Hi, I'm new to this forum and I'm worried about my partner, who is a fit and active 71 year old but is suffering from severe side effects of his treatment and finding it hard to cope.
He has been diagnosed with MIBC and has undergone 8 sessions of chemotherapy followed by 4 weeks of daily Chemo Radiotherapy. His last session of CRT was 8 days ago. He coped well during the initial chemo sessions and had minimal side effects, but the CRT has really taken its toll. The expected side effects were explained beforehand but since week 3 of CRT he's been suffering from additional symptoms that weren't even on the list. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced these with CRT and if so, how they coped.
Hi Ruby100 and welcome to the group although sorry to hear of the post radio effects your partner is having. We know RT can cause bowel problems but your partner seems to be suffering more than most. I had erratic bowels for several weeks following treatment but it gradually eased and returned to normal. He seems to be doing the right thing with plenty of fluids and fybogel which is what I was advised. It is also advised not to eat big meals and rather have small snacks more often. I was advised to drink peppermint which helped with digestion. Hopefully things will ease up with time, but make sure the medic know how things are going. Best wishes.
Hi Ruby100. I was warned of radiation proctitis which could give rise to tenesmus or mucus discharge, in which case I was advised 10ml isogel granules. Thankfully I did not suffer from this. My problem was the sudden urge to go but it was manageable. I was never given any dietary advice and just ate as normal. Macmillan has produced some information on the subject HERE. Best wishes.
