20 months following the end of my salvage radiation, I have been experiencing blood spotting after bowel movements and a preliminary dx indicates Radiation Proctitis may be the cause. This is disheartening given radiation was 20 months ago and I had no problems during or immediately after. Being sent to a GI Specialist for evaluation. Anyone been through this....have any comments that might be helpful? Does this increase the risk of colon cancer?
Radiation Proctitis - comments from t... - Advanced Prostate...
Radiation Proctitis - comments from those that have been diagnosed with chronic (>6 months post radiation).
My husband developed radiation cystitis (urethra, bladder neck. . .) damage from IMRT treatments in 2016. It's now dx as "hemorraghic cystitis" and he may start hyperbaric oxygen treatments in effort to heal the wound(s).
Late term radiation proctitis occurs in about 2%. Unusual that it didn't occur acutely too. Probably due to hemorrhoids bleeding. If so, a proctologist can get rid of the hemorrhoids.
Ok, I really don’t want to upset anyone but radiation has not kind to me. As members of my Prostate group can confirm I am the poster boy for bad radiation results. In 2015 I had 45 radiation treatments, about 6 months later I started having problems with blood in my stools caused by radiation proctitis. After 2 years of pain and various methods of treatment including hyperbaric treatments I just couldn’t take the pain anymore so I had a colostomy. That was ok for about 2 years and then I started having blood and blood clots in my urine due to radiation cystitis. And again many procedures later I now have 2 nephrostomy tubes and bag on each leg due to continued blood clots and possible kidney damage. As I said before I am not trying to upset anyone it’s just what has happened to me. And my doctors have said they have never seen a reaction like this from radiation.
Sorry for your suffering.
I had 6 blasts of RT even though I had advanced pca. Rare 7!years ago but more common pathway now (in the UK). About 8 months later I started big bottom bleeds , like a cup full at a time . I spent the next year having to put suppositories where the sun don’t shine twice a day and that made no difference to the bleeding but did make me lose even more dignity .
Eventually saw a specialist who lazered about 60 fissures in my bowel / colon area . He said that it was like having a permenant grazed knee, every time I went to the toiled I knocked all the scabs off and that caused a bleed . The procedure was not painful but I did start feeling hot inside towards the end . Anyway , stopped it almost straight away and 7!years on all still good .
I have had sacral insufficiency fractures from radiation and I am only 6 months out. It is a scary problem for me because I love physical activity. Fortunately, I am a cyclist but I miss pickelball.
I had some bright red blood with bowel movements about a year after SRT.It took 2 colonoscopys, where the doc zapped the raw spots with a laser, to eliminate the bleeding. Not fun, but 2+ years later, no more bleeding.
This is a review of radiation proctitis evaluation, treatment etc.