Colon problems from Radiation!!

Absolutely. Bowel movements increased from one each morning to three a day. Also "wet farts" and leakage. Also bad urgency sometimes that can be a real mess if there is no bathroom nearby. Guess it comes with the territory. My radiation Oncologist considers this to be normal side effects. I have also had urinary problems (frequent urination at night), but having been prescribed Vesicare by the urologist, this problem seems to be getting better. Squid.

Yes.

I started with having had spastic colon, some previous colo-rectal surgery, and 'rhoids. It was expected that there would be some worsening because of the adjuvant RT.

Mind you I have had to take daily stool softeners for almost 5 years, so that was not a change. The risks of bleeding from the scar tissue from the earlier surgery have also trained me to use the mineral oil if anything even gives the impression of slowing down.

What did change - my use of Analphram went from 2 or 3 tubes a year to 1 or more a month. My bowels no longer behave. I was already having 2 or 3 BMs a day, although they were generally predictable. Now, ~22 months out from RT, it ranges from 3 to 8 a day, with the ones in the morning being quite unpredictable, and often quite urgent. That is what has taken me off the road (I used to travel for a living - that stopped dead). My GP prescribed Dicyclomine for the spasms, and it helped, but if taken to the suggested level, caused constipation.

So-called "wet farts" and leakage - yup, that too.

The last few months I have developed sporadic bleeding when urinating after a BM - a cystoscope showed a lot of what appears to be radiation cystitis.

Someone said that radiation is the gift that keeps on giving - seems to be the case for me.

The bowel issues got a little better right after RT finished, but have not improved at all the last year.

Ditto here, since my SRT 4 years ago, I have had ongoing bowel problems, especially in the morning, some days I go 3-4 times in 1 hour, never know what the morning will bring. had a colonoscopy which showed radiation damage to lower bowel, just have to live with it I guess.

Mal.

This is unfortunately the case with many.

I posted elsewhere about sudden urinary problems. It seems to have cleared up, but I'm not sure. It might be an infection, but the burning symptom was very reminiscent of SRT.

My bowel habits have been different since the SRT but it is hard to describe. I guess it is more harder and comes out in pieces (gross, sorry), but so far so good on that score.

I do take 1-2 stool softeners per day.

Mel

OMG that really sucks-why must we suffer so much on that field just to survive.I tell my wife how can I have sex with the burning in my butt.Seems to me they must address the issue of protecting our bowels before radiating them with little protection.They need to address some sort of protection.Do you not agree?

I had colitis (mostly in remission) when I went into SRT, no change for the better or worse due to the radiation. Not everyone has the bowel effects. I had some minor urinary urgency during SRT, but it decreased quickly afterward. The main symptom I had was fatigue, which was significant.

Still, getting rid of the cancer needs to be top priority, I would think. Especially when you consider what others with different sorts of cancer have to deal with - chemo and the like.


142, I have been told that there are some that have a penile implant, and their girlfriends have no idea. Food for thought.

Yup same here
frequent and unpredictable BMs, some normal, some small, some soft, some hard, and am now nearly 2 years on from SRT. Often have to get up to have BM early in the morning.
Have to watch diet, and also now eat at regular times to try and make the output more regular. And eating seems tio set the bowel off.
Definitley have to know where the nearest bathroom is.
And definitley have to be careful if I think I am about to fart.
I have had one day when I had some bleeding, and strangely on that day I only went to bathroom once in 24 hours.
Doc says keep monitoring it, no need to look inside me just yet.
Tips: be gentle with your anus, keep anus clean, use a good paper to wipe, don't strain, take a book to the bathroom, perhaps use something like Preparation H or vaseline to lubricate.
Eat wisely, avoid stuff that is too spicy or makes you fart. (eg brocolli better than cauliflower)
But, unfortunately, the unavoidable thing seems to be to replan you day around it to avoid embarrassing accidents. (I have to go to the UK soon and have just sent off for a book that tells me where all the public toilets for disabled people are in Britain and a special key that will give me free access to them. There are also apps that can tell you where to go, and a number of websites eg:
www.findatoilet.co.uk/)

Alf

MsWorryWart,

Your husband has made an excellent decision! Stay positive.

 

MS WorryWart-yes keep positive and support your husband -he needs you-he may be a patient that does not get ongoing effects from the RT.That's all we can hope for as we tend to follow the advice of our oncologists.Best of luck in the journey.

Just to encourage anyone considering radiation as primary treatment, I want to post that my husband's post-radiation bowel issues were mild and short-lived. He has no side effects at all now, a little over a year after finishing 45 sessions of IMRT. Be careful about following the prescribed diet during treatments, and if they don't give you one, ask about it!

Juliet

I had IMRT as my primary treatment along with daily Casodex and quartly Lurpron injections due to Gleason 9/10.  Didn't miss a day of work but did feel a bit tired toward the end. Very few S/E's mainly loose bowels but a week after treatment ended.

Now that I'm 5 months post IMRT my bowels movements are not quite what they use to be, but nowhere near bothersome. A bit of urgency with slight constapation would be the best description. I'm on stool sofeners and I eat more veggies and fruit the I ever have before, which I'm starting to enjoy.  I feel very good now and hope and pray the cancer is gone. Bertb

John T - I guiess in the US you perhaps have to search more than in Europe. I didn't search for an RT doc any more than I did for a uro. (I simply got the uro I did when I picked a hospital that had a robot, though that was as it happens one of the best places in the country as the AVL hospital is attached to the Dutch National Cancer Institute)
Crucially this hospital seems to be very good and making sure they communciate between departments. Thus I was glad that my uro's assistant sat in on the RT docs dicussion when they were planning my SRT. And last month at my check-up the uro also phoned the RT guy to confer with him when I mentioned bowel trouble.
Have just received by special access key for the UK along with heavy book list the locations (so If I take that with me I can always use the pages about places I'll never go to it if there's no paper left!!)

Alf