Advice/Wisdom

so sorry

ok, first do not wipe that much..  you will tear your anal tissue... use a squirt bottle and then use shammy cloth ( really soft and absorbent)  and place between cheeks to absorb water......keep doing this over and over as you go.... then after you think it is your last bm, use hair dryer on cold.....///// buy at least 2 or 3 of the cloths.... these are the ones they use to dry cars off with..... walmart .  target or auto place has them..... then wash dirty ones together...... i still do this every morning....not as many times as before ...i am 5 years post.....you will have to get up even earlier to handle this......i used to get up 3 hours before i had to be some where........it is truly horrible to go thru this.....no one would believe this regimen.....i have also found Balneol which i place on toilet paper to wipe after bm..... it is at walgreens and other drug stores....... i take 5 stool softeners... 2 in am, 2 lunch, 1 nite...... plus Konsyl psyllium husk in water in am.... then i drink lots of water right after i do that..... which makes me go to bathroom lots.....this is really hard to keep up with and go to work.....sephie

mp327 said:

Judy

Trying to figure out all of this bowel stuff can get really frustrating, to be sure.  I hear you about cleanup!  I get really tired of spending so much time in the bathroom to clean my bottom sometimes!  Mornings are not good for me and if I have to be somewhere in the morning, I have to get up very early to allow plenty of bathroom time.  All this, even after 6 years post-treatment! 

However, don't let my case discourage you.  I attribute a lot of my problems to diet choices.  I've been really lax lately in watching what I eat.  I think I am just suffering from battle fatigue and having to deny myself certain things for so long.  So, I often find myself saying it's worth the risk.  I have enjoyed salads all summer long, but pay for it! 

I do find that Imodium taken on a regular basis can help my issues of frequency.  I am now taking 1/2 Imodium every day.  It really is a trial and error thing and sometimes my bowels decide to be constipated. 

I would recommend that you check out the website for MD Anderson's advice to patients for bowel management.  I pasted in the address below. 

https://www4.mdanderson.org/pe/index.cfm?pageName=opendoc&docid=28

Martha

So resourceful!

Martha,

You are amazing with all your links! Thank you so much. We all need this help.

Judy,

So sorry to hear you are having these problems.

I would like to add that our skin changes so much after we have had radiation treatments. I was taught and I know this sounds yucky to put vitamin E oil (I get it in the bottle by Amazon subscription delivered monthly) all over the vaginal and perianal area followed by Aquaphor morning and night and if I am having these kinds of issues, carry it with me and put it on over and over during the day. It helps so much! The skin starts tearing from all the bowel movements. The pain shoots down my legs when that happens. I feel a tremendous difference in Yoga when I am lax in my routine. I have much more muscle tightness and soreness in my ham strings and quads. It is related to how sore my anus is! Unbelievable but my intern could visualize why when I told her. I am a big believer in Whole Husk Psyllium Fiber after Dr. Weiser's office recommended it and I decided to take their advice. I buy an organic variety. If I use it four times a week, I am perfect. Anyway, the vitamin E and Aquaphor regimen will help keep the movements from being as painful and make the clean up a lot less painful and faster as the oil and moisture from the Aquaphor help the clean up. That and the Psyllium Husks - some time there is almost no clean up! I buy Kirkland brand wipes and find them to be very soothing.

I went to a good GI doctor who wanted to refer me to a dietician. The GI doctor did a fellowship at MSKCC in nutrition for GI patients so she is a really good find for me, but I postponed my last appointment. You are reminding me to reschedule. She believes that gluten is a factor. Watch your gluten for a while and see if it helps you. Just a thought. I know when I eat too much bread and pasta I have a lot of very painful gas. I can no longer have more than a tablespoon of beans and avoid broccoli and cabbage family vegetables completely. My carrots need to be grated thin or cooked. 

I drink Green Vibrance to make sure I have enough of the green stuff in my body. We don't assimilate well so this freeze dried powder is a good way to make sure I am taking green stuff my body may be able to get some good out of. It has 25 billion probiotics which helps maintain a healthy immune system and digestive track.

Hope this helps!

Good luck,

Sandy