Re: Newly diagnosed rectal cancer
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2019 6:48 am
[quoteDoesn’t it feel empowering to have a stage and know how you’re going to attack it? I remember it did for me with my mom.][/quote]
It's certainly way better to know that to wonder what is going on!
The surgeon still says we can hope for enough shrinkage to save the sphincter muscles and be able to have a reversal. I really don't see how that is even a possibility, seeing as to where the tumor is. I don't want to have an ostomy but I also believe it is better than taking a chance on leaving anything that could possible regrow. But we aren't even at that bridge yet.
I'm still having such a hard time sleeping and not taking any kind of medication for pain, anxiety or sleep. I quit all of my supplements as soon as I was diagnosed and my doctors have said not to start them back. I've always been low on D's and miss them but they suggested I wait for now.
Does Tylenol interfere with anything? I need to ask before I start chemoradiation next week. My shoulder stays stiff though I've been working on it. The way I lay on the radiation table, my arms are up crossed under my head. I could manage to lay there for the time it took for them to do the preliminaries but my arm and neck were screaming by the end of it. I'm wondering if taking Tylenol before treatments would help. Then again, I don't know that it's a good idea to take something every day. I also have some cream I could rub on it. I'm afraid of things interfering with each other.
I've never been one to take medicines and am not sure what I should do. I know I shouldn't hurt when I could be taking something but so far when I've spoken to the different doctors, they haven't said I should be doing anything so I don't have anything to take. I'm not sure which one needs to be the one to tell me what to take though.
I spoke to the oncologist and the radiation oncologist about a skin problem--I'm worried it will flare up with chemo--but they weren't concerned. When I mentioned it to the surgeon, and told me to go ahead and start applying antibiotic ointment to the areas. I need to ask the radiation oncologist if any of the creams will interfere with the radiation. He's the watch and wait type and doesn't want to do anything proactively but I know my skin. Any time I start to get sick or my immunity is out of balance, I have issues.
It's certainly way better to know that to wonder what is going on!
The surgeon still says we can hope for enough shrinkage to save the sphincter muscles and be able to have a reversal. I really don't see how that is even a possibility, seeing as to where the tumor is. I don't want to have an ostomy but I also believe it is better than taking a chance on leaving anything that could possible regrow. But we aren't even at that bridge yet.
I'm still having such a hard time sleeping and not taking any kind of medication for pain, anxiety or sleep. I quit all of my supplements as soon as I was diagnosed and my doctors have said not to start them back. I've always been low on D's and miss them but they suggested I wait for now.
Does Tylenol interfere with anything? I need to ask before I start chemoradiation next week. My shoulder stays stiff though I've been working on it. The way I lay on the radiation table, my arms are up crossed under my head. I could manage to lay there for the time it took for them to do the preliminaries but my arm and neck were screaming by the end of it. I'm wondering if taking Tylenol before treatments would help. Then again, I don't know that it's a good idea to take something every day. I also have some cream I could rub on it. I'm afraid of things interfering with each other.
I've never been one to take medicines and am not sure what I should do. I know I shouldn't hurt when I could be taking something but so far when I've spoken to the different doctors, they haven't said I should be doing anything so I don't have anything to take. I'm not sure which one needs to be the one to tell me what to take though.
I spoke to the oncologist and the radiation oncologist about a skin problem--I'm worried it will flare up with chemo--but they weren't concerned. When I mentioned it to the surgeon, and told me to go ahead and start applying antibiotic ointment to the areas. I need to ask the radiation oncologist if any of the creams will interfere with the radiation. He's the watch and wait type and doesn't want to do anything proactively but I know my skin. Any time I start to get sick or my immunity is out of balance, I have issues.