Hey, I’m just healing after going through the entire regime that you mention. First thing they did was a temporary ostomy. Then I did oral Chemo and Radiation. Next was intravenous chemo and oral chemo. Then came the major surgery.
My tumor was shrunk by 70% but it still required a colostomy. So they took a stomach muscle to fill in all the gaps that were left from surgical removal of the remaining cancer involved tissues and the colostomy.
They call it a flap.
I cannot imagine going through radiation/chemo still trying to use the rectum for elimination. The radiation really does a number on things down there. I was hoping for a reversal of the ostomy, right up to the bitter end. But now that it’s all over with, and I’m healing, I’d rather have an ostomy than be suffering from Crohn’s like symptoms and such as that.
I don’t know what your particular situation is, but the radiation treatment does a lot of damage where they’re trying to blow away the tumor! It gets very tender and sore and it lasts a long time. Just be prepared to become an Ostomate.