I’m sorry you’ve been struggling with this, @rmann22434baisley. This sounds miserably uncomfortable, can be anxiety-triggering and takes a lot of time and energy away from getting back to a “new normal” life. Changes in bowel function have been a part of my gyn onc post-surgical experience (surgery 2/23), even without chemo or radiation so far. I’ve had bouts of both constipation and loose stools with very short stretches of normal functioning.
Things that have helped for me:
-reassurance that this is not a new cancer symptom (checking with my GYN ONC team)
-working with an integrative oncologist (a naturopath with training in oncology) to sort out what causes my particular digestive changes,
-as @joybid suggested, fermented vegetables (or probiotics…I’ve done both in my life and now prefer the veggies, which are cheaper, just as effective for me, and can be cabbage, beets, carrots, etc. Some can be flavor boosted with fennel, ginger, carraway, etc). I eat 4-5 TBSP before breakfast each day). I hope, when time and energy become abundant, to learn how to make these for myself, so I don’t have to pay someone for my probiotics either way).
-fiber…I like psyllium husk, I began using first for loose stools, but which can either slow things down or smooth them out depending on how much water you drink with it…takes some playing with it to adjust, but feels much gentler for me
-pelvic PT to address changes in the nerves and smooth and striated muscle tissues of the pelvis which have been relocated when the uterus was removed…cuff of vaginal gets re-attached to ligaments toward the sacrum bone of the spine…lots of nerves there (understandably) that can get “upset when their neighbors and partners in functioning have been removed” as my pelvic PT tells me, and they can U/S and examine to see how you’ve been put back together and then do techniques to help those nerves and muscles wake up, calm down, coordinate with each other and function better (specific types of movement, pelvic massage a pelvic PT can do and neural glides to make space for nerves that may have become compressed due to inflammation, for example),
-and, finally, with all the above supports, patience with a recovery process and faith in your body’s capacity to sort it all out, comes with that understanding of the magnitude of what you’ve been through and how long it takes for the body to fully recover. My regular PT (because pelvic inflammation and arthritis became more painful after surgery, making walking stair climbing and sitting a bit more challenging) showed me websites that explain about timelines for recovery after surgery…you can look up 4 stages of wound healing…there are several websites…I don’t want to direct you to a specific one as they might be trying to sell something…the gist of what she showed me was that it can take a year or longer for our bodies to move through this process, and different things are needed by the body during each stage. This has allowed me to keep working on what I can and to try to trust that my post-surgery body is slowing organizing itself.
-I am also seeing that radiation enteritis, in which tissues of the intestines become inflamed after radiotherapy, can last for many weeks after the end of radiation treatments…I read on another Mayo connect thread that radiation continues inside your body for a few months after the last treatment, which is why scans are not done immediately following the conclusion of treatment). This suggests to me (no one’s expert by a long shot…no medical training whatsoever, just another curious traveler on this road) that whatever effects you are experiencing could just need more time before they will begin to subside. I say this to offer hope, and to encourage you to tell your team what you are experiencing so they can monitor it and refer you to good pelvic pt or integrative oncology providers who can help you sort out what would help your body in its recovery.

With care and best wishes for your/our continued healing,

Gynosaur
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