Post treatment of chemo and radiotherapy

FormerMember
FormerMember
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Hello, I was diagnosed last November with rectal cancer and have just completed 28 radiotherapy sessions and also Capacetamine for the duration. I am day 4 post treatment  and feel yuk!

My bottom is  burnt from radiotherapy and am using Flamigel on it, any tips with  caring for it, the skin has broken down in  several areas. I can't sleep, just around 2 hours, in total. When do you think I will begin to feel like my old self? Does it take a long time to before the effects of the treatment leave you?

Quite desperate to hear your views.

Thank you.

  • Hi  and a warm welcome to the board from me. Great to hear that you’re through the first stage of treatment but not so great to hear that you’re struggling. Yes the effects do continue for a few weeks after stopping treatment and that’s why there can be several weeks wait for scans. Did the radiographers give you some ointment for the area? I think  once recommended dermalex repair and restore? 

    www.macmillan.org.uk/.../radiotherapy-for-rectal-cancer

    Generally things start to improve after a couple of weeks but I think I’d be tempted to ring the radiotherapy team or your colorectal support nurse and see what cream they recommend as you shouldn’t be so uncomfortable that you can’t sleep.

    Hope the treatment has had a good effect and please keep us updated

    Take care

    Karen x

    Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Thank you for your reply.  The skin problem is not the reason for me not sleeping it is just that I feel so jolly awful throughout  I am exhausted and only fall asleep for a maximum of 2 hours then  toss and turn for the rest of the night.Restless legs, tingling in my feet. Sorry to sound such a moaner!

  • Hi Lulubelle,

    My husband had radiotherapy to his neck 12 years ago. The area was red raw, but the skin didn't break. He had to cream it every night. The whole area went rock hard, but very gradually softened up. He was also very tired afterwards. It didn't help that the radiotherapy damaged his larynx and he had to have that out a year later. His speech therapist always said 'Never underestimate the power of radiotherapy'.

    Get help for your skin and hang in there. Maybe the doctor could help with the sleeping. I've found Nytol, or equivalent helpful. I'm sure things will improve. xx

  • Hi 

    Had the same treatment back in September. I found the two weeks after very hard both physically and mentally. 

    The radiotherapy had damaged my rectum and it became quite "stiff" and passing anything was painful but also on the outside there was some damage and I just plasterred the area with Aquamax that they gave me in the Cancer centre. IT got better but I was told to maintain my fluid output to be as high if not higher than it was during the treatment. It got better with plenty of rest and giving it time. 

    Mentally was hard as everyone was telling me that I had done so well to get through the treatment and I should be glad "it was all over". It's hard to explain to people that the radiotherapy does most of it's work after treatment has finished in a weird way and the effects don't just go away because it's finished. 

    The fatigue is another side effect and like you I struggled to sleep as I was having to rest so much during the day. But, it got better gradually and by listening to my body (and mind) I rested when I needed to and for me around four weeks after I was able to walk and go on the bike almost like I could before treatment. 

    Take care of yourself, listen to your body and keep your fluids up. 

    Kev