4 weeks of RT and suffering with loose bowel ! Doc gave Imodium Help!

Hi guys

I need advice as you can see above the Imodium 1 tablet a day stopped diarrhoea but now in agony with trying to pass what feels like a house brick. I guess some of you have had similar problems so can you help with any suggestions please....

Thanks for any advice

Dick 1

Papaya is an effective natural laxative. Avoid nuts, peanut butter, bananas, iron supplements..

If all else fails, a laxative called Sena offers guaranteed relief..

Miralax is a good laxitive. Won't help with your immediate problem but might help keep it from coming back.

Thanks guys
Dick 1

"...in agony with trying to pass what feels like a house brick."

That's called "tenesmus." The solution is simple - stop trying to pass it!

Tenesmus is an illusion that there is something there that you can't pass. It is caused by inflammation from the radiation. The nerve receptors in the rectum only recognize inflammation as a presence of something. Trying to push it out will cause hemorrhoids and bleeding. You can take a stool softener like Colace, but you should just ignore it, now knowing what it is. As inflammation subsides, the feeling will go away.

Whew! I'm glad that TA made it around to clear things up. I, too, had tenesmus after radiation treatment. Mine wasn't agony, but was uncomfortable and a challenge, to say the least. I endured a lot of discomfort before I realized that TA is right. Just wait it out. Your body will evacuate things when there is something to be evacuated. Assess the situation when you have your next bowel movement - maybe you will need medication, but probably not.

I did have loose stool for some months after radiation, but I had a pre-existing condition that caused it, so I just had to wait it out. The good news is that almost all the time, all you need to do is give things time.

Oh thank god undisn5 take 2 of them like I did ...how so u feel after treatment..like shot aor balloon