Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

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SteveNZ
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:21 pm
Location: New Zealnd

Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby SteveNZ » Tue May 22, 2018 2:43 pm

I have shared previously on a thread about 'razor blade stools' but have any folk had a failing rectum-Anus. The radiation is taking it's toll but only 5 more 'zaps' in this set.
When attempting to pass a bowel motion the rectum area is so inflammed that it gathers and tries to come out like a prolapse somehow blocking the feaces-stool further up the colon.
And yes it is agony....... *Sorry I had to share that with friends.'
It progressed from a small prolapse type of tissue (then a small stool would come) that would return inside and feel like something squirming around to get back in place. But now seems to 'fill and plug the gap' so to speak. Even passing gas is just so difficult.

The trick was to push as slowly and carefully as possible allowing what is there (which was getting less and less) to be pushed out but that no longer seems to work.
Have folk got around this issue OK?
Aged 56 - I feel really young...
Colo-Rectal Cancer T2 N1 M0
March 2018 - Diagnosis
April-May 2018 Radiation+Chemo then a TIA (Minor Stroke). - Stopped Chemo.
August 27th-November 2018 - Surgery and long, long recovery
*Decided to live to 100 as I will get a telegram from Her Majesty the Queen when 100yrs old. I so, so want one.
Am a Salvation Army chap so I complete 'knee drill' (prayer) to the Commander in Chief often. For myself personally this helps me through.

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby NHMike » Wed May 23, 2018 1:07 pm

The problem that I had was that the tumor made it feel like I needed to go when I didn't. And pushing on it could result in pain. The tumor can block stools as well but it can be hard to tell if there's anything there or not. What really helped was when the tumor started shrinking a lot. After chemo/radiation + 2 weeks, I felt quite good as I could go pretty easily. The tumor shrank 90%. Of course I still had the tumor.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

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Atoq
Posts: 412
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 9:31 am

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby Atoq » Wed May 23, 2018 2:12 pm

If the tumor is blocking the passage, I would be very careful and only eat liquid food. With radiation the tumor can shrink, but also get edematous and swallen. I was not careful enough and ended up with at emergency colostomy after the end of radiation therapy. All fibers where just packing against the tumor and the colon was almost tearing apart.

All the best

Claudia
1972, 2 kids
Dx rectal cancer 10.2017
T3N2aMX (met left lung 8 mm)
Lynch neg
CEA 1.8
Neoadjuvant chemoradio Xeloda + 25x2 Gy
05.12.17 laparotomic surg. for blockage, colostomy
25.01.18 laparotomic lar, hysterectomy, ileostomy
05.03.18 core needle lung biopsy
07.05.18 CAT scan, lung met 11 mm
04.06.18 ileo reversal
26.06.18 wedge VATS
24.08.18, 31.02.19 CAT scan
12.09.18, 06.02.19 scope, CEA 1.6
19.11.18 scope
20.08.19 CAT, eco
13.09.19 scope, CEA 1.2
18.03.20 CAT, eco, scope, NED
29.11.20 CAT, NED
2023 NED

SteveNZ
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:21 pm
Location: New Zealnd

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby SteveNZ » Wed May 23, 2018 2:41 pm

Atoq wrote:.....I was not careful enough and ended up with at emergency colostomy after the end of radiation therapy. All fibers where just packing against the tumor and the colon was almost tearing apart.

Claudia

Thanks for that warning Claudia. I hope all is OK with you now.
Gas and liquid can get through but WOW things must be pretty injured down there as you can feel the swelling/inflamation. It is not a nice 'adventure' to go through.
Aged 56 - I feel really young...
Colo-Rectal Cancer T2 N1 M0
March 2018 - Diagnosis
April-May 2018 Radiation+Chemo then a TIA (Minor Stroke). - Stopped Chemo.
August 27th-November 2018 - Surgery and long, long recovery
*Decided to live to 100 as I will get a telegram from Her Majesty the Queen when 100yrs old. I so, so want one.
Am a Salvation Army chap so I complete 'knee drill' (prayer) to the Commander in Chief often. For myself personally this helps me through.

MissMolly
Posts: 645
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 4:33 pm
Location: Portland, Ore

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby MissMolly » Wed May 23, 2018 5:21 pm

Steve:
I suffer from recurrent small bowel obstructions (SBO) due to scar tissue that acts to kink a portion of my small intestine. Small bowel obstructions are pure misery.

Although a SBO is not the same as your rectal swelling and tumor prolapse, in common is the difficulty of passing fecal material due to a narrowed segment of intestine.

When symptoms of a SBO first appear I shift to a liquid diet and add liberal dosing with MiraLax OR magnesium supplementation (magnesium citrate powder in a product called “Natural Calm” or the ever familiar Milk of Magnesia). The goal is to titrate the dosing of MiraLax or magnesium to produce a loose/watery fecal consistency that is easier to pass through narrowed and sensitive anatomy.

Drinking 100% grape juice (read the product label carefully to ensure that the grape juice is 100% juice, not a juice blend and not a juice cocktail) also helps create a looser stool consistency that can be easier to pass. Drink 10-12 ounces a day. 100% grape juice is something that those (like me) with permanent ileostomies keep on hand as a staple item as it is helpful in easing a partial SBO.

As a temporary measure, shift your food intake to a more liquid diet to ease the amount of material in the digestive tract. Eat small portions (1/2 cup or less) and choose low reside foods (foods that have minimal residual material once the food is digested).

When astronauts were in space for the Apollo missions, their diets were purposefully purée consistency (provided as squeeze tubes) and low residue food choices. The goal was to minimize the amount of end-of-the line fecal material as an environment of weightless did complicate having a bowel movement.

Talk with your medical team about using MiraLax or a magnesium based supplement to ease the severe rectal tissue pain in passing a bowel movement.
Karen
Dear friend to Bella Piazza, former Colon Club member (NWGirl).
I have a permanent ileostomy and offer advice on living with an ostomy - in loving remembrance of Bella
I am on Palliative Care for broad endocrine failure + Addison's disease + osteonecrosis of both hips/jaw + immunosuppression. I live a simple life due to frail health.

SteveNZ
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:21 pm
Location: New Zealnd

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby SteveNZ » Wed May 23, 2018 5:43 pm

NHMike wrote:..... What really helped was when the tumor started shrinking a lot. After chemo/radiation + 2 weeks, I felt quite good as I could go pretty easily....

Thanks NHMike,
I am almost envious...! As for myself the ability to pass a motion just grew worse and worse. I also learned that after a while it was not really possible to tell when my bladder was actually fill or not. They advised that my bladder was going to take a fair bit of the radiation so have to keep it as full and functioning as possible. This pushes against things as well. And for some awful reason it is not possible to pee without '..dribbling muck..' from my rear. All pretty unpleasant.
Hope you are not eating as you read this....LOL
Last edited by SteveNZ on Fri May 25, 2018 12:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Aged 56 - I feel really young...
Colo-Rectal Cancer T2 N1 M0
March 2018 - Diagnosis
April-May 2018 Radiation+Chemo then a TIA (Minor Stroke). - Stopped Chemo.
August 27th-November 2018 - Surgery and long, long recovery
*Decided to live to 100 as I will get a telegram from Her Majesty the Queen when 100yrs old. I so, so want one.
Am a Salvation Army chap so I complete 'knee drill' (prayer) to the Commander in Chief often. For myself personally this helps me through.

SteveNZ
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:21 pm
Location: New Zealnd

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby SteveNZ » Wed May 23, 2018 6:16 pm

MissMolly wrote:Steve:
I suffer from recurrent small bowel obstructions (SBO) due to scar tissue that acts to kink a portion of my small intestine. Small bowel obstructions are pure misery.
...................... Talk with your medical team about using MiraLax or a magnesium based supplement to ease the severe rectal tissue pain in passing a bowel movement.
Karen
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for that help.
It sounds almost certain that they will need to operate and with my tumour growing against my anus it will mean a permanent colostomy. The aggressive radiation to destroy the tumour also sadly causes damage (as I shared resulting in scar tissue) to my anus-rectum so either way is not nice. Rats.

Thank you for sharing. One issue they said can arise is that part of my small intestine is '..in the line of fire..' so to speak of the radiation and will also end up a bit scared. And also my operation itself (due to the physical location difficult to get at) may leave some of the small intestine 'outside and dry out for a while' or something. Sorry I only know my lay-mans summary for the surgeons explanation. But he did want to advise me that it can cause problems with some folk. I am glad he shared openly and honestly. So your advice sounds quite needed. Again thank you.

Steve
Aged 56 - I feel really young...
Colo-Rectal Cancer T2 N1 M0
March 2018 - Diagnosis
April-May 2018 Radiation+Chemo then a TIA (Minor Stroke). - Stopped Chemo.
August 27th-November 2018 - Surgery and long, long recovery
*Decided to live to 100 as I will get a telegram from Her Majesty the Queen when 100yrs old. I so, so want one.
Am a Salvation Army chap so I complete 'knee drill' (prayer) to the Commander in Chief often. For myself personally this helps me through.

SteveNZ
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:21 pm
Location: New Zealnd

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby SteveNZ » Fri May 25, 2018 12:44 am

LATEST NEWS - Firstly only 2 irradiation sittings to go in this set.
After passing blood in my urine and sharing with folk at radiation they had me wait afterwards to see someone.
The blood is minor and apparently not out of place.

BUT the best news is they got me to figure out how to better use the 'Lignocaine Gel' (for numbing area around the anus) giving me a different container type and it helps so much. I talk about it being like 'barbed wire pulled through' well this files off the sharp points so to speak. And I have to discipline myself to push slowly and carefully (which is close to impossible....when squirming in pain) to make sure it all passes ok.
NOT NICE but I know it is only temporary.... :( :D
Aged 56 - I feel really young...
Colo-Rectal Cancer T2 N1 M0
March 2018 - Diagnosis
April-May 2018 Radiation+Chemo then a TIA (Minor Stroke). - Stopped Chemo.
August 27th-November 2018 - Surgery and long, long recovery
*Decided to live to 100 as I will get a telegram from Her Majesty the Queen when 100yrs old. I so, so want one.
Am a Salvation Army chap so I complete 'knee drill' (prayer) to the Commander in Chief often. For myself personally this helps me through.

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Rectal Cancer-Blocked and Painful

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Mon May 28, 2018 3:08 pm

I'm glad the gel helps!*hugs*
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)


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