Radiotherapy

Dear Susie,

Sorry to hear you’re struggling with soreness.

I used hydrogel and bathed in warm salt water or Epsom salts, and took oromorph before I went to the toilet or when I got tired. I wore men’s jersey boxer shorts as they were more comfortable than knickers. When it got really sore I stopped sitting down and either stood up or lay on my tummy. That only lasted for a few days.

The higher dose will make you sore but it also gives you a greater chance of getting rid of the cancer once and for all.

Hang in there, it will get easier.

xx

Hi ,

Welcome to the online community although I’m sorry you find yourself here!

I'm also involved in the PLATO Trial ACT3.  Well done on getting through your treatment so far & yes you’ve got that stage where the skin reactions start kicking in! I was provided with QV cream to begin with which is similar to aqueous/E45 cream, when things began getting a little sensitive I was given flaminal cream which is a burns cream & I used this throughout, once treatment had finished I was provided with Flamazine which contains silver & again is used for burns. Throughout treatment my radiotherapy team advised me to also wash with the QV/aqueous cream & 19 months on I still only wash with aqueous cream ‘down there’ I now have it on repeat prescription from my GP. 

Hope that helps a little.

Nicola 

Hi and well done for nearly completing your treatment, I used aloe Vera gel -alcohol free- plenty of salt baths and went without underwear. I still have one salt bath a day as I get sore from time to time but I’m not as sore as I was at all. I also use x1 sachet of Laxido a day as after treatment I went from going quite a lot to constipation x

I’m not as sore as I was during treatment I meant

Hi Susie.  I’m also on the PLATO trial, have just finished week 3 (only 8 more sessions to go!) and am starting to get pretty sore. I’ve found that using wet wipes meant for babies (check that they are the ones with no added fragrance and so on and a high water content) have been helpful in cleaning myself after using the loo.  They are also very cooling which helps.

I spoke to the radiotherapist about it yesterday and she recommended Aloe Vera gel (pure with no additional stuff in it) as others have but to keep it in the fridge so it’s really cooling.

I’m also using large self adhesive panty liners because of the mucus I’m producing.  There are a hell of a lot cheaper than pull on pants you see for men and women, easy to peel off and dispose of and small enough to keep a few in a bag or pocket for when you’re out of the house for hospital appointments.

I have a question for others reading this thread.  I find I need to go to the loo more often.  Not the trots, but a very small amount each time, as if my bowel doesn’t have the same capacity as before. Anyone else have the same reaction?

Hi Warham, 

Welcome although I’m sorry you find yourself here.

I’m also on the PLATO Trial although I finished my treatment 21 months ago now. Regarding your question, I didn’t suffer from diarrhoea at all during my treatment but was exactly the same as what you described, I just didn’t seem to empty everything all in one go! Especially just after my treatment had finished some days I was on & off the loo all day only doing a tiny bit at a time! Originally I put this down to constipation but in hindsight I think it was a mixture of this & probable internal inflammation limiting what I was letting out! It’s an awful feeling & I ended up taking softeners that made it much easier to pass everything. 

I also used the Aloe Gel, I bought an organic one from Holland & Barrett’s.

Hope this helps a little, well done on getting this far & good luck with the rest of your treatment.

Nicola 

Many thanks Nicola. Michael