Bowel movement pain

Hi TAC25 

Sorry you are suffering. My pain with going to the toilet mainly came after treatment and I can remember it well also the not wanting to eat. I don't know what pain relief you are on, but worth speaking to your medical team about it. Do you have instillagel it stings a bit when you apply but then makes everything numb for about half hour. I have also read on here people going to the toilet in a sitz bath as going in the water apparently helps.  You are over half way, you can do this. Sending hugs. Xx

Hi !

Reading your post has taken me right back. As Bungle suggested pooing in the site bath helped me. Sounds gross but at the stage you are at there are more important things. It’s difficult talking to those around you , but remember your treatment team understand exactly how you feel and should come up with more pain relief. You are at the critical stage but you will get through it- it will get better. I don’t think I could really believe it at the time, but it’s all worth it in the end.

Hugs

Happyflower

Thankyou

I have the instillagel...that takes some teeth gritting to apply but it does actually help a bit....quite a bit of the time I don't really have any warning so no time to apply

I have a sitz bath which I use salty water in to help soothe after a motion

I have had so much good advice...I think today is just a really bad day and I needed to vent a bit to people who understand x

I am at the point where my dignity is out the window and absolutely nothing sounds gross to me....I pray for the day when I can poo without crying, breaking into a sweat and feeling like I could puke. I know it's not forever and I am halfway through but at the moment the end seems a long way off.

Thankyou x

Hi Tac25,

You are really going through it at the moment and I feel for you. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things with the sitz bath and the instillagel but still suffering. Reading your post reminded me how grim it was.  I was never given instillagel so can’t comment but I remember the dread of going to the toilet.

It really sounds like you need stronger pain relief and I hope your team can prescribe some for you tomorrow. Are you on stool softeners? These were essential for me and particularly important to counteract the morphine. 
It’s really important that your team know just how much you’re struggling so that they can help you get through this.  And you will get through this- honestly.

Hugs and strength to you xx

Thankyou....I do have stool softener which i am using.I am seeing my consultant tomorrow so will definitely be discussing pain relief with her. II think today has just been a particularly difficult day, not just physically but emotionally too...hopefully tomorrow will be better c

Hi TAC25 ,

Gosh I’m sure we all sympathise with what you’re experiencing at the minute, I certainly do & even 7 years on when someone describes it I remember it like it was yesterday! If you’d told me I’d suffer PTSD from having a poo I wouldn’t have believed you! But seriously I hope your consultant can offer you something in the way of pain relief today. 

You can guarantee we all understand what you’re going through so don’t ever feel the need to hold back here, sometimes it really does help somewhat just to get it out of your system & down on paper so to speak. 

Nicola 

Hello Tac25, I was like some members on here mainly suffering post treatment and remember telling my neighbour that if she should hear me squawking in the bathroom , to not worry my husband isn’t strangling me. I really think you need to get your team involved with helping you with the pain as they can give you morphine if you are not already on it. One big piece of advice is don’t get constipated as I did and the stool was actually quite large and I was in dreadful pain so much so my husband came and held my hand whilst I was sitting on the loo. Not very romantic at all! But unfortunately I split my anus and it caused a fissure. I would sit and sing at the top of my voice in my head as a form of distraction. Your nether regions are obviously very inflamed and the usual advice regarding sitting on the sitz bath are really helpful. Eating less may be a bit counterproductive as the anus needs to continue stretching. Soft stools are far more comfortable than hard ones and worth looking at what foods you are eating that are more for keeping stools soft rather than those that have a laxative effect. I’m sure your team will come up with something regarding pain relief. As for instagel it done absolutely nothing for me but that’s because we all differ. Good luck 

Julie

Oh bless you - I am right there with you. I’m just about to start week 4.

i’m sorry  have no advice but just massive amounts of sympathy. A good cry also seems to help get the frustration out. 

my problem isn’t really the act of going but for hours afterwards I’m in such pain. I have started morphine but it’s not touching the sides and already considering upping the dose. I just cannot function when 7 hours out of the day I cannot function. 

I have a sitz bath and also I found today a real bath also helped post poo. 

You are not alone and please rant away!!!!

Hello TAC25

Fairly recently on the forum it was mentioned that in some parts of France a stoma is formed prior to treatment for anal cancer to ease painful bowel movements and I think I can safely say there isn't one person on here that would have been surprised at reading that!  As everyone has said, the vivid memories of trying to poo (a normal every-day function) causing such feet-stamping, teeth-clenching eye-watering pain live on long after treatment has finished and I really wish there was a better way of dealing with it apart from opioid drugs.  But, the good news is that it really doesn't last forever.  You are not there yet, so please carry on coming on here and having a rant if it helps.  We all really do have empathy.

Gentle hug

Irene