Radiotherapy proctitus

Hi there Peteinlancs,

I haven’t been diagnosed with this myself but didn’t want your post going unanswered. I do get the odd occasion when I bleed when having a BM & this can happen for several days following the initial one but each time I mention it to my oncologist & surgeon neither seem concerned & say it’s probably fissures although I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s mild proctitis that I have! 

I’m sorry you’re going through this now especially being 4 yrs post treatment you kind of tootle along thinking your almost out of the woods then something comes along unexpectedly & I suppose it’s dredged up all of those old emotions again hasn’t it? 

Have your Dr’s mentioned to you that it could be radiation proctitis? I’ve read up a little on it due to my own concerns & I think unless it’s quite severe oral medication, stool softeners & dietary advice are first step treatments as it’s often seen as an inflammatory issue if what I’ve read is correct. 

Hopefully someone with more experience of this will be along soon to offer some reassurance. I hope your results come through quickly & it’s nothing to worry about with a simple fix for you. Please let me know how you get on. 

Nicola 

Hi  Nicola

Thank you for your reply. The consultant who did the sigmoid oscopy said it was RP and the biopsy s will hopefully confirm no underlying malignancy. I have kept a food diary since my first CR treatment and that helps to identify foods that I can tolerate. I m getting abdominal pains soon as I eat anything.  I ll have to give it till monday to let it settle down and if  no  better Contact the colerectal nurse.  Anyway thank you for your reply I ll let you know how things go.

Peter

Hi again Peteinlancs,

At least it’s a thorough investigation & the biopsy will hopefully put your mind at rest, I don’t know about you but I feel I could handle anything but recurrence! Although I never suffered diarrhoea during or after my CR I often get bloating etc., I know it’s food related & suspect it’s IBS, I’m better on a clean, lower carb diet these days & that seems to deal with my issues. I still need to take 1-2 stool softeners daily. Food diaries are a great idea once you’ve had this kind of treatment as there’s often food triggers for erratic BM’s & it’s great for identifying these. 

I hope your pain settles soon & those biopsy results come back soon & clear. 

Nicola

Hi Peteinlancs I haven’t suffered from radiation proctor is although I do bleed occasionally after going to the toilet. I also suffer occasionally from stomach pains after eating and suffer if I have too much caffeine. I just wanted to wish you well for your upcoming biopsy results and I hope your pain settles over the weekend. Bev. 

Hi Bev 

Thank you for your reply. I ll keep in touch 

Peter