Question

lilacs35
lilacs35 Member Posts: 25
in Anal Cancer #1

hi there,

so this Friday it will be three weeks post treatment.  The bowel movements are less painful so I can tolerate them better.  I'm getting better everyday.  But...yesterday and today it seems all I want to do is go #2.  Two days ago I went 5 times.  they were pretty normal and no gas or diahrreah and when I go it seems like a lot.  I also am having the same thing today.  It's as if im not getting it all out.  It's really strange.  Also, my appetite is still not quite there And I still get pretty tired throughout the day.  With only three weeks out is this pretty normal?

sincerely,

me

Comments

  • jcruz
    jcruz Member Posts: 379 Member
    #2
    so normal

    In the early days I went up to 6 times, mostly in the morning.  As I got better it was usually 3 times.  I can't remember what the explanation is but I think there is one.

    Janet

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #3
    Hello:

    You seem to be doing well for only three weeks post-treatment. Good for you! You may need to take a year or two to be at your most recovered, though, so go step-by-step.

    I passed large amounts of stool, too, and still do to some extent, probably from a long history of irritable bowel syndrome. Once your appetite improves (a registered dietician will help you with that), and if the amount passed still seems to be more than goes in, the dietician can help you formulate a balanced low-residue diet. A low-residue diet course will reduce the amount of waste so your GI tract can heal more efficiently. (Both the chemotherapy and radiation are very damaging to it.)

    Check to see if there's a physical therapist nearby that's certified to treat cancer patients. I found PT to be extremely helpful. I gained back the strength and stamina I lost, stopped dropping things, improved the strength and function of my pelvic floor muscles (that helped reduce pain all by itself), and gave me coping strategies for the cognitive dent my brain took (the so-called "chemo-brain"). The STAR program has a website that will help you find the closest certified PT. Look in the upper right hand corner: http://www.oncologyrehabpartners.com/

    Don't forget that food and sleep are medicine, too .^_^.

    "How Can Physical Therapy Help with Anal Cancer Recovery?" [three-part article] - http://www.analcancerfoundation.org/2014/09/24/can-pt-help-anal-cancer-recovery/
    "Chemo Brain" - http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/physicalsideeffects/chemotherapyeffects/chemo-brain
    "Chemo Brain: It Is Real" - http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/expertvoices/post/2012/04/09/chemo-brain-it-is-real.aspx
    "Getting Help for Chemo Brain" - http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@editorial/documents/document/acspc-031604.pdf

  • lilacs35
    lilacs35 Member Posts: 25
    #4
    jcruz said:

    so normal

    In the early days I went up to 6 times, mostly in the morning.  As I got better it was usually 3 times.  I can't remember what the explanation is but I think there is one.

    Janet

    Thanks

    thank you.  Just good to hear everyone experiences same symptoms...

  • lilacs35
    lilacs35 Member Posts: 25
    #5
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch said:

    Hello:

    You seem to be doing well for only three weeks post-treatment. Good for you! You may need to take a year or two to be at your most recovered, though, so go step-by-step.

    I passed large amounts of stool, too, and still do to some extent, probably from a long history of irritable bowel syndrome. Once your appetite improves (a registered dietician will help you with that), and if the amount passed still seems to be more than goes in, the dietician can help you formulate a balanced low-residue diet. A low-residue diet course will reduce the amount of waste so your GI tract can heal more efficiently. (Both the chemotherapy and radiation are very damaging to it.)

    Check to see if there's a physical therapist nearby that's certified to treat cancer patients. I found PT to be extremely helpful. I gained back the strength and stamina I lost, stopped dropping things, improved the strength and function of my pelvic floor muscles (that helped reduce pain all by itself), and gave me coping strategies for the cognitive dent my brain took (the so-called "chemo-brain"). The STAR program has a website that will help you find the closest certified PT. Look in the upper right hand corner: http://www.oncologyrehabpartners.com/

    Don't forget that food and sleep are medicine, too .^_^.

    "How Can Physical Therapy Help with Anal Cancer Recovery?" [three-part article] - http://www.analcancerfoundation.org/2014/09/24/can-pt-help-anal-cancer-recovery/
    "Chemo Brain" - http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/physicalsideeffects/chemotherapyeffects/chemo-brain
    "Chemo Brain: It Is Real" - http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/expertvoices/post/2012/04/09/chemo-brain-it-is-real.aspx
    "Getting Help for Chemo Brain" - http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@editorial/documents/document/acspc-031604.pdf

    Thank you

    great info.  Thanks

    i just got accupunture and getting a massage in the next few days.  I also started a probiotic which doctors highly recommended.  

    But yes, getting better it's just still the no appetite and tired.  I was a runner, bicyclist, walker...before all this.  I still need to remind myself it's been only three weeks...

    Thanks again.  I'll be checking it out for sure.

     

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #6
    lilacs35 said:

    Thank you

    great info.  Thanks

    i just got accupunture and getting a massage in the next few days.  I also started a probiotic which doctors highly recommended.  

    But yes, getting better it's just still the no appetite and tired.  I was a runner, bicyclist, walker...before all this.  I still need to remind myself it's been only three weeks...

    Thanks again.  I'll be checking it out for sure.

     

    Bumpy road.

    After I finished, I thought that I'd sleep for a week and be okay. It was a real shock when that didn't happen. I think I lost more weight post-treatment than during it. When I finally started eating and feeling like I could drive, I would get so hungry so fast that I'd get instantly shaky and have trouble standing. I had to keep bottles of Boost on me at all times when I left the house. Fortunately, that super-hunger went away in about 1-1/2 months. I guess my poor cells were crying out for nurishment!

    I'm so sore right now that I fear never being able to ride my bike again. >_<

    Massage! Ahhhhh!

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