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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Can Persistent Diarrhea, Caused After Radiation For Lung Cancer, Be Treated?

My husband is 73 years old and recently had radiation for lung cancer. Since the treatment which had no other side effects he has had continued diarrhea and nausea. He burps a lot and they smell awful like eggs. He has been to 2 doctors and had a stool sample but did not show up anything. We are running out of answers. He had the radiation in November and this other has been going on since.
Thu, 9 Mar 2017
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

I understand your concern. Radiation tends to cause diarrhea in the majority of people receiving this kind of therapy by damaging the cells of the inner layer of the intestinal tracts, hence the bowls lose the ability to reabsorb the water and nutrients.
This type of diarrhea can often be intractable, however, psyllium fiber has shown to be effective in most cases, due to its ability to absorb fluids and increase the stool weight.
In some cases, refraining from lactose containing foods, such as milk products, has also shown to be effective in cancer patients.
I also recommend taking probiotics and vitamins E and C.

I hope this helps.
Wishing you and your husband good health and all the best.
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How Can Persistent Diarrhea, Caused After Radiation For Lung Cancer, Be Treated?

Hello, I understand your concern. Radiation tends to cause diarrhea in the majority of people receiving this kind of therapy by damaging the cells of the inner layer of the intestinal tracts, hence the bowls lose the ability to reabsorb the water and nutrients. This type of diarrhea can often be intractable, however, psyllium fiber has shown to be effective in most cases, due to its ability to absorb fluids and increase the stool weight. In some cases, refraining from lactose containing foods, such as milk products, has also shown to be effective in cancer patients. I also recommend taking probiotics and vitamins E and C. I hope this helps. Wishing you and your husband good health and all the best.