Diarrhoea

Hi Happychat, 

Thanks for getting in touch. I’m Rachel, one of the cancer information nurses on the support line. 

I’m sorry that you were unable to get hold of us by phone earlier, but glad that you’ve contacted us about the diarrhoea that you’re having. I can see that you’ve been in touch with us about this before and it’s understandable that it’s making you feel down. I’m not sure whether you’ve discussed this with your hospital team but it’s clearly an ongoing problem for you. 

Here at Macmillan, we can give general information and support but, we aren’t linked to the NHS and don’t have access to medical records so we can’t give you specific advice. 

We’d always suggest that you contact the 24-hour number for the chemotherapy assessment unit (out of hours number) as soon as possible, today if you’re experiencing new, ongoing or worsening side effects or symptoms during treatment. They are best placed to assess you and give medical advice. If you don’t have the number for your assessment unit you should call NHS111 they can also give urgent medical advice.  

Unfortunately, diarrhoea can be a common side effect of some types of cancer treatment, for some people the symptoms can be mild, but for others it can be more severe and can lead to dehydration if not treated. It’s also important that you are assessed to rule out other causes such as infection, which can become serious if not treated quickly for anyone having chemotherapy. 

It’s common to feel down and have different emotions when you’re going through cancer treatment and having difficult physical symptoms can certainly make you feel worse. I can see that you’ve joined our breast cancer group, and I hope that you’re finding that a supportive place to share your feelings with others in a similar situation. Talking can also help, please don’t hesitate to give us a call back. We’d be very happy to have a chat and let you know about all of the ways we can help. 

Best wishes 

Rachel 

Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse 

The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm or contact us by email or webchat.  

Ref: RC/DK 

Thanks Rachel have rang the hospital have given me imoduim to take but thy dont really work i think its a case of letting your body go through the chemo treatment which is not nice