HAVING SERIOUS ISSUES WITH TREATMENT

Ah, the radiation burn - I remember it too well.

It sounds like you pulled the short straw with radiation, and get to suffer.  When I think back to my radiation treatments, i shudder, as I also pulled the short straw. 

I know that folks here will share with you their advice. Unctions, dietary, solace. I can share mine, but at the end of the day, nothing helped me, and it ended up being one very long, painful journey to Hell and back - but I did get back and I thank everyone and everthing involved in my life for that. 

Lets talk about the gas.  While I had gas during treatment, and I did pass a gelatinous type substance, I didn't have it as bad as you seem to be having it. My Raditaion Oncologist told me that it was normal, but didn't go further than that.  I too was scared to eat. I had to make myself eat something and then dread the point where I had to eliminate.  I could suggest you keep a food diary - always a good idea, even if it doesn't end up helping with this - to see if the gas is any worse after eating certain foods. 

I will say though, that sometimes NOT eating cuold actually make the symptoms worse. The body needs fule, and if it doesn't get it, then it can go haywire.  Its like thinking if you drink lots of water you will have MORE diarrhea, but it is not the case. More water, less diahrrhea. I think it could be the same with food. 

Now for the burn. The external burn at least.  I used a few different unctions before I settled on PURE ALOE. It is not the gel, more like a liquid and needs to be kept in the fridge. It was very soothing, but of course, nothing really worked. 

Aquaphore and Balmex were two that I used, along with a Pure Vitamin E oil and there was another one I really liked called Bio-Oil - I did read, after using it that it has mineral oil, which is supposedly not good so I quit using it.   They all soothed a little, but nothing really stopped the burn.  And of course, you know NOT to use anything in that area when you go in for your radiation treatment. 

I spent an awful lot of time in agony during and for about a month or so after treamtent. It truly was Hell on earth. 

I hope you find something that helps, and I know others on the forum will answer you and have great advice.  

Good luck, and keep on visiting us. We're really  quite the crowd. 

Tru

JoeCal1952 said:

Thanks for the reply

Well-You sound exactly like me. The docs always said "that's normal" but never really gave me solutions to alleviate the external pain. I have no internal pain at all....

I will take your advice on the pure aloe, although it is hard to even get to the spot that is burning. It is that painful. 

Also, seems a few minutes after I have that gass attack, I have another. Like shoveling it against the tide. I will start eating something though. I think you are right that I need to maintain my energy level and not lose too much weight. Thanks for all the input and God Bless!

JoeCal

That is what it felt like to me.  Like I was having contractions, and passing even the tiniest bit of tissue or BM was like having a baby.  So now you know what it feels like for women - HA! 

Unlike having a baby, which was also arduous, at least that was over and done with in a few days - three day labour for one of mine - radiation was like having contractions day in and day out for weeks and weeks.  Yes, it was allot worse than having a baby, and my second one was delivered C-Section without anesthetic; and while that was horrendous in itself, it only lasted an hour.  I guess I wouldn't do either birth or radiation again, to be honest. 

Yes, keep your weight up, because if you lose weight, the markers - tattoo or stickers - will not be accurate, and they will have to map you again. 

That feeling of having to go again and again and again is called Proctitis. Here is a link PROCTITIS.  Casued by the inflamation from radiation.  I also read somewhere that nerves are damaged, and messages to the brain telling us we need to go, are being sent. Thus the urge to go and a few seconds later go again. So on and so forth. 

And I'm not going to tell you it will be over soon, because soon in not soon enough. 

Tru

Hi Joe, lots of warm baths and the flushable wipes saved my bum.. Didn't stop it from burning like heck, but made me think I was doing something about it.  Good luck!

Let me preface with the fact I have no experience with radiation. so to the degree radiation causes the gas, this might not apply.  But I have had bad gas since the surgery/xeloda (capecitabine), and your chemo may play a role in the condition as well.

It sounds like the gas is a real crisis, and perhaps you will be open to trying a variety of strategies.  The first that kept me alive during chemo was drinking baking soda, mixed in water (bicarbonate of soda).  It gives fast, if not lasting, relief.  The so-called H-2 blockers also might help.  Cimetidine (Tagamet) has a known anti-cancer effect, as a bonus.  Prescription doses of cimetidine are often 800-1,600 mg, so you could take it liberally.  The H-2 blocker that works best for me is ranitidine (Zantac).  Unfortunately, it has been linked with promoting cancer, but on a short-term basis, it might be worth a try.  Famotidine (Pepcid) is similar to ranitidine, but not as effective for me.  Also, proton pump inhibitors like prilosec are be highly effective.  If you could get some relief, they might be incredibly valuable in the short run.

I recently got a new GI doctor who recommended liberal use of Gaviscon (you can take 16 a day [along with a ppi or h-2 blocker]).  I took one last night before bed, and only got up once (which is great for me), so that might be worth a try as well.  All of these drugs are available in generic form for reasonable cost at Walmart.  The Gas-X (simethicone) suggested by your doctors strikes me as a simplistic and weak approach to a serious matter.  You have to eat to keep up your stregnth and heal.  This is an important matter and if over the counter remedies do not work, you should consider seeing a separate gastroenterologist and impressing on him or her the importance of this issue.

Best of luck to you.

JoeCal1952 said:

Thank you very much for this

Thank you very much for this info. I have most of these things you mention right here in the house.  wil start off with the baking soda and go from there. It was so bad last night I had to get up every 5 minutes with a gas attack that produces a fluid that is painful as all hell. I will keep you posted, and thanks again!

The Gaviscon before bed is really helping me, but we are all different.  

JoeCal1952 said:

Thank you for the input! I

Thank you for the input! I have to get this gas attack thing under control. The radiation burn hurts a lot, yes, but If I didn't keep getting these fluid producing gas attacks, then maybe I cound address the burn. I would do a sitz bath, and then 5 minutes later I am back on the bowl. Thanks and God Bless!

I hope the rest of your treatment speeds by.  I believe I used lidocaine for the last part of my treatment.  (it burned going on a bit, but I would put it on in small little bits at a time (actually someone helped me because it is sort of hard to put on yourself), so the burning from the medicine was manageable and it made it at lot easier to go to the bathroom.  I also spent alot of time in the tub.   I had diarrhea constantly , and by the time I got myself taken care of, I had to go to the bathroom again, and it would wipe off, and then I woudl have to start over!  Horrible period of time, but hang in there.  It will be over before you know it and then you can start feeling better.  

annie4145 said:

PS I forgot two good things.

PS I forgot two good things. Clean hand towels.  I used them alot, and then would just wash them (in hot water).  It would allow me to lay on the couch or bed and wipe the occasional mucus issues that I seemed to have in the weeks after treatment.  And baby power.  I would use it LIBERALLY to dry up the moisture that I had.

I used chucks on my bed all of the time, as I had issues with bowel incontinance. 

I have a large amount of hand towels that are specifiacally for drying my butt, (and seperate ones for urination becasue I am a woman) as I use a bidet ALL of the time at home.  

The bidet is a Godsend. Even now, almost SEVEN years post radiation. 

Tru