Two more day until last Radiation.

You are nearly there - and it can sometimes get worse before it gets better, for about two weeks after the treatment ends.  But then you are on the home run and everything starts healing, so take heart.  In the meantime, has your team offered you any medication for your sores?  I was given flaminal forte gel and foam dressings to put on the sores which relieved the pain a bit and helped with the healing.  I also had steroidal rectal foam to calm down the inflammation internally.  I remember only too well how painful it was and the doctor gave me morphine syrup and codeine, however both caused chronic constipation and I stopped taking both. Others have managed with the painkillers helped by using stool softeners (Normacol, Laxido, Movicol).  You must be so relieved that your long visits are coming to an end, now just take the time to recover.  You may sleep lots (I barely moved out of bed in the beginning) but it is all part of the healing.  And don't forget a cushion!  I had a cheap blow up circular cushion from Boots to sit on as everything was just so sore.  You think it will never end, but one day you will sit down without a loud gasp and a wince of pain and you will realise the worst is over.

Very best wishes in your healing

Irene x

Hi Leslie,

I too expected elation as I approached the end of treatment, but also like you, was in too much pain to feel much of anything except misery. 

One of the best things my husband did for me was to install a bidet attachment on one of the commodes, with warm or cool water options. Before that it was Sitz baths or peri bottles. At this point in the treatment I took oxycodone 3 times a day, no matter how I was feeling (but I was always ready for the next dose when it was time). It sounds as if you guys get even better pain management options so use them all!

Sometimes I would spread a towel on the lounge chair, drape a sarong over my knees and sit bare-bottomed on the chair with knees up and apart, letting it all air out down yonder. Not a pretty sight, but who cares.

You're in the crucible now. It's day by day, hour by hour. But you're so close to the point where it starts to slowly get easier. Hang tough!

Hugs

Suz

Hi Leslie, well done you are almost there. One thing you will notice is you will be able to as Irene says, not have the taxing daily trips to the hospital and devote the day to just getting better. Luckily I didn’t experience splits and blisters externally but did had lots of soreness vaginally with green pus and it would stick the labia together. I was unable to use any silver based creams due to allergies but was given a burn dressing which I just cannot remember the name but sure someone on here will. You just put a bit of water on it and placed it on the sore bits and I only used them at night due to the area and they don’t stick so you had to hold them in place with underwear. Whilst I was on morphine I went to the toilet every hour day and night as it can just keep making you urinate. If you go on morphine make sure you take a stool softener Like movicol. Some do not take morphine and take the two hourly alternating ibuprofen and paracetamol to keep the painkillers in your system. I needed all three and the movicol and under the assurance of my medical team it was only going to be for a limited time and monitored so there is no risk of addiction. When treatment stops the effects build up in the next few weeks and then start to settle down. I took a bit longer but you get there. My cupboard was full of Amazon promising remedies and I did find the flamigel hydro and forte useful which you can get from the hospital. Towards the end my go to cream was baby Vaseline gel. I bought some perineal cooling gel pads that you can put in your freezer and then place them around where you are sore put I would not put them directly onto your skin and mine came with little kind of socks to cover them. I got them from Amazon. Spend each day listening to your body and rest when you need to and we find all kinds of ways to may this journey more bearable. I got larger soft cotton boxer type knickers and bought a couple of pairs of funky harem trousers to take and pressure off that area but could go out if needed. As people say you can come on here and let off steam or tell us how great things are going. Great that you have the sitz bath!

by the end of treatment i used to fill a big jug with warm and pour it between my legs when i had to wee because even using the sitz bath didnt help..it was nice just to sit in though when i felt itchy