Hi everyone

Hi Dee62 

Welcome to the club no one wants to join although im sorry you have found yourself here. You are at the worst stage at the moment, all the scans and appointments and trying to make sense of it all. Once you get a treatment start date and get going you will feel more in control and the time will go quickly. While the treatment wasnt a walk in the park it wasnt as bad as i expected. It is a very successful treatment, the majority on here have 28 sessions of radiotherapy along side chemo. All my chemo was intravenous via a picc line but most people on here seem to have oral chemo. Everyone here will have your back, so use this space to ask questions, get tips and advice or just to rant and unload whatever you need. As to what to expect we all react and cope differently with treatment. I had bad wind pain at the start but cut veg which sorted it, sore skin which i was given creams for from the hospital and towards the end i had mucous and having a poo wasnt fun. I had a limbo sleeve for showers as i had a picc and used water wipes and wore mens baggy boxers. Keep yourself well moisturised as it will help your skin, but check with your treating team about what you should use as different hospitals seem to ok different things. I personally didnt have one buts lots on here used a sitz bath and found it helpful. In the mean time try and keep yourself busy with stuff you enjoy. You will soon be out the otherside and getting your health back. Sending hugs. Xx

Hello Dee62,

 I’m so sorry about your diagnosis and imagine you are still in shock. This is definitely a good place to get information and support as all of us have either been through or are going through treatment. 

I completed treatment for anal cancer in November last year but still vividly remember being knocked sideways by the diagnosis.  Of course you are apprehensive- how could you be otherwise.

 The standard treatment is 28 days of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, taking place Monday to Friday. The effects of the treatment tend to build as the treatment progresses. It’s tough at times , but manageable. The treatment is really effective. 

This is a good time to start preparing. I would say start moisturising the skin, order a sitz bath from amazon and of course ask any questions at all on here. 
I hope your PET scan goes well and no doubt you have a whirlwind of tests and appointments right now while all the preparation is taking place.

Sending hugs xx

Thank you so much that has really made me feel a bit better thank you for the support very much appreciated xxx

Thank you that’s really helpful and thank you for replying 

I am still in shock I think it definitely has not sunk in but I’ll get on Amazon and get some good skin moisturiser 

thank you again xxx

Hello Dee, and welcome

Yes, it's a real shock to get that diagnosis, isn't it? The good news is that the treatment of radiotherapy and chemo together is very effective, and many of us here were treated some years ago and are still doing well, with no sign of cancer. It can be quite harsh on your body but with some good preparation, and the advice and guidance of your treatment team, you will get through it.

Please use this forum if there are any questions which might come up as you have scans etc and move through the treatment. Let us know how you get on xx

G-day Dee62.

Wish I’d found out about this forum before I started my treatment seven weeks ago! Do follow all the advice you’re given re salt baths (buy a sitz bath from Amazon - much more convenient than running a bath!) and use it 2-3 times a day. My daughter told me to think of it as ‘me time’! Also use the recommended moisturiser and antiseptic cream regularly. Only use soap-free products to wash with and use baby wipes to pat clean (I used water wipes, which are probably the least harsh). My oncologist told me that for the first 2-3 weeks of pelvic radiation I’d wonder whether it was actually doing anything at all but that it would hit soon after that. He was right! He described it as causing sunburn - inside and out - so expect skin symptoms to last for around two weeks after the end of treatment. I had 28 days of radiation with oral chemo. Felt absolutely normal until three weeks in and then fatigue started to hit. The last week was the worst for that, although I was very lucky with very few symptoms from chemo (got dry hands and it looks as though my nails are going to look a bit rough in a few weeks).

When I first found out it was 28 sessions of radiation I couldn’t believe how I was going to live through it, but the time passes quite quickly.  My GP initially told me that it’s a process - step by step - all the scans and appointments seem interminable, but the time they take is necessary to get your treatment plan worked out just for you.  Just take extra care of yourself and hopefully you have sympathetic support around you. You’ve got this!

Thank you, I’m so glad I have stumbled on this lovely group 

I will get a sitz bath. And do any of you know what is a good moisturiser to start preparing my skin for when the treatment starts ?

it’s nice to know I’m talking to other people that are facing the same challenges that I am going to be and is at different stages of this horrible disease so getting a good insight as to what is going to happen is invaluable 

I really appreciate all the good advice thank you again xxx

You just need a gentle non perfumed moisturiser (in Australia we use something called Moo Goo udder cream!). Also, with regard to the sitz bath (with salt water), I found it was more comfortable to use if I put the toilet seat up and put it directly onto the toilet bowl - but you might have longer legs than me! This is probably too much information (although I have lost all semblance of modesty!) but at night, once my genital area became sore, I didn’t wear underwear so as to let it all breathe. All this is information I’d love to have been told before I had to find it out for myself! Knowledge is power! 

Thank you all advice is very helpful as you have already started/finished the treatment journey 

you’ll all get fed up with my questions I have so many ! 

to find support like this is amazing thank you xxx

It really was the biggest shock, i honestly expected when I went into the consultants room he was going to say yes it’s a very large polyp we’re going to book your surgery to remove it, but no when he started talking I was just in shock and disbelief 

But I have this diagnosis now and I’ve got to face it and get rid of the cancer in my body xxx