anal ulceration improving

tallorder5793
tallorder5793 Member Posts: 67
edited February 2016 in Anal Cancer #1

Have been off this board for a while. Honestly, due to anal ulceration, it is often hard to sit and write anything. Had done radiation last spring. Which was successful in treating primary anal cancer and met to node. I'm still having issue w mets to liver and lung. Doctors want me to continue chemotherapy treatment. I've had to stop due to unbearable fissure. I can barely walk... it is that bad. Sitz baths help a little bit. Have tried various creams with no success. I take a painkiller... which is a mixed blessing. It relieves some pain but also constipates terribly. I take stool softeners for some help.

I'm really afraid my treatment will be completely curtailed by issue with stubborn anal fissure (ulceration). I have appt w pain management next week. Hopefully this will help. I'm wondering if others have experienced fissures- and what they did to improve it.

 

Comments

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
    tallorder5793

    I am very sorry to hear this.  I have not experienced a fissure, so I can be of no help to you.  I do know that sometimes Botox injections are given when fissures do not heal.  Have you asked about that?  I hope you get some answers and some relief from your pain.

    Martha

  • nonichol
    nonichol Member Posts: 170
    #3
    So sorry

    I am sorry to hear about your pain. Hopefully you can get some relief soon as I am sure it is intense.                                 

     

  • tallorder5793
    tallorder5793 Member Posts: 67
    #4
    Pain management helped immensely

    Just an update: I visited with pain management specialist in early January. Since then, after receiving prescriptions for morphine, gapapentin and celebrex, things have been improving. I have less pain- and I can walk much longer distances. Just in the nick of time b/c I've started chemotherapy again. In mid-March, I will be 2 years dealing with stage iv cancer diagnosis. I will rescan at MD Anderson in early April. 

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #5
    tallorder5793 said:

    Pain management helped immensely

    Just an update: I visited with pain management specialist in early January. Since then, after receiving prescriptions for morphine, gapapentin and celebrex, things have been improving. I have less pain- and I can walk much longer distances. Just in the nick of time b/c I've started chemotherapy again. In mid-March, I will be 2 years dealing with stage iv cancer diagnosis. I will rescan at MD Anderson in early April. 

    Fissure here.

    I was treated in 2014 with chemotherapy and radiation for stage 3a-or-3b anal cancer. Radiation zapped the tumor quickly, but was extremely nasty to endure. I developed several fissures. (For those who never had one, it's like having a very painful, deep paper cut marinated in lemon juice that you then have to stretch poo through.) I finished radiation on July 9th, 2014. It took until now for the smaller fissure to resolve and the larger one to mostly heal. I can relate to what you say about sitting and walking!

    My colorectal surgeon prescribed Nifedipine ointment (meant to relax ithe inner sphincter to allow increased blood flow - have to get it from a compounding pharmacy), continued sitz baths, and stool softeners (except that I didn't need that due to diarrhea which can hurt fissures as much as hard stools). There's also an onitment with nitroglycerin, but I never tried that. The most soothing thing I've found is Calazime paste. It has menthol and coats the fissure to prevent the stool from entering the fissure.

    I'm so sorry that you have this affliction.

  • tallorder5793
    tallorder5793 Member Posts: 67
    #6
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch said:

    Fissure here.

    I was treated in 2014 with chemotherapy and radiation for stage 3a-or-3b anal cancer. Radiation zapped the tumor quickly, but was extremely nasty to endure. I developed several fissures. (For those who never had one, it's like having a very painful, deep paper cut marinated in lemon juice that you then have to stretch poo through.) I finished radiation on July 9th, 2014. It took until now for the smaller fissure to resolve and the larger one to mostly heal. I can relate to what you say about sitting and walking!

    My colorectal surgeon prescribed Nifedipine ointment (meant to relax ithe inner sphincter to allow increased blood flow - have to get it from a compounding pharmacy), continued sitz baths, and stool softeners (except that I didn't need that due to diarrhea which can hurt fissures as much as hard stools). There's also an onitment with nitroglycerin, but I never tried that. The most soothing thing I've found is Calazime paste. It has menthol and coats the fissure to prevent the stool from entering the fissure.

    I'm so sorry that you have this affliction.

    Thank you for response

    I had chemotherapy last week. Just getting my sea legs again. Many thanks!

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