Hi Jenny,
I had a stage one anal SCC, Dx Sept 1 2011. I had 5 and a half weeks of radiation treatment & 5FU (+ something else) via PICC line. As I live in the country I stayed at the Jean Colvin Cancer Centre in Sydney during the 5 1/2 weeks (for which I will be eternally grateful).
They tell you that the effects of radiation are cumulative, but for me that didn't really sink in. When I got home I seemed fine, until the second week in - POW!! massive burns of the skin around my anus & vulva, ulcerated anus (which won't effect you with a stoma, I guess) and tiredness, nausea, all the horror stories. Its taken months to get over it all, and I'm struggling to find a "new normal" as they say.
I'm not suggesting it will happen to you, I'm just saying, don't be surprised if it does. And if it does, be patient with yourself, gather your support networks. I suppose having experienced cancer before, you are somewhat forearmed, you know what you're in for...
BUT "in our day" cancer was a death sentence. Anal cancer, if caught in time, can be cured. Mine was.
regards, Tracy 🙂