Radiotherapy aftercare

Have they given you anything for the pain?  I had morphine and co-codamol which did help although I only used them for four weeks as they gave me chronic constipation.  I was also given Flaminel Forte Gel with foam dressings which I used around my anus.  I was very lucky in that I didn't have itching but others on the forum took antihistamines which helped.  Hopefully some others on here can help you more than I can.

Irene x

Hi Ker 25

 From the beginning of my treatment I was have Epsom salf baths every day, which was really soothing, I used e45 to wipe myself after every time I weed  and after used a barrier cream I was given and  continued this for weeks  after my treatment, I also had antihistamines which was brilliant as  I had some itching  and for  pain I have oramorph. I never experienced and sores, and this was all due to the above. I had one small area at the top of my bum in between the the cheeks where it was sore I think that was as I was laying down most of the time this became sore I a little weeping but I used my stoma powder which cleared it up within a couple of days it helped to dry it out.

I hope this helps and you find something to help if you would like any other info please ask.

Take care

Laura

Hi Ker25,

You're at the business end of this now & your side affects will be peaking, have you tried antihistamines for the itching? Different hospitals seem to prescribe different creams during & post treatment also depending on the severity of skin reactions I think, if you think these particular creams etc., aren’t working I’d give your treating team a call to see if there’s possibly something else you could try. I think our instinct with the radiated skin is to try & dry it out but I know that the cream I was prescribed following my treatment was a cream used for burns victims & it moisturised rather than dried the skin. If it helps once my side affects peaked the healing process happened a lot quicker than I thought it would, the new skin formed quickly & although still tender the rawness soon healed. 

Nicola 

Hopefully they gave you something strong! I had Oxycontin. I'm so glad to be done with it, and so glad it was there when I needed it, cuz I really needed it. I used Calmoseptine, a thick goopy paste, but I don't think they have it there. But it sounds from hearing others here that there are a lot of good topicals available to you! Hit your nurses up!

I'm so sorry, Ker. This is the toughest point. It'll start getting better soon!

Suz

Thanks everyone, I will call my team first thing as it seems to have worsened significantly in 24 hours. I have what looks like blisters between by bum cheeks and I have total skin loss on the groins and vaginal area. It’s constantly weeping which is just burning the skin more, it feels on fire. 
tonight I’ve propped myself up with pillows and used a fan to completely dry the area and I’m trying to keep my bum cheeks apart. Sorry for all the graffic details  

im on paracetamol codeine oramorph regularly and I started anti histamine yesterday. 
hoping the team will give me something extra and more long acting

Hi again Ker25,  I really hope they can advise/prescribe you something that’s going to help, some members who’s skin has broken down badly have mentioned they’ve been prescribed gel type dressings to use so that’s maybe worth an ask. I remember mine peaked at day 11 post treatment & then seemed to heal really quickly but those 11 days were the most debilitating of the whole experience since my diagnosis! I literally did nothing, each day I moved from bed to bath to couch to bath & back to bed again & slept a lot! I’ve mentioned before that I couldn’t take any opiate based meds including morphine & codeine as they caused me awful constipation more or less from the first dose so I was just alternating paracetamol & high dose ibuprofen 2 hourly & taking a lansoprazole each morning to protect my stomach. It’s awful for you just now but it will begin getting better soon we’re all here as living proof of that.

Let us know how you get on once you’ve spoken with someone.

Nicola  

ask for flamazine/flamagel..my hospital wouldn't give me anything. every time i asked for it they all said they had never heard of it..the last day of treatment i went to another hospital and saw a doctor there. straight away he said i needed flamazine and 3 times he asked why the other hospital had not given it to me when i first started burning...sitting in a sitz bath felt nice and when i needed a wee i had a jug of just warm water and poured that down there so the wee was washed straight away from my skin

Hi svh, I sadly think some hospitals are a bit mean with giving out creams as a cost cutting exercise. When I used to read on here about what you are given to help I had to fight for a gel. When I made a fuss they gave me a 35grm tube of flamazine. Luckily I bought a gel which cost quite a lot of money prior to treatment. Addenbrookes where I attended I had some lovely Macmillan staff giving me support but was very cross that cancer sufferers should feel guilty asking. One of the creams according to a radiotherapy cream producer should be applied at the immediate start of treatment to help the skin but when I asked for some the radiotherapy nurse said no I could not have any until after six weeks and to use e45. 

Macmillan needs to add a mad face! I ran into a nurse who didn't want me to have pain meds because it was 'too early' even though a weekend was coming up. Then gave me a px for the wrong med. Grrrrr.

Hi Jaycee12

That’s interesting. I was told I wasn’t allowed flamazine while going through radiotherapy because of its active ingredient. I was prescribed it without issue once the radiotherapy was over and it was blissful for relief!

Sarah xx