Anyone have radiation enteritis, inflammation of your small intestine?

I am about to start Hyperbaric treatment. I have hopes that it will heal some damage done by radiation to my pelvis and a radical hysterectomy. Do you have any pointers for me? Do you feel better?

Has anyone tried PEMF treatment for chronic radiation enteritis? It increases internal blood flow.
I have seen it work wonders on horses, and many people claim it is amazing for orthopedic issues. I want to try it.

I’ve had similar experience. Radiation, chemo, and hysterectomy for cervical cancer. One small bowel resection, and one blockage repaired laparoscopicly since then. I’m now twenty years past the original treatments, and experiencing inflammatory enteritis periodically. I avoid fiber, fat, and big meals. It seems like there is nothing in particular that sets off an episode. Sometimes the episodes last only a few days, and can be managed with Imodium and BRAT diet. Other times, the episodes last a week or so. I loose weight that I am unable to put back on. Am getting weaker every year. Gastro doctor prescribed Creon, a highly expensive drug that gave me diarrhea. It’s a rough road those of us with enteritis are on. I wish I had some suggestions for you all on how we can manage our symptoms. It just seems like we have to keep on keeping on. Wishing you all well.

So sorry to hear of your suffering. I too have radiation enteritis as a consequence of radiation following a complete hysterectomy 40 years ago. My symptoms have gradually worsened. I can no longer absorb food and have been on an elemental diet for 9 months. Helps somewhat; has allowed me to gain some weight but still have frequent diarrhea and partial incontinence.

@lolac
Did the hyberbaric work for you and did insurance cover it ? I’m suffering after pelvic radiation last year and would like to try it !

Unfortunately that treatment is not relevant for me.

Best of luck to you.

@deedee74, I see you are looking for information about hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for side effects from pelvic radiation. You might appreciate the comments from @robholdenried and @nmkblc1995 in this related discussion about HBOT for radiation side effects for head and neck cancers:

- Anyone had Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment after radiation?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hyperbaric-oxygen-treatment/

While you're dealing with a different area of the body, @nmkblc1995 answered similar questions that @7881188 had about insurance.

@bisbeea Has your doctor talked with you about Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) therapy? I had base of tongue cancer with left cervical lymph node involvement. I thought the radiation and chemo combination was going to be the end of me. I had a few issues after treatments. One was osteoradionecrosis of the jaw, which was healed superbly by HBOT. But I also could not get enough nutrients to sustain any quality of life. My PEG tube never worked. I threw up every time the formula was put in. CT showed it was properly in place. Guess my body rejected having substance enter my stomach that way. I don’t know. But my weight dropped from 195 to 110 in a matter of 3 months. I couldn’t eat. It was a challenging time. My medical oncologist set me up for TPN. This requires a nurse or somebody well versed to get you set up each day. My spouse helped me. She’s not a nurse but she understood her role and I’m a very blessed person to have her. I stayed on TPN for a few months. A registered nurse came in weekly to get blood. You check your blood sugar multiple times a day. Based on the blood results helped the solution company determine what nutrients you needed in the next weeks delivery. Slowly I gained about 8 pounds. This might not be for everyone. But it’s worth the conversation. If your doctor doesn’t know what it is, first shame on them, second find someone who does know about it. You NEED to understand what it is and if the objective you’re striving for can be reached with this therapy. I could write a book about it, but everyone is different. It got me to the point where I could start eating by myself and get some nutrition that way. I did TPN for 2 months. It was my lifesaver.

Yes, my insurance paid for it. I have BCBS PPO. I did have a deductible to meet then my portion was 10% until I reached out of pocket (OOP) maximum in which case insurance paid everything the rest of the year. You all know when you have cancer you meet your deductible and OOP very quickly in the new year.

So, anyway, for all you out there struggling with your weight and nutrition, please open a conversation. It could be your lifesaver.

Cheers, friends!

Thank you for kindly passing this on to me. My doctor and I have had many conversations about
TPN. It is not for every body.

All the best to you.
Rhema

Many blessings, Rhema.