Newly Diagnosed

ginatom said:

How to clean off the salves

Hi everyone!  I'm probably starting treatment in a couple of weeks.  Can someone say real clearly how you cleaned off the Aquafor and other things every day before treatment?  Obviously you can't be scrubbing.  Do you use something special to remove it?  With special wipes?

Also did anyone get one of these little bidet attachments that "wipes" you with just water?  Was that helpful or awful or something in between?  I see many advertised if I google portable bidet, and they're not THAT expensive.  And does it NOT cause problems with fecal material going forward into the vagina?  I can't quite imagine it all!  

I used a bidet attachment.  It was great at first but then because I did not have an electric one, the water was too cold and caused more pain.  What I really did find helpful was a shower wand attachment that I could regulate how strong a stream it was.  It needed to be a weak stream of Luke warm water.  It was the only way I could keep clean.

unscented wipes are also a necessity.  so far I have gone through over 600 of them and I amstill using though I am slowly transitioning to toilet paper on my 3 week of healing.

ginatom said:

Thanks everybody. Guess I'll

Thanks everybody. Guess I'll be getting a peri-bottle! 

I also sat is a sitz bath several times a day and, during the last week or two and a few weeks after, I lay in the bathtub and was soothed by the warm water.

I began with Aquaphor and as the pain increased, the nurses gave me Aquaphor mixed with lidocaine and Domboro soaks

What is everyone doing to keep the stains off your clothes or underwater. I use pads when I need to go out but that doesn't cover the area higher up on the crease of your legs. I am trying just gauze pads right now but they don't stay in place. 

ginatom said:

Thanks for THAT Salsify

I will look into these peri-bottles.  It's hard to imagine getting into the right position to use them, but obviously people are using them.  

I, too, said "colon cancer" to the first few people I told, but I did some de-sensitizing on the word ANAL and ANUS and after a couple of weeks started being able to say it out loud.  I feel like it's helpful to desensitize these words.  Then again, I didn't have to go to an office every day and talk to people who I wasn't really friends with - I think I'd just stick to colon if I did.  The only problem with that is that right away everybody knows someone who had colon cancer and did such and such, and they tell us all the details to be helpful, and it's irrelevant as it's a totally different disease.  So now I say I have "anal cancer caused by the HPV virus, which I didn't even know I had".  Somehow that makes it easier and maybe even more helpful.

Got my PET Scan results and there's no evidence of metastases from either the old breast cancer or the new anal cancer.  So that's GOOOOOD!  Nice to have THAT happy moment!

ginatom said:

Got my PET Scan results and

Got my PET Scan results and there's no evidence of metastases from either the old breast cancer or the new anal cancer.  So that's GOOOOOD!  Nice to have THAT happy moment!

What fabulous news!  I'm SO happy for you!  

Wonderful news, what a relief!

Hello everyone I'm new to this site and just been diagnosed with anal cancer can anyone help me with this

Tabbysmom12 said:

Aquafor

What is everyone doing to keep the stains off your clothes or underwater. I use pads when I need to go out but that doesn't cover the area higher up on the crease of your legs. I am trying just gauze pads right now but they don't stay in place. 

I had hoped to just be able to wear boxers and skirts, but because I need to wear a pad due to leakage and incontinence, I've found it necessary to wear underwear too.  Pads and boxers just don't work together.  I did manage to find underpants that have no elastic at the leg which hold the pad but still fit loosely where my thighs meet my groin so there is no chafing there. They are similar to boy shorts that are popular now, but looser.  The burns there and the aggravated, itchy hair follicles there would have made the elastic unbearable.  Buy some loose, cheap underwear that you don't care if you never see again.  Save the quality stuff for when you are healed!  (On a side note, the itchy hair follicles can be helped somewhat by Hydrocortisone 10, but my dr. said not to put it on the burns)

Since my spirit and my wardobe are still stuck in the '70's, I have an abundance of gauze Indian skirts, which I have found to be the most comfortable clothing to wear, especially now.  Better than sweats or leggings.  

I actually just Googled, "How to remove Aquafor stains from clothing." and I was surprised at how many other people asked the same exact question.  The majority of answers said to use Dawn Dishwashing Liquid.  Some suggested Mix it with Baking Soda, or Peroxide.  Some people swore by OxyClean Max Force Spray, while still others said to use a pre-wash spray like Shout.  EVERYONE said, if you already put the clothes through the dryer, forget about getting the stains out...they are there for the duration.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

~Wis

ginatom said:

Same here with regard to

Same here with regard to leakage, constant, because of the fistula - need to always have a pad there.  Guess I'll go shop for new cotton underwear that will hold a pad.  Also bought washable chux pads for  . . . whatever.

I found my husband's knit boxer briefs worked best for me.  They were tight enough to hold what ever type of pad I needed at the various stages, were soft and the longer leg didn't irritate the blisters in my leg creases.

I jsut read through all these postings, thank youto all of you, it is so helpful to hear form others who have or are going through what I'm goign through.  I also feel embarrassed to say "anal" cancer and I feel like everyong thinks I've been having anal sex, not that anyone has the right to judge me for that, but it feels embarrassing, like i'm exposing something private.  I like the idea of sayng it's colo--rectal, like skin cancer that moved into the colon.  Maybe I'll try that.  

As for creams, I switch around depending on how things are feleing "down there".  Aquaphor is the best, I also use prep h, the lidocaine cream, somehing called ane-cream the doctor gave me.  I also was using wipes but finally jsut started keeping a spray bottle with water in it next to the toilet and spraying the toilet paper.  Works great and is better on the pipes.  Apparently those "fluhsable" wipes clog up the sewers.  It's been 8  months since my treatment and dry toilet paper is still not an option after a bm.

My son is 10 and just had his first HPV vaccine and it felt really good to know he will never have to go through what I'm going through.  He's my reason to keep fighting to stay alive.  I can't stand the thought of leaving him.

Love this group, love reading through the posts.  Sending good wishes to all of you!