After Effects from Radiotherapy & Brachytherapy

Hi, I am now 5months since finishing treatment for stage 3b cervical cancer. I had 5 chemo, 25radiations and 3 brachytherapy sessions. It was really tough and I think I have a bit of PTSD!

I still get very fatigued, my legs feel funny when standing for prolonged periods of time. I have tingling toes which is worse at night. I think I’m in the menopause now too. I get hot flushes at night mainly but occasionally in the day.

My pelvic floor hurts if I try to run, I do agility with my dog. I have a PE which also gives me chest pain on exercising. I get pelvic and stomach pain after walking a few miles - I think it’s because my pelvic floor is weak.

I have urgency issues with my bladder in the morning and quiet often have to get up in the night. I don’t sleep for very long either!

my bowel is painful and have had weird episodes with muscles production. I think there must be some scary img and stenosis issues.

The top part of my vagina is painful and tight. I have the dialators and hate using them it feels weird. When we have sex I bleed which can be spotting or a fair amount which freaks my partner out. We  use the yes lubricant which is very good.

I haven’t returned to work yet due to fatigue and not sleeping properly. I haven’t started HRT yet as I don’t feel ready to take anymore medications. I think this might be my next step to help regulate my hormones a bit more.

I am totally freaked out at the thought of the cancer returning or getting a different cancer from the radiation treatment - later in life. 

it is really hard adjusting to my new normal or knowing what that is going to look like. I do wonder if it’s all in my head and that I should be back to all normal activities by now! I have the odd tearful day too. 

My lower back is very painful still after the 3 spinal for brachytherapy and this is also restricting my daily activities.

I feel like an old croc!!!!

I was glad to read that it’s not just me with weird side effects from chemoradiotherapy and brachytherapy. Some people make it sound like it only takes a few weeks before everything feels okay and I was worried it was just me overthinking.

I also have side effects from both radiation and brachytherapy.

Im very recently out of treatment but my radiologist (kinda dismissively) just said it can be up to 3-6 months before I notice improvements.

When I need to pee, I always get a sudden urgency and need to run to bathroom asap. I also pee a lot more during the night compared to before. I also have some urine incontinence. I raised this with my oncologist too but again was just told it’s normal after treatment. I will keep pressing for help if it continues.

radiation has left me with a lot of wind and also often diarrhoea and mucus. I couldn’t eat a lot while I had radiotherapy because that in combo with the cisplatin gave me horrendous nausea so my diet was very very bland (and not much) and as I’m now starting to reintroduce more variety of foods (and build up my gut micro biome) my symptoms could be connected to that as well. 

its hard to talk about these ‘embarrassing’ side effects with friends who don’t really understand what you’re going through so I’m thankful for this forum and being able to voice concerns etc here. 

Thank you so much for responding to my original post, and I’m sorry to hear of your side effects.

I’m 5 weeks post treatment, and I’m super tired. Menopause symptoms have all come at once this week - I’m feeling very “meh”, had brain fog, and loads of hot flushes. 

I had a small bleed the other night, which had freaked me right out, but forums like this have helped me realise that it’s quite common at this stage.

Ive a follow up with my oncologist next week, so looking forward to discussing the side effects so far and hoping for some clarity. I will keep you all posted

hoping your side effects subside soon, and you feel a sense of “normal” again. We are all in this together.

Wow, 3-6 months sounds like a long time doesn’t it? But we’ve got this

I’ve found that my side effects regarding my bladder/bowels have improved gradually over the last few weeks (I’m 5 weeks post treatment). I am back to eating relatively normal (avoiding spicy, fatty foods etc). I’ve been taking a multi-supplement and collagen for my digestive health, and drinking LOADS of water - that seems to be helping too.

the only thing that seems to be getting worse is my leg aches and energy levels, however I know I’ve maybe been doing to much on the work front and might need to slow down slightly and listen to my body. 

I, too, have been peeing a lot more frequently, and like yourself, I am up through the night. I did wonder if I had slight incontinence also, however I’m starting to think it may be watery discharge from the inside healing process. It’s sometimes so difficult to tell!

Hope your symptoms subside soon x

Hi Thankyou for putting that out there , yes it’s embarrassing talking about toilets problems etc . I also have had the mucus problem with my bowel and it can be embarrassing especially the wind which cant  be controlled ! I’m glad I’m not alone with this problem ( although I wouldn’t wish it on anyone ) . Thanks again for being so honest , this illness certainly takes your dignity away in more ways than one . Hoping you feel better soon 

granny 55 

Hi Sarajazzle

Just to mention that, in my experience, aching in the legs can be a symptom of lymphoedema.  It's early days but maybe something to ask about at your appointment.  Hope all goes well.

x

I wanted to share my experience about my first follow up appointment that I had today - it has been 6 weeks since my treatment, and they have said that it’s quite normal to have watery discharge due to the healing process. A small amount of blood is also common (which I have noticed in the last week.)

after a pelvic examination, they noticed a small area of irritation however they've said it’s still too early to tell if that’s scar tissue from the healing process or potential residual tumour, or even something else. I will have an MRI scan around the end of June/beginning of July and be able to be told more there. 
I just have to keep my fingers crossed