The article will discuss the treatment of diarrhea after chemotherapy.
A study of cytological drugs used to treat cancer showed that about 10% of them provoke such an undesirable effect as a violation of normal stool. Negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract and rays directed to the proliferating epithelium, which is located in the region of the small and large intestines.
What does the statistics say?
Statistics report that about 30% of patients with diagnosed metastases in colorectal cancer are prone to severe diarrhea.
The greatest risk of diarrhea after chemotherapy is for those patients who are old. This is due to the likelihood of dehydration. Also, the cause of diarrhea against the background of oncology may be irradiation of the abdominal, vertebral, lumbar, and pelvic regions.
The treatment of diarrhea after chemotherapy should be comprehensive and timely.
Degrees of diarrhea
To evaluate such a complication of cancer as diarrhea, taken in view of its severity. Specialists identify only four levels of severity of diarrhea:
- At the first degree, the stool is characterized by a liquid consistency. The patient feels the urge to defecate up to 3 times a day.
- With a second degree of severity, bowel movement can occur twice as often, that is, up to 6 times a day. The patient at the same time experiences minor spasms in the intestine. Feces are characterized by the presence of mucous inclusions.
- With a third degree of diarrhea in the stool, the presence of blood is noted. Cramping in the stomach is very intense. The frequency of bowel movements increases up to 9 times a day.
- With the fourth degree, the frequency of bowel movements increases to 10 or more times a day. Feces are characterized by the presence of blood in it, dehydration occurs.
As a result of radiation therapy, which is carried out in cancer centers, in some cancer patients, such an organism reaction as orthostatic collapse, lethargy of thinking, asthenia, loss of balance can occur.
Most often, the patient after undergoing chemotherapy is concerned about stomach pain, remotely resembling contractions. In the feces, the presence of mucus and blood is noted. As a result of excessive fluid loss, tissue dehydration occurs, electrolytes are emasculated from the body. As a result, the level of prothrombin rises, exhaustion, asthenia, anemia develop, and the rhythm of heart contractions is disturbed.
Causes of diarrhea after a chemotherapeutic procedure
As a result of chemotherapy, intestinal epithelium is damaged, which provokes the development of prolonged diarrhea. In this regard, an attempt to stop it by taking medications is ineffective. Following diarrhea, dehydration develops, negatively affecting the general condition of the patient. A person begins to lose carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. As a result, an asthenic condition develops.
The main reasons that provoke the development of diarrhea after undergoing chemotherapy are accepted to include:
- The use of drugs with a chemical base, such as "Topotecan", "Oxaliptan", "Cisplatin", "Phtopyrimidine."
- Functional disorders of the NS, provoked by anxiety, excitement, fear.
- Violation of the diet.
- Intestinal damage with infectious agents.
- The presence of additional pathologies, such as an inflammatory process localized in the intestine, diabetes mellitus.
- Consequences arising from the background of irradiation of the pelvic, lumbar, abdominal region.
- The consequences of a surgical operation.
How is diarrhea treated after chemotherapy is interesting to many.
Procedure
If acute diarrhea develops after chemotherapy, the patient should consult a doctor who has been administering chemotherapy. Any, even insignificant delay can provoke the occurrence of worse consequences. Such complications will not stop on their own and can reach the maximum degree of their manifestation in just a few days.
The specialist is faced with the task of carefully understanding the true causes of the development of diarrhea. If it is a consequence of chemotherapy, then the cause of its occurrence are cytostatics. In such cases, their reception is recommended to be suspended for a certain time or stopped completely. However, such a step can negatively affect the treatment of cancer.
Before a visit to a specialist, it is allowed to take several capsules of Imodium, which will stop the attacks of diarrhea. Next, the oncologist will determine the sequence of actions.
Treatment of diarrhea after chemotherapy of the first two degrees
Before assisting the patient, experts recommend passing some studies:
- X-ray diagnostics.
- Laboratory study of a general blood test.
- Sigmoidoscopy.
- Laboratory examination of feces in order to identify pathogenic microorganisms and parasitic larvae in it.
- Ultrasound examination of internal organs.
- Identification of the degree of renal and hepatic functionality.
- Determination of indicators of the total volume of plasma and blood circulating in the body.
For the treatment of diarrhea of the first two degrees, all available medical devices are used that can optimize the water-electrolyte balance. Often, experts recommend that the patient take as much fluid as possible, take medications that help restore the deficiency of salts and water in the body. To stop the pain allows the administration of antispasmodics and analgesics.
Inexpensive pills for diarrhea can be purchased at any pharmacy.
Preparations
Highly effective drug called "Neointestopan." At its core, it is an adsorbent. After administration, its active components settle on the intestinal mucous membranes, eliminate bacteria and toxic substances. Against the background of the use of the drug, the frequency of bowel movements is reduced, the intestinal microflora is normalized.
It quickly restores the lack of salt and fluid in the body of a Finnish-made Regidron preparation. The painful syndrome can be stopped by taking such analgesic medicines as Platifilin, No-shpa, Baralgin. What other inexpensive diarrhea pills can I use?
In addition, the patient is recommended to take "Enterobene" or "Loperamide". Against the background of the use of these medications, unwanted reactions may develop in the form of vomiting, nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, migraine, and abdominal cramps.
A mild effect is achieved by taking Diosorb. It can be used to stop diarrhea of any etiology. “Diosorb” acts on the intestinal mucosa as a strengthening agent. Side effects on the background of its use do not develop. It is able to reduce the level of absorption of other medicines, and therefore, between doses of drugs, a certain period of time should be maintained.
Attapulgit and Neointestopan are highly effective in treating the manifestations of diarrhea. They normalize the intestinal flora, reduce the number of bowel movements by removing bacteria and toxins from the intestinal cavity.
There are other remedies for diarrhea for adults.
Therapy for diarrhea in the third and fourth stages
Therapy of diarrhea in the last two stages should be carried out in stationary conditions. After stabilization of the patient, he is discharged from the hospital and is recommended to continue treatment with adsorbents and antidiarrheal drugs. If the patient has a fever, which is typical for gastrointestinal disorders, he is prescribed antibiotic therapy. After optimizing the activity of the stomach, it is advised to start taking biotic medications.
If the case is advanced, the patient is shown an intravenous infusion of plasma, glucose, electrolytes and drugs that replace blood.
With prolonged diarrhea, the use of such an anti-diarrhea drug in adults as “Octreotide”, which helps prevent the development of hypovolemia and shock, is recommended. Such therapy can be carried out only in stationary conditions.
After restoring the consistency of feces, therapy should be aimed at restoring microflora in the intestine. For this, patients are shown the use of biotics.
Treatment of diarrhea after chemotherapy with folk remedies
After chemotherapeutic procedures, folk methods can help restore stool, which gently act, do not provoke the development of negative effects.
In order to normalize the stool, folk methods use medicinal plants that contain tannins. Quite often, marsh cinquefoil, clove root, galangal, coil, oak bark, blueberries, St. John's wort, chamomile are used. All of these herbs can have an astringent effect.
Chicory broth
Not everyone knows how to quickly get rid of diarrhea. A chicory decoction will help restore normal stool after chemotherapy. To make it, you need to take several branches of chicory and pour them with boiling water. After that, the container is put on fire and boiled for 5 minutes. It is necessary to take the resulting broth daily in an amount of 200 grams.
The use of walnut shells will also help get rid of diarrhea in cancer. A handful of shells must be thoroughly washed and then poured into a saucepan. Then the shell is poured with water until it closes it. Boil the broth for 15 minutes, then cool. The result is a decoction having the color of strong tea. Take such a home remedy for diarrhea is shown three times a day in the amount of half a glass. Diarrhea is resolved as soon as possible.
Diet
Properly balanced nutrition is important in the fight against diarrhea during chemotherapy. First of all, experts recommend patients to unload the intestines. To do this, drink plenty of still mineral water. The next day, you can introduce into the diet light liquid dishes that are steamed. Then gradually add products that do not irritate the gastric mucosa, in which there is no fiber, since its digestion is a rather difficult process. The diet of the cancer patient should be saturated with easily digestible proteins and foods rich in potassium.
Diet for diarrhea after chemotherapy should be followed without fail. The patient must exclude the intake of high-calorie dishes, oily fish and meat, smoked meats, spicy products, marinades, salted foods. You should not eat onions, garlic, radish, radishes, fruits, sour berries, legumes and other heavy and irritating gastrointestinal mucosa products.
More fluid
It is important for the patient to drink a lot of water, at least 3 liters. Dishes should be taken only in a warm form. It is equally important to chew food carefully.
It must be remembered that only an integrated approach will help get rid of diarrhea quickly and effectively. It is important not to harm the body even more.
We looked at what to do with diarrhea after chemotherapy.