Hello
I may be getting radiotherapy soon for malt lymphoma that is in my bladder.
I wondered if anyone has any experience of radiotherapy for anything bladder related and how it affected your vagina?
I might be post menopausal but I do still like a shag now and then! Am a bit worried about what it might do, and maybe I should go for rixamutab
Hello Pictime . I had radiotherapy for bladder cancer but as a male my experience could be different in some respects to you. I had daily sessions for six weeks. Did not experience many side effects in the early stages but tiredness gradually crept up on me and turned to fatigue after treatment finished. It did gradually subside. A common side effect of pelvic radiotherapy is erratic bowels. I was affected in the sudden need to go so had to always know where the nearest toilet as. This lasted a few weeks but again gradually got back to normal. One strange side effect was I lost all pubic hair but this did come back. As a man it caused infertility for me but not impotence so I could carry on with a a normal sex life. Hopefully some of the ladies may come along to share experiences. I hope all goes well whichever way you go. Best wishes.
Hi Pictime
I had pelvic radiotherapy in 2022 as part of my treatment for endometrial cancer.
Side effects for me were mainly bowel and bladder effects- going more often, needing the toilet more urgently and fatigue. Side effects were managed with 4 different medications. I also found that as time went on (I had 25 sessions) I had some nausea- helped with medication.
During radiotherapy I was given a set of vaginal dilators to use after radiotherapy ended. The purpose of these was to keep the area supple and open and to help prevent any stenosis. They also helped with future internal examinations that are part of the 12 weekly routine check ups. The dilators worked for me.
Before you have your radiotherapy treatment you will be given a planning scan and they use this to target precisely the intended area and to try to reduce damage to healthy cells. I am not sure about bladder cancer but for endometrial cancer they have you drink a certain amount of water to move the bladder away from the targeted area. They also give you mini enemas to ensure the bowel is empty. I would imagine that for bladder cancer they would do similar precautions so although it may not be possible to completely avoid any of the vaginal area being affected- the main dose would be aimed at the bladder- and possibly any nearby lymph nodes. It would be something to ask your doctors about.
I was told that some ladies do have some discharge or slight bleeding during pelvic radiotherapy- but it is not something that I experienced.
If you do get some bowel or bladder effects then ask your team for a Can't wait toilet card which will help.
Good Luck with the treatment. And check with your radiotherapists about the dilators. They should be able to help.
Jane
