Anal structure?

swood9008
swood9008 Member Posts: 116 Member

Hi all its been a while since I've been on but I do check in time to time. My mom was diagnosed with stage 2 anal cancer in January of 2015 had the standard treatment 5fu/radiation. She was cleared NED in June of 2015. In the past month she had experienced constipation which is rare for her so she went to her oncologist today and she had an exam they said all looked and "felt" (poor thing) great! Which is good but said she may have a stricture? Has anyone else experienced this she is one year NED. 

Comments

  • swood9008
    swood9008 Member Posts: 116 Member
    She had a cat scan scheduled

    She had a cat scan scheduled for Friday 

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    swood9008

    It's good to hear from you again.  I am glad to hear that your mom is doing well and her exam revealed no return of her cancer.  I have never experienced a stricture, so I can't give you any information about that.  I hope that your mom's CT scan shows that she is NED.  Please let us know when she gets her results.

  • eihtak
    eihtak Member Posts: 1,473 Member
    swood9008....

    Hi,

    Its great to hear that your mom's report is overall wonderful news! It is my understanding that the term "anal stricture" is at times used with the same meaning as "anal stenosis"...... this is a narrowing of the area most often (in our cases) caused by radiation and scar tissue. I would not be alarmed by this as it is pretty much a sure bet that we all have this to some degree.  It is recommended to use stool softeners and often to make diet adjustments to lessen some of the related pain with bowel movements as a result of the stenosis.

    I would though continue to followup with questions, exams, and scans to stay ahead of future concerns so will keep your mom in my thoughts for great upcoming scan results.

    katheryn

     

  • TraceyUSA
    TraceyUSA Member Posts: 316
    Narrowing

    Since treatment ended I've been told I had a stricture too.  Research told me it just means narrowing or stenosis as Katheryn has stated.  Why they don't give us the everyday English version is beyond me.

    -Tracey