Worried about symptoms husband has been having after finishing treatment for bladder cancer

my husband has just finished a month course of chemo and radiotherapy for bladder cancer we have been in touch with the out of hours team etc and also yesterday he went to a&e where they did more bloods and xray as he is suffering with rectal pain and blood on tissue he had a rectal exam and was told everything is ok he is also very sore and stinging when he passes urine last week they gave him a course of antibiotics however last night and this morning he is in terrible pain when passing urine and even when not also pain and bleeding from both front and back passage he saw his own gp this morning who has prescribed co -amocicav and co -codmol the gp did a water test he said there was no infection but the water sample was nearly amber in colour .what i would like to know is this normal after chemo and radiotherapy and how long do my husband suffer in extreme pain from both front and back can you answer please i have rang helpline on numerous occasions they either say ring 111 or go to a&e we have done both of these

  • Hello and thanks for your enquiry,

    I am sorry to hear that current symptoms are difficult to cope with. Unfortunately, treatments can cause temporary inflammation and side effects. You said that the urine was amber, this may mean that it is a little concentrated. It does help to drink alot of fluids up to 2 litres fluid daily as this can help dilute the ph of the urine and help with stinging.

    Taking regular painkillers will help, they may need to be stronger prescription painkillers for now. Sitting on a soft cushion can help, and the use of cold packs (such as those used for sport injuries), wrapped in a light towel can also help numb the area. Sometimes local anaesthetic gel can be applied, but this would have to be prescribed and overseen by a doctor.

    Do let the hospital team know about this. Contact a hospital clinical nurse specialist (CNS), if there is one.

    I hope that you are able to get this addressed soon.

    Best wishes,

    Vanda