After radiation: Anyone have a small amount of bleeding from rectum?

This is one of the side effects that happens from radiation. It is not real common, but it does occur with a lot of people.

Primary Treatmentn Adjunct and salvage radiation possible side effects
Radiation proctitis
Rectal issues
Rectal bleeding
Bladder infection
Breaks in bones radiation damage to bones
Fibroses in bladder which can reduce capacity

In general, toxicities after postprostatectomy radiation using photon-based techniques have been tolerable, although the rates of late grade 2 and gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities range from 10% to 20% with image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

What this means. “ late grade 2 and gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities”
Above describes moderate symptoms of damage to the bowel and bladder, requiring minimal intervention but impacting daily activities, and occurring after salvage radiotherapy for a recurrence or persistent cancer after initial treatment. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms can include moderate diarrhea or bleeding, while genitourinary (GU) symptoms might involve increased urinary frequency, pain, or intermittent bleeding.

A link to article
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8019576/

@jeffmarc my IMRT side effects ( 45 sessions ending Dec 2 2025) -so far- have been some transient fatigue from both ADT and radiation...not too bad that I couldnt play thru, a bit of mucous early on after finishing radiation ( rectal area) , and recently, some burning when I urinate..lasts 10 seconds or so.., lastly, some sleep disturbances...combined with on going ADT sides, becomes a nuisance and bit depressing at times..I never stay down too long but its tough going alone.

Thanks very much for the info.
I also have burning when needing to pee. It is more of an issue at night because it wakes me up. My last ADT injection was in November 2025 and I still have the sweats but fortunately just minor fatigue.
And, yes it can drag you down at times. But on the other hand where would I be without it.
Ever onwards then.

I had 39 sessions of VMAT (with SpaceOAR) in the summer of 2023. In January 2025 I experienced two consecutive bowel movements with blood in the water. My RO was not concerned since the bleeding quickly stopped. A colonoscopy in November confirmed radiation proctitis in the rectum with no bleeding. Last month I again experienced several bowel movements over 3 days with some blood. There was a bit of straining involved with one session which might have been the reason for the blood. No blood issues since. I’ll let my RO know about the latest bleeding when I see him later this year. In the meantime, I’m not worried about it since I know what is causing it and it’s not happening often.

I had bleeding during the last week of my radiation. It then started up again 9 months later. I've been under the care of a gastroenterologist since. Radiation proctitis was diagnosed when I had a colonoscopy. Probiotics helped me, medication improved my colon, as well as hyperbaric oxygen treatments. What also helped me was keeping a food diary and finding out that palm oil, cured foods (bacon, ham, pastrami, etc) and more than one cup of coffee aggravated my colon and promoted bleeding.

Thanks for your reply. I took probiotics during radiation treatment but then stopped. No reason, but a useful reminder to start again.

@dgd1953
Thanks for your reply. It's useful to hear how radiation 'collateral damage' affects patients in different ways. In my case, it is not too disruptive. So far!

I have radiation proctitis and it has been a mess. I would suggest making an appointment with a GI that treats this. Don't believe a urologist treats this. Hopefully it just stays a minor situation. Mine turned into a pretty bad case and messy as hell. The GI PA ordered a Sigmoidoscopy which confirmed it and cauterized my bleeders. Stated I might need to come back 2-3 times to be successful.

Thanks for your reply and sharing your experience. By comparison, I have procititis lite. I will ask the eurologist for a referal to a GI to get it checked out.

Did you use a rectal spacer for your radiation treatments?

How many Grays of radiation did they administer each session?

Rectal bleeding is not uncommon at this point post-treatment if no precautions were taken or if they seriously overshot the prostate and hit otherwise healthy nearby organs. (Attached is a list of possible late side-effects from radiation; planning should be done to avoid them.)

(I had 28 sessions of proton radiation + SpaceOAR Vue; didn’t experience any rectal bleeding.)