Hi,
I know there can be longer term bowel and bladder issues post treatment. Can anyone share in a bit more detail how bad these can get. Is it just a case of needing to be near a toilet or are there other symptoms with it. How much does it impact on daily life? I have been offered a choice between radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Can anyone please give me their experience in making this decision?
Thanks everyone.
Hi,
When you say issues of bowel and bladder and being near a toilet... Do you mean during treatment or after as a long term side effect from the treatment?
I'm 6 weeks out of chemorads and brachy.
During treatment I did have poo explosions 2 weeks into rads and chemo that were managed by immodium and watching what I ate. Yes, they were pretty explosive during treatment but it wasn't every day and I did have a sore tummy and bottom when it did happen. I would normally have more upset tummies on a Monday and a Friday during treatment... Maybe this was a cell turn around time. As for bladder - of an evening I felt a little bit more I needed to wee and got up in the night to go to the toilet. Before treatment I didn't have to at all.
6 weeks out of treatment and my tummy is pretty much back to normal. OK, if I have something spicy/full of oil/too much citric acid I get a looser stool and sometimes need to go more often or right away but it's nowhere near as it was when I was having rads. I have resumed eating a range of veg, fruit, fibre and spice that I couldn't go near during week 4-6 weeks of treatment and even 3 weeks ago.
As for long term what I can gather from reading on here it's bladder to bladder and bowel to bowel... Everyone is different as everybody is different. I'm hoping that I don't have any lasting issues... As everyone does.
Keeley
A v choice between them? Are you sure, it's not likely to have just one of them. Brachytherapy is a part of radiotherapy and is a very important part of treatment.
The usual treatment is chemo, radiation and brachytherapy all together.
As far as damages, I finished treatment last October and have had no issues , not during treatment , and no issues after treatment. I consider myself to be really lucky, most ladies do endure bowel and bladder problems. Those will clear up but sometimes radiotherapy causes permanent damage.
