Hello, My husband has muscle invasive bladder cancer. He had 4 chemo and 20 radiations. His treatment is completed. The side effects he is now experiencing is constipation, then diarrhea, has to urinate every hour. We are told by his doctor that these are normal side effects. Everything I am reading also is stating the same. Has anyone experienced these side effects and how did you handle them. Thank you in advanced
Hi CASSERJac9e60 and welcome to the group although sorry to hear your husband is suffering the effects of treatment. I had similar treatment and the same side effects . The radiation continues working after treatment finishes and the side effects can build up. Bowel problems are common with any pelvic radiation. My GP prescribed tablets to help with the fatigue. In my case, I had bouts fatigue that came over me for a few hours each day and I had to curl up on the couch until it passed. It is important your husband drinks a minimum 2 litres of water a day even with the frequent urination. There will be radiation inflammation in the bladder and not drinking causes the urine to be acidic and irritate the bladder causing the feeling of needing to go . The positive is that it should gradually get better. They have to wait some weeks in order for things to heal before they can have a look to see how successful treatment has been. As always, seek medical advice if things do not improve. My treatment was over ten years ago now and so far so good. Best wishes.
