Lorraine’s Story

Editor’s note: Minor edits have been made for readability, including the addition of subheadings, while keeping Lorraine’s voice and experience true to her original submission. Support resources are also shared at the end of this page.

My cancer diagnosis and treatment

I am 66 years old and live in the north-east of Scotland. I was diagnosed with anal cancer at the beginning of 2025. I started chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in March of the same year. I coped quite well with the treatment, but recovery was another story.

Recovering after treatment

I experienced extreme pain when toileting, bad radiation burns and fatigue like you would not believe. I tried to go out for small walks, as near to the house as possible because I needed to open my bowels frequently and had to be near a toilet. I had a few bad accidents, which were mortifying.

Losing confidence

Going on an aeroplane for a much-needed holiday was overwhelming, and I suffered panic attacks before and after the flight. While in Tenerife, I had a bad accident on the way back to the hotel. It was overwhelming and put me off going on future holidays.

I was given the all clear from cancer in October 2025. However, I have found it difficult to walk because of pain in my back and legs. I cannot walk for more than five minutes without having to stop and sit down. This has affected my confidence in leaving the house because I cannot walk anywhere without pain, and totally lost confidence in case I have more embarrassing accidents.

Living with the long-term effects of treatment

At a meeting with my oncologist a month ago, I was advised that the radiotherapy had caused weakness in my bones. I had another MRI scan and was given suppositories (for bowel symptoms) to try for eight weeks. Scotland is far behind when it comes to awareness of Pelvic Radiation Disease (PRD).