@samclembeau, I did the full round of radiation and two rounds of chemo (5FU) both were unpleasant but not unbearable. The blisters were very painful however didn’t present until about the 10th treatment, at one point I had to skip a week to allow them to heal. I also had blisters in my mouth and throat due to the chemo. My cancer was due to HPV and my sphincter was damaged due to the radiation. Everyone is different however I was out of commission for about 6 months, I slept a lot and my diet was limited to soft food, (my choice) I was treated in 2007 at the age of 45 and in 2021, it returned which I was told is uncommon. In 2021 I wasn’t able to do chemoradiation again as I had maxed out on the radiation and had anal scarring. In December 2021 I ended up having an Abdominoperineal resection (APR) and because of the scarring, a rectus flap. I know that the chemo and radiation sound daunting/overwhelming but it gave me 15 years cancer free. I blogged my experience from start to finish which helped me get through it and let my friends and family know what I was going through. You’re not alone in this journey.