Hi,
My 80 year old mum had surgery for bowel cancer 2 years ago, all going OK apart from from she now has awful intense bouts of diahorreah. Theres no pattern to what she eats or when it just comes on. She has been taking Loperomide since surgery but she still has the problem. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions how she can tackle this ongoing problem please?
Hi Northernsoul,
Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome back to the online community. My name is Adrienne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists at Macmillan.
I see that you’ve joined a few of our forums. I hope that you’re finding them helpful and supportive.
I’m sorry to hear that your mum is experiencing intense bouts of diarrhoea, 2 years after her surgery. Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for this to happen and usually improves over time and with medication. However, some people can find it to be more severe, last longer and be extremely debilitating.
Depending on the type of surgery your mum has had, it may be that she has Lower Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS), sometimes called Anterior Resection Syndrome. This is where someone has symptoms, such as you are describing for your mum, which are long-term and impacting on their daily life.
It’s important that your mum gets in touch with her colorectal nurse specialist, consultant or GP to let them know what’s going on. So they can help to manage the bouts of diarrhoea better.
You mention that she is taking loperamide, which can be very effective. However, it may be that the dose needs to be adjusted or they may want to add in another medication such as codeine phosphate or an anti-spasmodic. These medications aren’t suitable for everyone and can cause worsening bowel symptoms in some people so it’s really important that she is reviewed by her doctor to see if they may be helpful in your mum’s case.
Some things your mum can try herself would be to eat small meals more frequently throughout the day, rather than breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating foods that help slow the movement of the stool and firm it up such as white bread, pasta and rice. This is usually referred to as a low residue diet and you can read more about that here.
It's also really important that your mum drinks plenty of fluids (slowly) so she stays nice and hydrated as intense bouts of diarrhoea can cause dehydration. It’s best to avoid caffeine, alcohol and in some cases dairy products like milk. If your mum’s doctor thinks she may be at risk of dehydration, they may suggest oral rehydration salts which can be bought in most pharmacies and supermarkets.
The most important thing is for your mum to get in touch with her nurse specialist, consultant or GP. To help manage these symptoms.
It's important that she knows she is not alone. Having long-term bowel symptoms after surgery can impact on her mental health as well as physical so it might be helpful for her to reach out for support. There may be a support group in her area. Bowel & Bladder UK have a helpline that could be beneficial for your mum to get in touch with and she is always welcome to give us a call. Sometimes it can help just to talk things through.
You need to look after yourself too Northernsoul. Please know that you can call or chat to us for support at any time. We are here every day from 8am to 8pm.
I hope this information was helpful.
Take care and best wishes,
Adrienne
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or email us.
Ref: AMc/CF
