Painful bowel movements

It may be simplistic, but I find a spoon of psyllium seeds in the morning keeps things moving along smoothly.  As to the bleeding, I used vaseline and sometimes baby powder to lessen surface irritation, but that has not been too big an issue to me.  Good luck with this.

That was wickedly painful.  Nupercainal ointment helped a bit. My surgeon lo prescribed à compounded car diem cream (yes, the heart med) to apply to keep the anal muscle more relaxed. However, I was correctly told that I wouldn't heal until I was done with chemo.   I now have a bidet toilet seat which makes  life much better. No longer wiping is much gentler on my sore areas, tho I haven't had a fissure since stopping chemo.

i too was having painful movements after they gave me meds (Lomotyl) to stop frequent bowel movements, ( my potassium levels were low which they thought was from going to the bathroom so much), I had blood in the stool, and baths seemed to help ease the pain.  I suggested laxatives to my onc and they agreed it would make my bowel movements easier, and allow healing.  Specifically, Citrucell in the morning, then Miralax in the evening.  This made things clear up for me, just a suggestion.  This made the movements softer, and easier. 

Bellen said:

Painful bm

Hi all - Thank you for your suggestions.  Plan to talk to my Onco next appt also.  I have a small bowel stricture - scarred area from pelvic radiation, which can cause extremely painful spasms if I get a blockage.  I follow a low residue diet - little fiber, no seeds, nuts, grains, fresh veggies, etc.  So I can't use the usual bulking laxatives/foods and have to be careful not to set up my system for a blockage - so have more complicated issues from the chemo cocktail than maybe others.  Also had taken miralax every day because I suffer chronic constipation, but the chemo is messing up my usual protocol.  I bought a sitz bath and will start using it, and get some witch hazel - no alcohol in it.  Told to try 1% hydrocortisone for the fissure.  Has anyone used anything else to help heal? The bleeding skin has healed I think.  I wonder if I could use aquaphor on the external area to help prevent.  Thanks everyone.

Mine run more to constipation than loose as well. I have been taking Miralax on and off through Chemo and it sometimes helps and sometimes doesn't. The radiation seems to have loosened things up though. I think that my wife has a sitz bath from having kids and I may ask her if she can find it for me. I am just wadding up toilet paper and dribbling water on it and dabbing for now and that seems to have a decent result. I have a bunch of Aquaphor samples next to me from the radiologist but haven't decided on it yet. My wife said that it's petrolatum so maybe a jar of petroleum jelly would work as well. The print is too small on the tubes for me to read. There's also a packet of Udderly Smooth. I've only had the burning for two days and it is possible that it gets a lot worse.

Also ordered a coccyx pillow to sit on in the car and at home while working. Hope it helps.

Calmoseptine ointment.  Hard to find but worth the search .  Sensitive skin baby wipes.  Just don't try to flush them they'll clog your sewer lines .

my husband deals with this issue daily the pain of GI issues is almost unbearable.

Bellen said:

Mouthsores

Hi Kim - I have Koolstat for mouth sores - it is a mixture - nystatin and lidocaine that you swish and swallow.  Got really bad heartburn when I swallowed recommended dose - cut back to small amt swallowed.  Is this the same as miracle mouth wash?  Even if I don't get mouth sores, my mouth feels awful, sensitive. Also, always swishing with baking soda and salt mixture.  And my stomach feels pretty bad (think it is the irinotecan chemo).  

I'm not sure if it's the same, but this "Miracle Mouth Wash" was mentioned on this website years ago, and from a different part of the country so I'm sure it's not local here.  Ask your oncologist.  The Miracle Mouth Wash was not to be swallowed (don't think, but never did).  It worked really well.  Don't suffer as there is something out there that can help.  Just couldn't do the baking soda method - hurt too bad.  Good luck and let us know if you can get the other "wash".

Kim