Hello everyone!
Bit personal this - I am on day 3 of 28 days of pelvic radiotherapy. This morning I have already been to the loo three times. I thought I'd have a week or two before side effects started. Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" springs to mind ;)
I am sure it is the radiotherapy, this is not a bug.
I have not been given any dietary advice by the hospital but have switched to white bread today and will avoid high fibre. I will still eat fruit and veg and drink plenty of water.
Any other tips would be gratefully received.
Hello KT89
I was told before I started that most people would not get many side effects for the first couple of weeks and then they could slowly build up until the radiotherapy finished. They would then likely peak at a few weeks post radiotherapy and then gradually improve.
I had diarrhoea and cramps from day 3. When you see your radiotherapists tell them that you are already having some side effects as they will be able to offer advice and medication. During my radiotherapy treatments in 2022 I got to know a lot of people having the same radiotherapy for me and most of them had tummy effects. These varied from going to the toilet a bit more often to being constantly on the loo. There were several men who were having pelvic radiotherapy due to prostate cancer and most of them had really upset tummies.
Diet will help and think bland foods- the opposite of what would normally be considered a healthy diet. Dairy was a trigger for me and also I could not cope with much fibre. So it was white toast/crumpets/ rice etc. Fruit and veg were out for me. Water is good and better than tea/coffee etc.
The normal medication they offer is loperamide but with radiotherapy they may advise you to take it differently. Normally you take it after an episode of diarrhoea but with radiotherapy I was told to take it 30 minutes before eating. I also had to take it regularly.
They can try different medication in different combinations but in the end I was on loperamide 2 tablets 4 times a day, ondansetron 2 tablets twice a day (an anti nausea medication that is constipating) 2 buscopan 4 times a day (to ease the cramping) and finally they gave me codeine phosphate- 2 tablets 4 times a day. This combination worked for me and I took it from the first few days of radiotherapy. I also had nausea and had to take anti nausea medication 30 mins before the treatment by the end of it.
There are also stool bulking agents they can prescribe which may help.
So it can start from day 3, although most people it is later, but there are things they can do, before it escalates so do talk to your radiotherapists.
It isn't pleasant but it can be improved and although at the time it can seem like it is going on for ever the 5 weeks did pass a lot quicker than I thought it would once I got into the routine.
If there is anything else you want to ask, please do so.
Hang in there, the diet changes and meds will help.
Jane
A5_Eating_and_Drinking_during_Radiotherapy_to_the_Pelvis.pdf (ruh.nhs.uk)
This is some NHS advice on eating during radiotherapy. I can not find the original one that I used but this one is pretty much the same. KT89
KT89, this is the info Southampton gave me which is very similar to what Jane posted for you:
In addition, suggestion was to avoid insoluble fibres such as whole grains, seeds and skins of fresh fruits and veg. This was proven lol when I forgot and ate the lovely crunchy skin of a jacket potato and paid the price! Also to avoid deep-fried and greasy/fatty foods. Thankfully ice cream and chocolate were fine - and they were my post treatment treats most evenings to help me boost my calories (also recommended)
