Diet after anal cancer

Any changes in your diet will depend on the type of operation you have had. If your anus and rectum have been removed, you won’t be able to eat immediately after your operation. But by the time you go home, you should be able to eat fairly normally.

If part of your bowel is removed during surgery, it can make your stools less solid. This is because the bowel absorbs water as stools pass through it. So having less bowel means less water is absorbed.

Some foods can cause wind, which is difficult to control when you have had a colostomy. It will take a bit of experimenting to find out which foods upset your system. Foods that often cause problems with wind include

• Very high fibre fruits and vegetables
• Onions and cabbage
• Fizzy drinks and beer
• Very rich or fatty foods

Generally, there is nothing you absolutely cannot eat. You may also find that what upsets you at first is fine a couple of months later. So, if you do have difficulty with a particular food, leave it out for a while and try again later.

If you are having problems, your hospital can refer you to a dietician, who can help you work out a diet that suits you. You might also find it useful to keep a food diary before you see the dietician. This is a record of

• What you eat
• When you eat
• Any digestive problems you have, and when you have them

Looking back over a week's diary, you may be able to tell which foods are causing you problems and cut them out of your diet.

Radiotherapy to the bowel often causes frequent bowel movements, because the rectum gets irritated and inflamed. It can also mean that you need to open your bowels urgently. Your doctor might prescribe drugs to reduce the inflammation. If the problem is severe you may need steroid enemas. A steroid enema is when a small amount of steroid liquid is put into the bowel to help reduce inflammation. This side effect usually settles down about 3 to 4 weeks after treatment has finished.

While you are recovering from treatment, it is best to stick to the low fibre diet you will have been following during your course of radiotherapy. Once your digestion has settled down, you can gradually re introduce the higher fibre foods you have cut out. Some people also avoid alcohol as they find it makes their bowel symptoms worse.

There is information about diet and anal cancer in the side effects of radiotherapy for anal cancer section.

Chemotherapy for anal cancer can also give you diarrhoea and may make you feel sick. These side effects will disappear after your treatment is over, and you will gradually be able to get back to a normal diet.

You are likely to have a combination of chemotherapy with radiotherapy, which can make the side effects more difficult to cope with. If this is the case, do speak to your specialist nurse or doctor. They can suggest ways of coping, or give you treatment to reduce any unpleasant side effects.

For more information on diet and chemotherapy, go to the main chemotherapy section.

There is more information about coping with diet problems and managing diarrhoea in the section about coping physically with cancer.