How to manage radiation-induced diarrhea?

zsazsa1

Culturelle seems to be working!

CheeseQueen57, I think the Culturelle is working!!!!! I started it today.  For the past few days, I've had very frequent horrible diarrhea - the only way to slow it was to not eat at all.  Now it seems to have stopped!  I ate Chow Fon rice noodles with beef for dinner, and four hours later, nothing yet!  Thank you.

zsazsa1

The Culturelle definitely is

The Culturelle definitely is helping, much less diarrhea, but it is still virtually all diarrhea.  At least I can eat.  Jan, I will order the Ultra probiotic you used.  Until then, I'll continue with the Culturelle twice a day.  

And No Time, thanks for the study.  I just hope it's not too late for the probiotics to help me.

Jairoldi

zsazsa1 said:

Thanks.  I just took a look

Thanks.  I just took a look at it.  I can do that.  I just hope it helps.  I have only gotten through about ten of a planned 28 treatments so far!  I don't know how I'm gonna make it!  The worst is that I have to have a full bladder and an empty rectum for treatment - which is very hard to achieve, when I'm having such bad cramping from diarrhea.  I'm thinking that maybe I just won't eat until after radiation treatment each day.

Not eating..

I tried not to eat or not to eat too much before radiation each day. I used Metamucil and probiotics at the suggestion of my radiologist. I also went straight

home. Fortunately I didn' have to work while undergoing treatment. I used long term disability and did what work I could from home on the computer.

EJCB1

Banatrol

I also had terrible diarrhea for a few weeks during treatment. The nutritionist at my cancer center recommended Banatrol... banana flakes... to add bulk. Seemed to help, but I couldn't always stomach it. Also recommended peanut butter and marshmallow (couldn't stomach that either, so did peanut butter and jelly). The diarrhea got the point where I had to use adult diapers for a while. But at some point, it seemed to peak and then get better. Hope yours also lets up! Hang in there!! 

Donna Faye

Immodium is my friend

I was taking up to 6 Immodium a day from the 3rd week on, and am never w/o it even today a year out. I found the liquid to be better to take and seemed to act quickly. I still have 3+ BMs a day so if have a special day planned, take the Immodium in the morning after b'fast. so I can have a nice day w/o worry. I can eat almost anything now but I do pay the piper if it is too rich or spicy. I do take a probiotic.  

zsazsa1

Still with diarrhea.  What I

Still with diarrhea.  What I do is I take a Culturelle when I get home from radiation (I've got 9 treatments left to go), and I don't eat until after that.  I have crampy diarrhea, mostly very very soft or liquid, several times a day.  But it's a lot better than when it began - then I was passing stool constantly, even to the point of a bit of rectal prolapse.  

I am hoping that it will get better after the radiation treatment is over.  I was always very constipated, so I was kind of hoping that I'd be at worst just a "normal" once or twice a day person after radiation.  But even if I am left with chronic diarrhea at this level, I'll manage, as long as the UPSC/clear cell doesn't come back!

zsazsa1

I'm doing a lot better,

I'm doing a lot better, finally, almost a month after external beam radiation was completed.  If I eat only protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, etc) and rice, white bread, I'm pretty good.  I'm cautiously adding in melon, banana, things that are considered constipating.  I avoid all fiber.  Hopefully, it will only continue to improve, and hopefully I won't have the late side effects.

Eating out is a challenge - sometimes I get very bad diarrhea afterwards.  But I can usually find something safe on the menu, so that too is improving.