Bleeding after IMRT

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alioop 9 - 21 Jan 2006 08:44 GMT

I haven't posted for quite a while, but have been lurking. Thought I'd
update you on one complication. I thought hubby would never stop
bleeding rectally after the IMRT. He was actually slightly anemic for
the last couple years, and the only suspect has been bleeding when going
to the bathroom. He has to sit to go to the bathroom as when he
urinates, he usually also has something from his bowels. In the past it
had a lot of blood. A neighbor gave us some Acidolophius supplements,
and that helped with the bleeding. Now, almost 3 yrs later, he is blood
free almost all of the time. The blood was never in his stool, but
rather from broken blood vessels in his rectum. I could never find any
definitive info on it, but am glad it seems to be over now. Guess we
just all have to be patient (not one of my virtues!)

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Mary Fisher - 21 Jan 2006 12:08 GMT

>I haven't posted for quite a while, but have been lurking. Thought I'd
> update you on one complication. I thought hubby would never stop
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> definitive info on it, but am glad it seems to be over now. Guess we
> just all have to be patient (not one of my virtues!)

Did he talk to his doctor about the bleeding?

Mary

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Steve Kramer - 21 Jan 2006 12:45 GMT

Wow! I had thought you had gone for good! So, how is his cancer?

I had hemorrhoid bleeding for maybe 6 months after EBRT. No fun at all.

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Alan Meyer - 21 Jan 2006 16:06 GMT

I had no rectal bleeding, but my doctor did a proctoscopy one
year after radiation and I watched the monitor with him. He pointed
out all the damage to the rectal walls and said that it was what
happens. Apparently there's no way to avoid radiating the rectum
when using external beam radiation.

In general, the side effects of radiation have been reasonably mild
for me, but there's no doubt that both radiation and surgery do a
lot of violence to the body.

Alan

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Doug Taylor - 22 Jan 2006 22:38 GMT

>I had no rectal bleeding, but my doctor did a proctoscopy one
>year after radiation and I watched the monitor with him. He pointed
>out all the damage to the rectal walls and said that it was what
>happens. Apparently there's no way to avoid radiating the rectum
>when using external beam radiation.

I did have fairly significant rectal bleeding during treatment that
gradually abated. 3 years out, I have occasional very mild
recurrences.

On the plus side I'm 100% continent and can achieve erections, albeit
needing Vitamin V in order to attain what is affectionately known in
the trade as a "blue veiner" ;-)

>In general, the side effects of radiation have been reasonably mild
>for me, but there's no doubt that both radiation and surgery do a
>lot of violence to the body.

Amen to that!!

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