need help side effects of radiation and chemo

Laura
Hi Laura,

I'm glad you came to the anal board and asked for help, as you said your tx is a lot like ours. The radiation is directed to the same area. My radiologist gave me a product called bag balm. This is used on cow utters. I would put it on as soon as I got home from being zapped. I would take a bath then go get zapped, then come home and apply the bag balm and take a pain pill. Are you taking any pain meds? I would also have a sports bottle filled with water in the bathroom, and use it while using the bathroom. I also had the diarreha and did take some imodium, but not a lot. I know the pain meds will constipate you, so I think that helped lesson the diarreha. I had urgency issues, and fortunatley I was able to take 2 months off of work, which I am grateful for, so I could be close to the bathroom at all times. I think you are 1 week or 2 weeks into tx, the radiation is shrinking and burning the tissue, so it gets irrittated. The bath seemed to help me the most. Remember after you are done with tx, to ask the radiologist about dialators, as you will need them to open up your vagina, as it will have shrunk, due to radiation, and you want to make sure it doesn't close. I know it hurts and just remember that the tx is short term, and that once your done, the healing process starts immediately.
I wish you well. Lori

Side effects
I would strongly suggest that you call your doctor. Some folks feel like they are call the doctor for every little thing and are hesitant to pick up the phone but in this case a little thing can turn into a big thing. Make the call then while you wait soak in a warm tub of water.

hemmys
That is how I started ou, and they kept just giving me creams, which helpd not at all.
Finally theydid the surgery to remove the hemmys, and that is when I found out that I had cancer. I guess in a way I should Thank God for them or I might not have diagnosed..I had the surgery on June 6th, but had been in and of of hospitals since January.The sugery hurts, but it's a little bit of pain for a little while, or a lot of pain for a long time. I hope this helps a bit. Good luck, Melodie

Cutch said:

your discomfort
I, much like you, had rectal cancer. my tumor was pushing on both my anus and prostate. And I had lots of side effects from treatment. the Burns-the cream they gave me didn't work. If it doesn't for you try a triple antibiotic ointment. it worked great for me. as for diarrhea immodium didn't work for me, neither did the prescription. I found a banana a day worked great. Keep drinking plenty of fluids and if you have any pain meds take them. Everyone is different. Unfortunately you have to find what works best for you. Before you know it this part of treatment will be over. good luck

That seems to be the key for
That seems to be the key for this type of cancer and treatment...to find what works best for you and go with it. Triple antibiotic cream worked? I will have to put some aside on hand to try. Right now they gave me something called Pro Shield which is a clear cream hyou put on that covers the sore areas. I don't think it helps much. My doctor did mentiuon at last visit they have a morphine cream. I had never heard of this. have you? I am assuming if such a thing exists, everyone should get it for this type of treatment. I will have to ask her next week about it again and see if I can get a gallon of it. lol.

melbas said:

hemmys
That is how I started ou, and they kept just giving me creams, which helpd not at all.
Finally theydid the surgery to remove the hemmys, and that is when I found out that I had cancer. I guess in a way I should Thank God for them or I might not have diagnosed..I had the surgery on June 6th, but had been in and of of hospitals since January.The sugery hurts, but it's a little bit of pain for a little while, or a lot of pain for a long time. I hope this helps a bit. Good luck, Melodie

Hi Melbas, my cancer was
Hi Melbas, my cancer was found the same way as you, when they decided to remove the hemmys...surprised my GP and the surgeon since I had a colonoscopy two years before which is probably why they did not look further. One of the technicians at the hospital said to me that doctors are never looking for the zebra in the room of horses when things like this come up. They assume that anal cancer is so rare that they assume the symptoms are hemmys. I agree with you, the hemmy surgery was very painful but is worth it in the end. You were in the hospital for hemmys from janaury but they did not do surgery in June?

462lt said:

Thanks for all the replys.
Thanks for all the replys. Just saw the doctor today and he didn't offer any pain meds so I didn't ask. Should have if it doesn't get better I will. Still have to work so alittle hestiate about being drugged up. (I work on airplanes) I did get a script for sleep. That should help. I use to be more hardcore I think I'm turning into a wimp. LOL Thanks again Laura PS only through 2 weeks that sound discouraging.

Advil
No pain meds helped me. I found Advil to help me with pain the most. I took up to six per day.

z said:

Laura
Hi Laura,

I'm glad you came to the anal board and asked for help, as you said your tx is a lot like ours. The radiation is directed to the same area. My radiologist gave me a product called bag balm. This is used on cow utters. I would put it on as soon as I got home from being zapped. I would take a bath then go get zapped, then come home and apply the bag balm and take a pain pill. Are you taking any pain meds? I would also have a sports bottle filled with water in the bathroom, and use it while using the bathroom. I also had the diarreha and did take some imodium, but not a lot. I know the pain meds will constipate you, so I think that helped lesson the diarreha. I had urgency issues, and fortunatley I was able to take 2 months off of work, which I am grateful for, so I could be close to the bathroom at all times. I think you are 1 week or 2 weeks into tx, the radiation is shrinking and burning the tissue, so it gets irrittated. The bath seemed to help me the most. Remember after you are done with tx, to ask the radiologist about dialators, as you will need them to open up your vagina, as it will have shrunk, due to radiation, and you want to make sure it doesn't close. I know it hurts and just remember that the tx is short term, and that once your done, the healing process starts immediately.
I wish you well. Lori

radiation burns
I was diagnosed with stage 2 anal cancer in May 2008. My treatments concluded in August of 2008. I was also given Silvadene but it did not work at all and in fact made the burns hurt more.

There were two things that helped me most while undergoing my radiation treatment.

First, after I went to the bathroom (diarreha), I filled an enamel dish tub with warm water, put it over the toilet bowel, and then carefully sat in it and cleansed myself completely. Some days this was several times an hour almost the whole day.

Secondly, my radiologist prescribed domeboro soak 3-4 x per day. Not sure if you really need an RX for this, but I got it from the druggist at the hospital. It is packets of powder that you mix with water and apply liberally with clean cloths (I cut up old soft towels and washed them for reuse). The domeboro really worked.

I hope this might help some others currently going through the grueling treatment for anal cancer.

Cream for Burns
You might want to try Biafine or Jean's Cream for the burns. I was prescibed Biafine after treatment and just started using Jean's Cream. It is soothing. Hugs ~Carol