constipation

I used to use preparation H and the like for piles but couldnt use after treatment as the area was way too sensitive.

It's a common symptom.so soon after treatment to feel constipated when your not. I went though it. Your tubes will be sore too because they have taken a pounding. 

It's best to keep tacking the softeners (Lactolose I find a good one) and the senokot and wait. They are designed to be gentle and work the next morning so if you get no joy just keep taking them.

My sister suffers with constipation a lot and she will wait 2 or 3 days sometimes. Let it happen rather than force it.

Hi ,

After my treatment finished I suffered exactly the same symptoms you’re describing. This continued to happen but the periods between these bouts got further & further apart & I don’t suffer with this at all now. I’ve since come to the conclusion that it was more to do with internal inflammation rather than constipation. I took & still do take softeners (Movicol). I now just take 1 every morning but in the days I was struggling to ‘go’ I took 2 or 3 a day, just remember the way softeners work is they sit in you system & absorb water to soften your stools therefore you need to make sure you drink plenty of water to aid this. Internally we heal slower than externally & as has said this area has taken a true battering during treatment. I also suffered odd spots of blood, only when I went to the loo, when mentioned to my oncologist he suspected a fissure as all examinations, scans etc., appear normal & again this has got less & less over time. I was also advised by my oncologist recently to use Sudocrem on the new skin as it still gets a little irritated from time to time, it’s antiseptic & acts as a barrier cream also. 

Hope this helps a little. 

Nicola 

Hi, I'm 8 weeks post treatment and whilst initially I was more loose than constipated I am now suffering more with the latter. I have started taking Dulco Ease which are stool softeners not laxatives, as the reply above says you need to drink lots of water with them. You can take 1-3 a day. I'm taking 2 but am going to up to 3 as need a little more help to get things moving! 

I am taking everything and managing to 'go' most mornings bu the pain can be unbearable - I often have to take an Epsom bath afterwards or llie down.Sometimes I don't take the stool softners to get a break from it and then I'm bunged up.  I'm out of work now about 6 weeks and don't know how I'll manage to go back if it stays like this. When I 'have; to go it's urgent and I don't know how I'd manage that at work.

Thanks for he replies,

Hi ,

It’s an awful feeling I remember it well. Are you taking any pain relief? Personally I couldn’t take any opiate based painkillers as they all caused awful constipation for me, they just slowed everything right down. The best combination of pain relief for me was paracetamol alternated with ibuprofen & as I mentioned before the Movicol. I remember the pain of going to the loo after treatment had just finished, it used to make me feel sick & was sometimes so awful I would feel as though I could pass out & as you’ve mentioned a lie down & a salt bath was the only relief afterwards! This will improve, at just 2 weeks post treatment your symptoms are probably just peaking. As difficult as it is remember the trauma your body has been through & healing takes time. I returned to work 5-6 weeks post treatment but only for 10.5 hours per week & stayed on those hours for quite a while.  I still get that feeling of urgency  but only first thing in the morning, after that everything is fine. 

I really hope you begin to feel some improvement soon.

Nicola 

I'm 3 months out now. I remember those difficult days in the early weeks. Keep taking the softener.  I find lactlose good. I am still on cocodemol and the lactlose strikes a good balance and keeps me going without straining. 

I used to hang into the radiator and jump into the shower afterwards rocking and moaning. Its surprising how much pain we can manage isnt it.

The urgency was a real problem too as I wasnt able to move too quickly and got 30 seconds max notice. I thought I would be house bound for ever but it improved over the last two months and I get some urgency in the morning but that's usually it. I still have to go during the day sometimes but I get warning signs now and they are rarely urgent. I've been in work full time for a while now and just visit the loo a few times a day just to see if I need to go. Most times I don't and I have never had to sprint yet.

Things will improve a lot for you quite quickly. Hang in there.

Ian

I'm 3 months out now. I remember those difficult days in the early weeks. Keep taking the softener.  I find lactlose good. I am still on cocodemol and the lactlose strikes a good balance and keeps me going without straining. 

I used to hang into the radiator and jump into the shower afterwards rocking and moaning. Its surprising how much pain we can manage isnt it.

The urgency was a real problem too as I wasnt able to move too quickly and got 30 seconds max notice. I thought I would be house bound for ever but it improved over the last two months and I get some urgency in the morning but that's usually it. I still have to go during the day sometimes but I get warning signs now and they are rarely urgent. I've been in work full time for a while now and just visit the loo a few times a day just to see if I need to go. Most times I don't and I have never had to sprint yet.

Things will improve a lot for you quite quickly. Hang in there.

Ian

I finished treatment 8/1/19 and try to keep stool pudding consistency by eating things like a pear a day, salad. I start everyday with a tall glass of warm water and DRINK as much h2o as possible. I was taking stool softeners according to what I ate but for the last month have eliminated them. If my stool has any girth or firmness I too get blood on TP but not in stool. Wish the pain would lessen but its not. I am going to wound care this week to see what they know. I am not gaining weight bcz as soon as I eat I am shortly there after in the bathroom. 

Hi Ian

i am seeking someone whose cancer was in the sphincter and treated  w/chemo&radiation to compare after effects. I am clean as of 8/2019 but bowel movements have not become less painful TY

Mine wasnt in the sphincter itself though very close. The tumor was big 4.4mm x 3.5mm and I had a lot warts/growths on the surface of the skin nearly all the way around the area. It was a real mess down there.

I'm 4 months out now. I had a residual mass on my 3 month scan. They are going to give it another 3 months to see if it shrinks. 

If I'm honest my symptoms are worse now than they ever were. I don't get the bleeding in the pan now but pain and discomfort wise its definitely a lot worse. All of the skin affected is still raw. I eat cocodemols like smarties. 

The area has always wept too. This hasn't changed.  It can make the skin sting badly too. So I still get a combination of soreness and stinging that stops me sitting ot even sleeping at times.

I assumed I may have an infection done there but 4 antibiotics later it's still bad.

Sorry to give you a sorry tale. I don't think im especially typical. I've only ever spoken to one other who had something similar tbh.

Ian