The Endless Diarrhea and Bowel Issues.......

Hello everyone,  I have been reading this board for many years, was diagnosed with anal cancer Jan. 2009. I had chemo and radiation, no surgery. They called it moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. What made me join only now is that I see several people on this board with similar problems. I had diarrhea for a long time, started drinking kefir, which is fermented milk, and this really seemed to help. Also I was diagnosed with necrotizing  fasciitis last year when doctors put me on a lot of different antibiotics. I spent a long time in hospital and rehab. During that time I developed c. diff which is caused by too many antibiotics and they gave me probiotics. Did anyone with bowel problems try probiotics? Sorry for the long post, Andrea 

I tried probiotics and didn't really see much difference. I took a fancy one that was expensive that I read about in a study on pelvic radiation and diarrhea prevention- study showed it helped but honestly I personally didn't see much of any difference. That said I still think it's worth a try since everyone is different. Better check with oncologist though since they might not want you on them if your white counts are really low.

Hello everyone! I'm a newbie here.  However, I completed treatment in January, 2017 for stage 3b anal cancer.  Although, I expected to be completely healed and back to normal (whatever that is), I'm still not quite there.  Things are good for me, but I've been very proactive about treatment for side effects from the chemo and radiation.  I can't stress enough to take yoga classes and do stretching exercises for the pelvic damage to your muscles, tendons and ligaments.  I can tell a big difference from when I first started in April.  I think that exercise has also helped to keep fatigue at bay.

I do have bowel issues like all of you.  I eat lots of salads, fresh fruits, Greek yogurt, and grilled meats, and but I take lots of fiber supplements and probiotics.  I find that if I avoid caffeinated teas (black, green, etc.), processed foods, chocolate, sweets and fried foods, I can keep from getting diarrhea (coffee is no problem, thank goodness).  Also, the stools stay firmer and maybe only one movement a day with more fiber and probiotics.  The bigger the meal, the sooner I have to visit the ladies room. Just in case, I wear a pad or pantyliner every day, but I hope that those will be a thing of the past eventually.

I think the process of recovery is all about finding out what will work for you.  Keep moving and smiling!  There's a reason each and every one of you is still here!  Your journey isn't finished.....

Sorry about the crapping yourself. I have had some close calls at night but luckily wake up in time. However I've crapped myself twice in public and had to drive home 30-45 minutes each time, I will spare the rest of the gory details. Except for the part I kinda have to laugh at- I was so frazzled by the time I got home from one of the incidents that I left the car running in the driveway until it ran out of gas! Laugh or cry I guess it is what it is.

Hello everyone,

I had a stage 3A anal cancer, treatment ended 21 months ago. I can eat mainly only low residue foods and I must be very careful. I take a one-third dose of Miralax and two teaspoons of Metamucil every day. One thing that has helped my A LOT with the stiffness and surprise poops has been physical therapy for the pelvic floor. I had little hope of progress going into the physical therapy, but within a week or so I had a lot of progress. It is quite demanding, lots of exercises to do at home, but it has proven well worth it.

I must say I still yearn for the day when I can eat beans, cauliflower, hot sauce and drink coffee, but I realize it may never happen. Alas! At least I'm old, have had many years of eating lots of good stuff.