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Rectal tumor, dreadful anal leakage trapping me in house: Anyone else?
78 year old woman with stage 4 rectal tumor. Dreadful anal leakage trapping me in house. 5’4.5” tall. Weighed 140 on 1/1/26; 99 pounds today. FLOFOX regimen 7/20/26 to 7/22/26. Can’t complete the simplest chores without leakage. What’s next
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I’m truly sorry for your suffering, my heart goes out to you, I’m also a cancer survivor and I know what an evil disease it is. I don’t know a lot about rectal cancer but you’re receiving treatment for it, have you spoken to your doctors about the seepage and what you can do to cope with it? I know that many people live with this condition with or without cancer and there’s a lot of products on the market to help you live your life, it’s understandable that you feel uncomfortable but you need to try and find ways to enable yourself to get back your freedom to go out and keep busy. People today are walking around with so many different things attached to their bodies so that they can carry on with their lives, I truly wish that I could be more helpful, try to be strong and get back your survival instincts, talk to others who are going through similar situations and see what they can help you with, God bless you.
I am so sorry.
I hope someone can suggest treatment that will help you, day to day.
I find a lot of healthcare providers fail to understand the real life experiences.
@78rwpfan, I'm tagging several members like @angielewis1959 @rioa21 @labfarm3 @charlenet1, who know what you're going through with bowel leakage (fecal incontinence). You can read tips from members in this related discussion:
- Rectal cancer and fecal incontinence: Any remedies?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/fecal-incontinence-any-remedies/
@78rwpfan, being trapped in your home because you can't trust your bowels is so limiting. Have you talked to your cancer team about the leakage? Is an ostomy an option for you?
I understand completely where you’re coming from. I had anal cancer. Chemo and radiation got rid of the cancer but left me with fecal incontinence. I spent my days either in the bathroom or looking for one. I suffered for about a year. When the doctor mentioned getting a colostomy I sobbed in his office. At 73 it was more than I thought I could handle. Three years later and I’m enjoying my life. I named my stoma Libby because she liberated me from the bathroom.