My Chemoradiation Side Effects

I was fortunate in that I had to endure very few side effects from either the 5FU/Leucovorin chemo or the radiation. I attribute this to 1) general good health at the start, despite having a cancerous tumor, and 2) my age which was 49 being very young for a colorectal cancer patient, and 3) quickly and actively seeking solutions as side effects developed, either by my own devices or ideas from friends/family or from web research and finally 4) both the radiation and chemo were being administered in frequent but small doses, so my body seemed to be able to manage the replenishment of normal cells dynamically, ie, with minimal impact.

It was not always clear to me which side effects were from the chemo or the radiation or both, but in all cases, I just dealt with the specific issue.

One of the first effects was actually good, in my case. Radiation and chemo can cause diarrhea. Well, after about nine months of chronic constipation, this was a great thing for me! As the weeks went on and the somewhat tubular and restrictive tumor shrank, it was all easier for me. I not only had an easier go of it (pardon the pun) but I had evidence of the shrinkage. Double bonus.

For the first four weeks out of the six, I was thrilled to not only be functioning better intestinally, but to be doing something about my cancer. It felt good to have a plan of action, to be executing it, and to see positive results. The only drawback through that point was increasing weariness, mostly likely from the chemo, but it was very gradual. I just tired a bit more easily from week to week.

The fifth week turned out to be the very worst. The cumulative effect of the radiation was starting to really burn more than just the tumor. I presume my body hit a point where it could no longer keep up with normal cell replacement or repair.

While there was no external redness on the skin of my abdomen or hips, the more sensitive tissues of the genital area were feeling quite raw. To be blunt and honest, urination felt like peeing razor blades through open blisters. It burned so badly that I actually began to cry out with every visit to the toilet. There was no complete solution to this, but I found that Desitin ointment(as for diaper rash), Vagisil (for feminine itching and burning) and Calmoseptine (a multipurpose mentholated ointment) all helped me to at least soothe the pain after urination and coated the skin to lessen contact between acidic hot liquid and tender radiation-burned flesh.

I used the ointments liberally as well as reporting the problem to the radiologist. As a result, for the remainder of the fifth week and the final sixth week, he reduced the area being irradiated, focusing more closely on the tumor. It was evident that the broader beam had done as much as my normal cells/tissues could tolerate. After this reduction and a few days of healing with aid of the ointments, I returned to nearly normal as far as bathroom activities.

The other significant side effect was loss of red blood cells. While it was never severe enough to have to postpone treatments, I was advised to take iron supplements to try to assist my body in producing more red blood cells. The main effect of this for me was a noticeable hardening and darkening of my stools, which began to put me back in a similar contipated condition, where I began. That was a little disheartenting.

The chemoradiation was over as of November 3rd. I had been warned that I might have futher side effects which would develop possibly weeks afterward. I quit taking the iron so I could at least reduce those complications. I was tired but tried to eat properly, drink plenty of fluids, and rest as much as possible so the damaged normal cells could rebuild.

In fact, the game plan included a one month haitus between chemoradiation and surgery just so my body could recover from one before being submitted to the other. This period actually turned out to be the best I'd felt in nearly a year. I was grateful.