Diarrhea

cnewtrn
cnewtrn Member Posts: 28
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
Any tips on how to control this? My father is at the point where he is having accidents despite several doses of Imodium. He is very
Discouraged now. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #2
    Diarrhea
    What regimen is he on?
  • cnewtrn
    cnewtrn Member Posts: 28
    #3
    unknown said:

    Diarrhea
    What regimen is he on?

    Rchop. 24 hours of hell for
    Rchop. 24 hours of hell for him
  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    #4
    Hi cnewtrn
    Hi cnewtrn,

    I would contact the medical team/oncologist. He could have
    a bug - especially if he's neutropenic and vulnerable to infections.

    I don't remember all the details with your dad - it would help if you
    posted in the "about me" section so we can all have that to easily
    reference.

    Make sure he's getting plenty of fluids and electrolytes as you dehyrate so quickly
    with diarrhea.

    I'm sorry he's going through this. Please keep us updated.

    Hugs and positive thoughts,

    Jim
  • epicc
    epicc Member Posts: 137
    #5
    jimwins said:

    Hi cnewtrn
    Hi cnewtrn,

    I would contact the medical team/oncologist. He could have
    a bug - especially if he's neutropenic and vulnerable to infections.

    I don't remember all the details with your dad - it would help if you
    posted in the "about me" section so we can all have that to easily
    reference.

    Make sure he's getting plenty of fluids and electrolytes as you dehyrate so quickly
    with diarrhea.

    I'm sorry he's going through this. Please keep us updated.

    Hugs and positive thoughts,

    Jim

    Cnewtrn
    How old is your dad? My mom is 82 and on her second round. They cannot give her RCHOP because they did not feel she is strong enough. They decided to go with RCVP fo now.

    Is he on any Antibiotics? I was told that is what would cause the diarrhea. My mom was given a very strong antibiotic and that gave her uncontrollable diarrhea.

    Jim is right about fluids and electrolytes. Especially in the elderly. So much more harder to manage. We are struggling with SIADH. Still trying to manage this sodium issue.

    Hope he feels better soon. I know how difficult it is to watch your dad go through this.

    Hang in there.

    Hugs and prayers....Emily
  • cnewtrn
    cnewtrn Member Posts: 28
    #6
    epicc said:

    Cnewtrn
    How old is your dad? My mom is 82 and on her second round. They cannot give her RCHOP because they did not feel she is strong enough. They decided to go with RCVP fo now.

    Is he on any Antibiotics? I was told that is what would cause the diarrhea. My mom was given a very strong antibiotic and that gave her uncontrollable diarrhea.

    Jim is right about fluids and electrolytes. Especially in the elderly. So much more harder to manage. We are struggling with SIADH. Still trying to manage this sodium issue.

    Hope he feels better soon. I know how difficult it is to watch your dad go through this.

    Hang in there.

    Hugs and prayers....Emily

    My dad is 76 and was a. Very
    My dad is 76 and was a. Very young 76. His cycles seem to hit worst at day 9-10 post chemo with the diarrhea and a very foul taste in his mouth. We pushed fluids and he has bounced back nicely, however it makes me a little weary to see what round 3 is going to bring. I think we may start Imodium day 8 and see if that helps. Epic, how is your mom making out?
  • epicc
    epicc Member Posts: 137
    #7
    cnewtrn said:

    My dad is 76 and was a. Very
    My dad is 76 and was a. Very young 76. His cycles seem to hit worst at day 9-10 post chemo with the diarrhea and a very foul taste in his mouth. We pushed fluids and he has bounced back nicely, however it makes me a little weary to see what round 3 is going to bring. I think we may start Imodium day 8 and see if that helps. Epic, how is your mom making out?

    My Mom was a very young 81
    Hi Cnewrn,

    My mom was a very young 81 when she was diagnosed. There was not a person who believed her age. Seeing her like this is very difficult.

    They finally found a medication to control her sodium issue. It is finally staying in the mid 130's. She is getting released today from the hospital, but is going to rehab to gain back some mobility. She seems to bounce back rather quickly.

    She has also had bad diarrhea the last few days and the doctor says this is normal after chemo. The nurse gave her imodium. She is presently in week 2 of her second treatment. We should start round 3 the end of the month.

    How is your dad's appetite? That is my stuggle with my mom right now.

    Hope your dad is doing well. Seems like we are both in similar places with our parents.

    Emily
  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    #8
    epicc said:

    My Mom was a very young 81
    Hi Cnewrn,

    My mom was a very young 81 when she was diagnosed. There was not a person who believed her age. Seeing her like this is very difficult.

    They finally found a medication to control her sodium issue. It is finally staying in the mid 130's. She is getting released today from the hospital, but is going to rehab to gain back some mobility. She seems to bounce back rather quickly.

    She has also had bad diarrhea the last few days and the doctor says this is normal after chemo. The nurse gave her imodium. She is presently in week 2 of her second treatment. We should start round 3 the end of the month.

    How is your dad's appetite? That is my stuggle with my mom right now.

    Hope your dad is doing well. Seems like we are both in similar places with our parents.

    Emily

    Hi Emily
    Hi Emily,

    Glad your mom is doing better with the sodium issue.
    Regarding her appetite, marinol might be an option if
    it can be prescribed for her.

    Hugs,

    Jim
  • epicc
    epicc Member Posts: 137
    #9
    jimwins said:

    Hi Emily
    Hi Emily,

    Glad your mom is doing better with the sodium issue.
    Regarding her appetite, marinol might be an option if
    it can be prescribed for her.

    Hugs,

    Jim

    Hello Jim,
    What is Marinol? I will look into it.

    How are you? Hope all is well.


    Emily
  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    #10
    epicc said:

    Hello Jim,
    What is Marinol? I will look into it.

    How are you? Hope all is well.


    Emily

    Hi Emily
    Hi Emily. "Marinol" is legal medical use form of marijuana - in pill form.
    It helps stimulate appetite and is used for nausea as well. Just a thought.

    Here's some info

    Jim
  • epicc
    epicc Member Posts: 137
    #11
    jimwins said:

    Hi Emily
    Hi Emily. "Marinol" is legal medical use form of marijuana - in pill form.
    It helps stimulate appetite and is used for nausea as well. Just a thought.

    Here's some info

    Jim

    It is worth mentioning
    I read about it. I will mention it to her doctor. She is at rehab again because she loses mobility everytime she has a hospital stay.

    She was such an active women before all of this. She is feeling very bad that she cannot walk right now. I'm hoping that the physical therapy will do her alot of good. The place where she stays works her pretty hard.

    Thank you again for all your help. It is very appreciated.

    HUGS
    Emily
  • tall floridian
    tall floridian Member Posts: 95
    #12
    Diarrhea
    I too had severe diarrhea bad enough to be hospitalized for 16 days. Test after test and 3 different anti biotics made me worst. Finally my doctor scheduled a colonoscopy- the doctor took one look at my colon and said "why has this guy not been placed on vancomycin. Four days later I was fine and sent to a medical rehab where the doctor there took me off vanco too soon and back it came. But this time they put me back on vanco and again in 4 days I was back to normal. After spending 30 days there I was sent home again off vanco and yes the diarrhea returned. This time I went to the infectious disease doctor who shook her head and said "they took you off vanco too soon". She prescribed vanco again and after a month the diarrhea was gone for good. It's been 6 months now and no diarrhea - thank God.
    The condition is called C-Diff and most is caused by too much anti-biotics. I suffered needlessly for all those days- thank God one doctor took enough care to study my condition and follow up to see me cured. Note: when I first spoke to my oncologist about my diarrhea he too said take Immodian AD which I did for a week and got terribly worst. I am in remission of 4th stage lymphoma and have not had chemo since March and doing well - I'm 71 years old and almost back to normal health- thank God!!!!!!
  • epicc
    epicc Member Posts: 137
    #13
    tall floridian said:

    Diarrhea
    I too had severe diarrhea bad enough to be hospitalized for 16 days. Test after test and 3 different anti biotics made me worst. Finally my doctor scheduled a colonoscopy- the doctor took one look at my colon and said "why has this guy not been placed on vancomycin. Four days later I was fine and sent to a medical rehab where the doctor there took me off vanco too soon and back it came. But this time they put me back on vanco and again in 4 days I was back to normal. After spending 30 days there I was sent home again off vanco and yes the diarrhea returned. This time I went to the infectious disease doctor who shook her head and said "they took you off vanco too soon". She prescribed vanco again and after a month the diarrhea was gone for good. It's been 6 months now and no diarrhea - thank God.
    The condition is called C-Diff and most is caused by too much anti-biotics. I suffered needlessly for all those days- thank God one doctor took enough care to study my condition and follow up to see me cured. Note: when I first spoke to my oncologist about my diarrhea he too said take Immodian AD which I did for a week and got terribly worst. I am in remission of 4th stage lymphoma and have not had chemo since March and doing well - I'm 71 years old and almost back to normal health- thank God!!!!!!

    Happy to hear you are in remission
    Dear Tall floridian,

    Congratulations on your remission. My mom has stage 4 lymphoma as well. It was very scarey to hear that. She is on her 2nd treatment of chemo and is doing resonably well. With the exemption of the SIADH issue she ran into. Now that they have her sodium under control, we are hoping to move forward. She is now at rehab tryng to gain back mobiity. My mom's lymphoma is a bit tricky in that it is in the blood. What type of lymphoma were you diagnosed with? Reading that you are in remission after chemo gives me some hope.

    All the best,

    Emily
  • tall floridian
    tall floridian Member Posts: 95
    #14
    epicc said:

    Happy to hear you are in remission
    Dear Tall floridian,

    Congratulations on your remission. My mom has stage 4 lymphoma as well. It was very scarey to hear that. She is on her 2nd treatment of chemo and is doing resonably well. With the exemption of the SIADH issue she ran into. Now that they have her sodium under control, we are hoping to move forward. She is now at rehab tryng to gain back mobiity. My mom's lymphoma is a bit tricky in that it is in the blood. What type of lymphoma were you diagnosed with? Reading that you are in remission after chemo gives me some hope.

    All the best,

    Emily

    Emily: My lymphoma was in the splein area - 4th stage - I learned about it after a pet scan in June 2011. That week my doctor started an aggresive chemo therapy program of which I had 6 rounds of chemo plus 2 maintence chemo's. After that I received a bone marrow test which showed that I was in remission - thank God. My major problem then was c-diff a terrible diarrhea condition of which I was poorly diagnosed from way too much anti-biotics. As I stated above, 16 days in the hospital followed by 30 days in medical rehab and then c-diff again upon my coming home left me depressed and wondering if I ever would get back to normal. Finally,my infectious disease doctor stepped in and put me back on vanco and in 30 days I was back normal and free from diarrhea. Today I am looking forward to Christmas thanking God for a new lease on life - cutting my grass,walking well, eating well,hair mostly coming back, and a smile on my face. My prayer is for you and your mom-that she may experience remission as well and new hope for her future. Keep me informed of her progress - she shall be in my prayers. GBU both - Steve
  • tall floridian
    tall floridian Member Posts: 95
    #15
    epicc said:

    It is worth mentioning
    I read about it. I will mention it to her doctor. She is at rehab again because she loses mobility everytime she has a hospital stay.

    She was such an active women before all of this. She is feeling very bad that she cannot walk right now. I'm hoping that the physical therapy will do her alot of good. The place where she stays works her pretty hard.

    Thank you again for all your help. It is very appreciated.

    HUGS
    Emily

    Learning to walk
    Emily: After laying in bed for 16 days with terrible c-diff in the hospital- I was so weak and had lost a lot of weight and could hardly stand with a walker. After 30 days in medical rehab - learning to walk again was my top priority. I fought and fought it - walking in the house with my walker until I about wore out my carpet. Then one morning I woke up feeling stronger and yes needed my walker no more for I could stand and walk on my own-that was one beautiful day. Last week I walked up two long flights of stairs to my oncologist's office - I smiled - first time in a year in a half - didn't need the elevator-I was cured. Tell your mom that this cancer can be beaten and that better days are ahead-pray and follow the doctor's advice and fight hard - she's going to make it back. Hugs-Steve
  • epicc
    epicc Member Posts: 137
    #16
    tall floridian said:

    Emily: My lymphoma was in the splein area - 4th stage - I learned about it after a pet scan in June 2011. That week my doctor started an aggresive chemo therapy program of which I had 6 rounds of chemo plus 2 maintence chemo's. After that I received a bone marrow test which showed that I was in remission - thank God. My major problem then was c-diff a terrible diarrhea condition of which I was poorly diagnosed from way too much anti-biotics. As I stated above, 16 days in the hospital followed by 30 days in medical rehab and then c-diff again upon my coming home left me depressed and wondering if I ever would get back to normal. Finally,my infectious disease doctor stepped in and put me back on vanco and in 30 days I was back normal and free from diarrhea. Today I am looking forward to Christmas thanking God for a new lease on life - cutting my grass,walking well, eating well,hair mostly coming back, and a smile on my face. My prayer is for you and your mom-that she may experience remission as well and new hope for her future. Keep me informed of her progress - she shall be in my prayers. GBU both - Steve

    Thank you for your prayers
    Steve,

    I am so happy you are smiling again. I wish for that for my mom. She was healthy and never sick before this happened. She is 82 years old. At this moment her legs are very weak. She spent 2 weeks in the hospital with her sodium problem. She is also due to get 6 rounds of chemo. They have not mentioned maintenance. This lymphoma is tricky being that it is in the blood. Wish I understood how they categorize stage 4.

    Thank you for your prayers.

    Emily

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