Done with chemo/radiation but still not feeling well

betula
betula Member Posts: 86
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Hello,

My husband has stage 2 rectal cancer and has finished his chemo and radiationand now waiting on surgery.  He did 28 days of radiation and chemo pump five days a week and has been done now for a little over a month.  My question is, he is still having very inconsistant bowel movements, pain and cramping.  He is using stool softener, etc also.  This is not everyday but he will have random nights when he is up a lot with the cramping.  We cannot relate it to anything he has eaten, etc.  Having never been through this before we don't know if this is a normal continued side effect of treatment.  He will calll the doctor but worried it will result in some other 'probing' testFrown.

Betula

 

 

 

 

Comments

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,804 Member
    edited April 2017 #2
    Time

    First I want to say that it is always good to let the Oncologist know exactly what is going on. While other people's experiences are helpful, getting the all clear from your Doctor is most important, probe or no probe. 

    Now for my experience. My bathroom issues continued for many, many months after radiation, though the cramps lasted about two months, thank God (and I mean Thank God, not a blasphemy). I mostly suffered from the inability to control my bowel, which kept me pretty much at home or close (I mean REAL close) to a bathroom.  

    I found it helpful to keep a food diary, and eventually figured out some food that weren't helpful, but for the most part, it was just side effects from the radiation. 

    The body has suffered a huge blow with chemo and radiation, it takes time to heal. 

    Have your husband call the Doctor and let him know of his concerns.  But you may just find that it is the slow process of healing, so be patient. 

    TRU

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    edited April 2017 #3
    I don't know if this is

    I don't know if this is helpful at all but with the side effects such as fatigue it peaks at something like 8 weeks after the treatment has stopped but I dont know about something like bowel issues. My understanding is the radiation causes any tumours to get bigger before they get smaller. They swell up from the radiation and then shrink afterwards. Maybe this is what's causing his discomfort? It wouldn't hurt to make a call to the surgeon's office and ask if it's normal or not uncommon to have his reaction.

    Poor guy, I hope he gets relief soon. I have an illeostomy and I'm so glad to never have to deal with bowel issues like diarrhea or constipation again.

    Jan

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