Questions about going to the bathroom in the meantime...

[Medfly32]

Hello all,
I am new and still awaiting my complete
Dx. I am wondering how people dealt with
Or experienced blood in stool after dx and during
Treatment. I discussed everything w dr. And
Will with onc but it would be helpful to know
Exactly what people have endured. I have pain
And feel a slave to the bathroom. ??? So life is
Anything but normal with dx and working on pos
Attitude, but i have not found much on this, maybe
There are some threads you could direct me too
Also any IVs ( im presenting in rectum but unconfirmed
Origin). to message me personally i could use
Someone that knows the ropes... Any insight
Welcome...
Med

[janklo]

One thing I think might help is to avoid dairy products. Some doctors might recommend you use Ensure if you are having digestive issues or losing weight. It's a non dairy product that gives you calories.

[LabLover]

That's kind of the sucky thing about rectal cancer. You have bowel problems prior to diagnosis and more than likely the chemo/ radiation prior to surgery causes bathroom problems. So as the tumor shrinks you don't get much relief since the chemo/radiation is kicking in and causes issues. It's a vicious cycle....
While waiting for treatment to begin I would watch diet, limit diary, invest in some aquaphor/diaper cream, and moist wipes.

[Medfly32]

Thank you lab love and jank
I also wanted to ask what people have
Found to eat that causes the least distress.
Help!

[PainInTheAss]

Hello all,
I am new and still awaiting my complete
Dx. I am wondering how people dealt with
Or experienced blood in stool after dx and during
Treatment. I discussed everything w dr. And
Will with onc but it would be helpful to know
Exactly what people have endured. I have pain
And feel a slave to the bathroom. ??? So life is
Anything but normal with dx and working on pos
Attitude, but i have not found much on this, maybe
There are some threads you could direct me too
Also any IVs ( im presenting in rectum but unconfirmed
Origin). to message me personally i could use
Someone that knows the ropes... Any insight
Welcome...
Med

Yes, yes, and you fully understand where I got my username. I did not find any relief until about two weeks into Chemoradiation. Many people have reported seeing bleeding stopped and pain reduced around the two week mark. Chemoradiation is standard treatment for rectal cancer and the first treatment you will likely be doing.

After chemoradiation, the pain started to increase again. My tumor was right near my sphincter, so my theory is that the dead tissue started to harden and it was making stools very hard to pass. I was in tears one BM because it hurt so bad. I had surgery about a week later and that is a whole nother level of pain. Then, after that, my APR wound wasn't healing right, so more pain. I was put on a wound vac and had even more pain. I have had pain in my ass for close to a year, but it is finally fading (and the wound vac will be off soon). What a pain in the ass! Ugh, since diagnosis, this has been a very, very long six months. Time has slowed to a crawl. Time does not fly when you are not having fun.

Two things that will get you relief is a very, very hot bath (pain almost disappears and very fast... the hotter, the better) and percocet. You don't have to worry about getting addicted to percs if you are in a lot of pain (just don't take more than 10mg at a time). Ask your Oncologist for pain meds, they are very liberal with pain meds and understand the need for relief. I have finally stopped taking percs since I started back in May and never got addicted after taking them daily.

[BrownBagger]

Narcotic pain relievers do provide a great deal of relief, but you have to be careful, because they can also constipate you, which just adds to your discomfort. Lomotil and Imodium work well, and (for me, at least), they work well in combination to calm down my digestive system. When you really need it, take a percocet. But try to save it for special occasions, as it won't work very well over time if you keep taking it. A glass of wine helps me from time to time. Diet is important, but it's an individual thing. I would recommend soluble fiber (oatmeal, Metamucil) to smooth things out and counteract constipation. If you have inflamed anal tissue, Calmoseptine is probably your best remedy.

Good luck. It's not easy, but you can find ways around the problems, pain and discomfort.

[Mastan]

Don't think too far ahead. Everyone's path is different. Everyone's pain levels differ so take others experience with a grain of salt, mine included. In my view it is best not to know somethings ahead of time because they simply cause anxiety. Deal with problems as they arise and move on.

[Medfly32]

Thanks all, Of course I am worried about the future, but I am talking about the
pain and difficulty with today. Going to the bathroom being very painful and making
it hard to enjoy this prescious life. Cant imagine those that are running marathons, all
I am doing is running to the bathroom. I will definitely get some of that calm... stuff.
It might be just the thing. I sure hope so. I am a recovering alcoholic so I have been
very wary of all meds. Guess I will have to get over that! WTF. I mean really thanks,
and I would still like many others thoughts on how to deal with the bathroom sitch...
Much love and prayers,
Med

[NWgirl]

Is the pain due to constipation or diarrhea or both? Is it from having to go too frequently and you're getting butt burn from having to wipe too much? Or is the pain from the tumor itself? Is it from the radiation treatment? Does your butt hurt all the time or just when you're pooping or trying to poop?

If you can be a little more specific we can offer more detailed advice on what worked for each of us.

As for food, probably low fiber, low residue, bland, little to no dairy are the types of food you should focus on. Dairy caused much more butt burn for me. Giving it up helped. If you Google MD Anderson Bowel Management Program that document has some very good information. I don't have the link handy but maybe someone does and can post it.

[Medfly32]

Hello thank you all who have replied.

It is the pain from the tumor, part of it (dr. says?) as well as a hemorrhoid? seems alltogether? comes out when I go.
All i know is a big painful mass comes out and I have to put it back in after I go every time, and it kills. Dr.'s are aware
and treatment has not started yet but I have appts. thurs and fri so I will know more about the treatment plan then.
THe pain can last after BM for a long time or sometimes it just hurts and provides pressure on its own from the mass, near anus and
also towards vagina. So it all feels very weird and bad and hard to do "normal things." So I needed to find out if anyone
has had this? as that would help knowing what someone has experienced with this. I kept asking about the hemorrhoid in
the hospital and the surgeon said he saw the hemorrhoid and it was not that, more the mass that is causing all of the problems.
I await more to be revealed. Thanks for info about food, that is really helpful, all that I have gotten so far is contradictory, dont
know if low fiber or lots of fiber will hurt more, and am having the toughtest time trying to figure out what comes out best
and causes the least pain. have been avoiding dairy as much as possible and also staying away from gluten, but its hard, I want to maintain
energy and nutrition, but eating is hard with this going on.
Love and many prayers,
Med

[NWgirl]

Ouch, ouch and double ouch. I have not had this particular thing happen to me - my tumor never caused any pain (treatment did - just not the tumor as my first treatment was surgery to remove the tumor). I'm afraid I have nothing to offer but hopefully someone here will have had a similar experience and can offer some help.

Here is a link to the MD Anderson Bowel Management Program I mentioned but I'm not sure it will help in this instance. You might want to save the link for future reference though; most of us have issues with constipation and/or diahrrea and it does have some useful info.

http://www2.mdanderson.org/app/pe/index ... c&docid=34

[ab123]

I got a lot of relief from hydrocortisone suppositories. Those and Advil did the trick for me before treatment and during chemoradiation.

[ripley86]

I had what I thought was a hemorrhoid for about a year. If would pop out during bowel movements and bleed and I would have to push it back in. In August 2011, I had knee surgery where the put a tourniquet around my thigh to hold thd blood back during surgery. About 2 weeks after the surgery, I started having severe rectal pain and the mass quit popping out. I went to the doctor several times for help and was given suppositories that did help some with the pain. After several tries, I found a gastro doctor who did my colonoscopy. He found a hard mass just inside my rectum that a biopsy confirmed was cancer. I lost both my rectum and anus and now have a colostomy. Not to say that will happen because as someone stated before, every case is different. However, the pain before surgery was intense, had to have narcotics just to make it through the day especially right after going to the bathroom. The pain would ease off after a few minutes though. So your situation sounds a lot like what I had before surgery.