Anyone have Surgery success with tumor at the internal sphincter ?

Greetings, dilemma6,

You mean "sitz bath".

Wet wipes were too harsh for me. I used Shield Barrier Cream Cloths. Otherwise, I don't think I would have lived through all that radiation. >_<

My skin couldn't take the lanolin in Aquaphor, so I used Albolene.

"My tastebuds changed and food tasted terrible..." - - - I SO know what you mean. I have not been able to get back to drinking water ever since. I also had a nasty side effect where many odors would cause a sudden, overwhelming, incapacitating nausea and vomiting. Some foods, cleaning products, plastics, alcohol wipes, and the elderly uncle's diapers. I used to have to call my partner at work to drop everything to come and change The Uncle when needed.

A nurse told me to buy PEPPERMINT OIL (not peppermint flavoring from supermarkets) and keep it close to my nose to mask those reactive odors And it really worked, thank goodness!

Greetings, salynn -

I had anal cancer stage 3C in the past and suffered through chemotherapy (5FU & Mitomycin) in addition to radiation. And I do mean "suffered". Radiation made my whole bikini area a dead-black color with pain, cracking, bleeding, and interior pain.

If it's not too late to make suggestions, completely forget toilet paper. Even the White Cloud super-pricy soft toilet paper will feel like sandpaper. I also say forget baby wipes as they, too, are far too harsh.

The thing that got me through was a product by the Sage company - "Comfort Shield Barrier Cream Cloths". They are silicone-coated and are cool and soothing when you wipe with them. I still use them when diarrhea becomes too much to bear (I have microscopic colitis that the radiation really exacerbated).

If you get the bigger sized ones, 8.5 x 9, you could cut them in half, even in quarters, and still get great benefit from them.

All the best.

I had 2 chemo rounds and 30 rounds of radiation. It was not easy. Inflamed, open sores and irritation from radiation after approximately 2 weeks. They actually stopped radiation for a week because I was in so much pain plus my bloodwork tanked due to the chemo. Also got a couple UTI’s from chemo which were painful. Hoping you will have a better go at it. Keep aquafore on the radiated areas. Stool softeners will help. You will go through bouts of diarrhea and then constipation plus nausea will hit you off and on. I ordered a sitz bath that sits on the toilet. It was a lifesaver. Not trying to scare you but I wish I would have known what to expect. Good luck!

Sounds very much like my situation. I had a polyp(2.5m) 90%snare -removed from my anal canal. I was told for years it was a hemorrhoid. Turned out to be stage 1 squamous cell cancer. Hoping to possibly reduce the collateral damage from radiation, I entered a phase 2 trial . The computer picked me for the arm I was hoping for, 1 chemo round instead of 2 and lower dose radiation for the 30 treatments. Hoping to avoid Sexual_dysfunction and/or fecal incontinence. I'm on my 3rd day of chemo and radiation with no side effects yet. I know the radiation will eventually take it's toll. I"m really hoping for the best outcome as I'm 75 years old and not fully retired. I'm otherwise in great shape and still do alot of physical labor.

Oh my. So sorry you are going thru this! I know what you mean about laying around but when you don’t feel good, it’s what you do. I am trying to be more active. A UTI has slowed me down a bit. I am so tired of being sick!! My cancer doctor scheduled me for a ct scan with contrast also. I am going to cancel it as a petscan is the only test that will actually show you are cancer free. My radiologist and my GP agree with me. I will have my petscan done in August. After that test they want me to get a sygmoidoscopy just to check how it looks on the inside! I am so ready for this all to be over!!

I agree - this whole thing is very scary! I am 4+ weeks out from last treatment and just starting to feel like an operational human being. Most noticeable change is ability to get around without feeling like I'm going to fall on my face. I've been so weak and being mostly bedridden for several months resulted- to see in a trip to the ER last weekend and an overnight stay due to a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lung) plus blood clots (deep vein thrombosis) in my legs. So, I would advise you - and myself, in hindsight - to move around the best you can, even if it's minimal, to avoid this life-threatening complication.

My scans are being scheduled now - CT scan and ultimately a pelvic MRI. More anxiety.

Praying hard for you and myself - we will get through this.

My last treatment was 6 months ago. My hair didn’t fall out in clumps but it did thin out a lot. When the treatment stopped, it stopped thinning out.

Question? Did you lose your hair during your treatment ? I did not lose mine but every day when I brush my hair it seems more and more is coming out. Will this stop?

So scary. I am 2 weeks out from treatment and still not feeling great! The doctors say I will have a petscan in 2.5 months to determine if I am cancer free! Praying that is the case! Good luck to you!

Your story is exactly the same as mine. One month out from completing 2 rounds of chemo + 30 days radiation. Recovery has gone much slower than I anticipated, and doctors could not give me an estimate of when I might start feeling like a human being again since everyone's treatment and recovery journey is different. I will be having a pelvic MRI and sigmoidoscopy in coming months to see if all cancer is gone. If so, there will be vigilant watching and waiting, since recurrence (if such is to happen) shows up in the first 12-16 months after treatment ends.
I plan on radically changing my diet and exercise programs to do all I can to avoid recurrence. This time between diagnosis - Feb 6 - and now has been hell. I do not want to go through this again and wouldn't wish this disease on my worst enemy - if I had any enemies, which I don't. I'm sending love and prayers to you and all my fellow cancer warriors.