best treatment!  Doc told him after his 1st rectal that he had advanced cancer & would end up w/a colostomy bag after chemo/radiation 2 shrink tumour.  Now he has said after therapies he would probably remove a polyp.  Hubby is scared & I am terrified....

    THANK U ALL!

    Have you called MD Anderson?

    I've been thinking about your husband, Mr. judypruitt. You spoke with your local doctor's nurse, but did you call the doctor with whom he has an appointment at MD Anderson?

    This is the diagram of the anal canal: <http://id.medicine.ucsf.edu/analcancerinfo/diagnosis/anatomy.html&gt;
    The canal has two sets of sphincter muscles:
    A. The Internal Sphincter Muscle - not under our control, it's a totally involuntary muscle.
    B. The external sphinctor muscle - under our voluntary control.

    One of the main problems with the anal area is that the circulation is relatively poor. When the internal sphincter muscle spasms (see the diagram), the anal area can become downright ischemic. I am not a physician of any kind and only know of the situation from your descriptions, but on that basis, I am concerned that the tissue prolapsing from your husband's anus is being even further deprived of blood. If that is the case, I am afraid that the tissue will be very damaged by the time he gets to the medical center.

    I suggest that you call MD Anderson Cancer Center to tell the MD, with whom your sweety has an appointment, of the prolapse situation, the amount of pain he is experiencing from it, and the difficulty passing stools (if there is difficulty). Press for an immediate appointment. If that's not possible for them, ask about bringing him to their emergency department for evaluation. Cry, if need be.

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