Creams and treatment

Hi Helen,

I’ve replied to you post on another thread that you’d posted on, hope this helps a little, voice your concerns at your appointment today I’m sure your team will be able to put your mind at rest. As I’ve mentioned in the other post although I was sore, especially at the front, my skin didn’t break down at all until treatment had finished & my skin reaction peaked at day 11 post treatment. 

Nicola

Thank you just read it earlier. Not sure how to reply in the post though yet.  I’ll let you j ow how o get on later.  Thank you again Nicola

Hi  Helen, 

Well done for getting through your treatment, you can now see the finish line and your treatment will be over very soon.

I can understand your worry about the treatment not working however, as Nikki has said, don’t hold back and raise your concern with your medical team. Sometimes we can worry so much that the worry becomes bigger than it actually is. A short conversation could put your mind at rest very quickly and lift this anxiety from your shoulders.

Radiotherapy is seriously strong stuff. I’m no medical professional, but I doubt very much that any cream would block how far the radiotherapy penetrates. If this were something we needed to be careful about, I’m sure our medical professionals would be warning us from the outset. 

I don’t know what stage your cancer is or how large your tumour is but, in general, the higher the stage the more targeted and higher dose radiotherapy you receive. Whilst we all react differently, the higher the dose the more likely the reaction will be severe. My cancer was advanced, stage 3b with a 4cm tumour so I had a high dose of radiotherapy and my skin reaction was severe towards the end of treatment and after. Someone with a lower staging would probably still have a skin reaction but not as severe. In addition, the radiotherapy builds up in our systems slowly, so for some people the reaction is at its worse post treatment. Try not to compare yourself to others, just because your reaction isn’t as severe as others doesn’t mean the treatment isn’t working.

I wouldn’t worry about the clothing affecting radiotherapy either. If your clothing was in the way I’m sure the radiotherapists would mention it there and then. Why don’t you just remove all your clothing from the waist down from now on, then this won’t be a concern for you. When I had treatment, I had to remove everything from the waist down and wear a hospital gown which was just lifted up when I lay on the rad table.

Remember that the radiotherapy is building up in your system and will work for up to 12 months. Once treatment has finished the rad will continue to melt away your tumour. You won’t know if your body has responded to the treatment until 3 months after when they scan you. Its a very worrying time, because all anyone wants is to know is that the treatment has worked and that there is no evidence of disease. All I will say is that this treatment is very effective, you will read lots of positive stories on here.

This cancer business is one massive emotional roller coaster. There is much to worry about and its totally normal and okay to be anxious but keep talking and don’t feel afraid to ask questions. Better to ask then to waste lots of time and energy worrying.

Good luck for this week and keep us posted as to how you’re getting on.

Sarah x

Hi Helen,

Did you manage to speak to your radiotherapy/oncology team yesterday about your concerns? Hope they managed to put your mind at rest & you’re feeling a little more settled about things.

Nicola 

Morning yes I did have a very long chat I got emotional as when I’m doing normal day to day things I’m quite upbeat. However when I’m sitting with a prison involved with my treatment I get emotional and it’s much more real for me. 

She said that I was ok to put the cream on (Drapoline) but try not to put too much on. She did say that even if I put a great big 2cm later on the Radiotherapy would still get through to me. I’m doing all o should me by keeping my skin moisturised. Every time I’m in the bathroom I’m plastering in Drapoline mixed with instilagel. 

My mind is put at ease now. 

Ahh, I so pleased you’ve had your worries eased a little. It’s a very emotional time throughout this whole journey & our emotions take us by surprise sometimes so don’t worry, I was exactly the same, because my reaction to the radiotherapy didn’t really kick in until towards the end of my treatment I was able to carry on pretty much as normal throughout apart from suffering some fatigue & needing a nana nap in the afternoons! But when it came to finishing my radiotherapy on the last session I’d made some cupcakes & took them in for the radiotherapy girls & when I handed them over I was stood there with tears streaming down my face, I felt an absolute fool but was assured by the girls it’s quite normal to feel so emotional when this part is coming to the end, it’s been what your world has revolved around for 5 weeks so understandable I suppose. 

I did as you are doing & lathered the cream on after using the loo, in fact I kept a pot in there.  Also the radiotherapy team watch your treatment being delivered on a screen outside the room so I would think they’d detect any anomalies, they actually told me my bottom was shrinking even though I wasn’t actively losing weight! 

Once again I’m pleased you feel more at ease now.

Nicola

Hi I’m not sure if your still in this group however I’ve been given the all clear from Anal cancer now. Just have to sort out the bloody hot flashes I keep having !! Treatment was awful but I’m very lucky to be alive and still here. X

Hi ,

Huge congratulations on your great results!!! It’s the best news. The treatment isn’t pleasant but it’s done it’s job & will continue for a little while, what I was amazed at was how quickly I healed after things had peaked around 2 weeks post treatment. 

I was menopausal before I began my treatment back in May 2018 but only suffered night sweats but after treatment was done & I was recovering the night sweats all but disappeared & I just get the odd one every so often during the daytime, to be fair it only probably happens on average 3-4 times a week & they’re gone as quick as they appear. 

Once again I’m so pleased to hear your great news.

Nicola 

Thank you Nicola for your reply. I went to my GP who prescribed Hrt I took for one month then decided against it. I was 43 and on hrt because of the very regular hot flushes. I mean every 30 minutes!! I took for 6 weeks then decided to stop taking then because of the slight increase in Breast cancer I know only slight but didn’t want to risk anything. Now I’m back to having hot flushes every 30/40 minutes. It’s absolutely mad !! I’m devon it’s freezing and I’m in the car window open and T-shirt on. Kids wrapped up warm in back !! I wasn’t menopausal I was having regular periods up until March last year and suddenly stopped because of the high radiation to the area. I was wondering do you still have to watch your food Intake. As the area that’s been damaged is very sensitive and I still split and sometimes bleed. Once again thank you for your reply. 

Hi Helen ()

As far as diet is concerned yes I have to be mindful of what I eat, I suffered with constipation throughout treatment & afterwards strangely the opposite to how most  people react! I eat plenty of veg etc., I don’t do well with sugar any longer but I’d cut out any foods containing refined sugar prior to my treatment anyway, I can only have eggs once in a while as they make things worse & I take a softener (Movicol) daily but I still find I struggle every now & again & the new skin will split & bleed mostly this is internal but the external skin is very sensitive & my surgeon said it’s prone to something similar to nappy rash! I only wash with aqueous cream in the affected area as anything else even fragrance/soap free products still sting & burn. I’ve been told that this isn’t an unusual reaction to the radiotherapy. Both my oncologist & surgeon suggested using sudocrem on my new skin so if I get any irritation I just lather it on lol.

Nicola