I had cancer of the sigmoid colon in Nov. detected thru a routine colonoscopy. I had it resectioned and it was successful . Some spread to the lymph nodes but that is another story. After about a week I began to have diarrhea and it continues today. The Drs say it is normal . Sigh. Does anybody know how to stop it? Lia

Hi Lia

I have seen quite a few postings about this problem and indeed my DH also suffers. He had anterior bower resection 2 years ago. For the first 18 months he always had a prob with urgency to go after a meal and the BMs were best described as diarhea. He uses meds to overcome it if it persists on any particular day. For the past 6 months I think he is not as bad.

regards
ktee

Thanks Ktee. I have taken every med under the sun for it and nothing stops it. The Drs say it is normal. I tell you my life is anything but normal since last Oct. One terrible health problem on top of another. Lia

I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling a good as you would like to. I am surprised that nothing helps the diarrhoea. My husband's one side effect of surgery, chemo and radiotherapy is an increase in the number of bowel movements. It is apparently normal but that is not particularly reassuring to the person who has this terrible urgency at times, especially if you are in the middle of a meeting! It does not seem to be related to any particular food or drink so cannot be controlled by diet. He is trying Metamucil now ....very carefully, as the problem is the last thing you want is to take something that will cause a blockage! Cannot win really!

You are in your early days though and things will get better as time goes by.

Thanks Allison. I certainly agree with you that the last thing we need is a blockage. The Drs do not seem too concerned with my diarrhea as long as it does not go on all day long. But as you say it is most inconvenient. I had my surgery 11/4 and now on 3/9 I had an esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. 2 primary cancers just out of the blue. Sigh. Lia

Oh Lia, what a rough time! I am sure you know this but do remember how important it is, especially if you are getting constant diarrhoea, to keep well hydrated. Being dehydrated can make you feel really lousy. Keep us posted.

Lia:
Please talk with your doctors about immodium or lomotil to help with the diarrhea. If it is persistent.... then believe me I KNOW it can be a pain in the you know what. If it happens once or twice a day after meals, this is a lifestyle change you unfortunately will have to become used to.

Good Luck,
CancerDad

I had a colon resection in September 2004 and have had diarhea problems all along . I use immodium and lomotil . Also get a shot of sandostatin once per month . Avoiding fried foods and caffeine . I still have some problems but better then it was last fall . Now having abdominal pains and spasms . Had xrays yesterday and ct scan today to look for possible partial blockage. Some concern if folfox chemo is working for me . Good luck , maybe sandostatin is a possibility for you .

Thank you all so much. I have not tried lomotil or sandostatin . My Drs say that OTC drugs are just as good as prescription drugs for diarrhea. I will ask about these 2 though. I will be going thru a round of chemo for the lymph nodes around the colon most likely as soon as I recover from this esophageal surgery. That takes 2 mos. , it was a very hard surgery and I was on life support for 5 days . I had chemo and rads for 6 weeks earlier for the esophagus but the two drugs they used did not reach the colon. So have to go thru it for that now. We all sure need a break !! Lia