aloneandscared's Journal

This is my 4th week of rads/chemo. Next week is the FINAL WEEK OF TREATMENTS! WOHOOOO!

I am starting to feel the effects. I have been able to keep the diarrhea at bay by watching what I take in from eating and drinking and taking 1 Immodium in the AM to prevent any sign of diarrhea, this has worked for me. So anybody out there reading this that may be looking at radiation talk to your dr and nurse, this has done wonders for me avoiding the diarrhea which can lead to so many other issues. Don't wait for it to strike, be pro-active in preventing it. It can be done.

I do have a loss of appetite from the chemo but I am starting a steroid tomorrow twice a day to put on some wait. I was doing really good! I actually gained a pound last week and hadn't lost any weight at that point. But this past week I just did not have any appetite what so ever and I lost 5 lbs. BUT, I am still 5 lbs over what I started at before treatment so that is good. But I need help with my appetite so I am going to take the steroids temporarily. This week and next week.

One area that is a big OUCHEEEEEEEEEEEEE! My rectum, sorry if too much info. But this may help somebody else out there going through this. I have started to have some irritation down there which has caused bowel movements to be very painful, if I could describe it, "like passing barbed wire!" OUCH!!!!!!!!!! So besides the steroids, I am now giving myself 2 suppositories of hydrocortisones to help soothe, promote healing, and lessen the pain of BM's.  Since treatment began this is my big issue! It actually started on Friday, and THANK GOD I do not have diarrhea! That would only make this more irritated and painful!

Overall, treatment has been doable and not as bad as anticipated just these little bumps in the road as time goes on with treatment. Like I said this is my 4th week and next week is my last week! I did forget to add that I do get fatigues easier and more frequently so I rest when my lets me know I need it.

So anybody facing this, cancer/chemo/radiation, if I can do this, so can you! Trust me on this one. Don't be freightened by the horror stories of what others tell you happened to somebody they know or themselves, take it with a grain of salt, then be pro-active. That is what I did, I listened to other's experiences and looked for ways to elliviate or prevent certain side-effects and it has worked for me. I did of course talk with my doctors and nurses about this and got the ok. I did not wait for the symptoms to worsen, the first sign I began taking Immodium for the diarrhea and take it every morning to PREVENT it, I also started taking Zantac to prevent anymore acid reflux/discomfort which is caused by the chemo. All these steps are working well for me, but make sure that you check with your doctors and nurses. If there is something you can do it is best to do it before it gets out of control or too bothersome. And WATCH WHAT YOU EAT! Stay away from caffeine and citrus!