I was diagnosed with anal cancer almost 4 years ago. It was caused by HPV. I was having trouble sitting comfortably because the growth was so big.I had radiation and chemo everyday for 6 weeks. I could tell the treatment was working because I could sit without feeling the growth. My reaction to the chemo was minimal. Loss of appetite and feeling tired. The radiation was another story. The diarrhea started almost immediately. As the weeks went on so did the pain. My husband convinced me we needed a bidet. It was a tremendous help. I also used creams with lidocaine and Aquaphor. Unfortunately, the radiation left me with fecal incontinence. I spent a year either in the bathroom or looking for one. A year after treatment I had a colostomy. My life is 100% better now. I’ve had many scans and there’s no sign of any cancer. I wish you the very best. You will get though this. My surgeon was Luca Stocchi at Mayo in Jacksonville.