Excessive D

My Mom went through radiation/chemo 1.5 yrs ago for vaginal cancer.  Drs are telling us that the radiation has "burned" her colon.  She had a colonooscopy in January 2005 and everything was clear.  She has excessive stomach pains. She has lost down now to 98 lbs.  Everything she does eat goes straight through her.  Her family MD has put her on so much medicine.  Levsin SL 3 X day, Librax, Lomitol, Phenegran, now Darvocet which she takes plus she is eating Immodium AD like candy and still has Diarrhea.  I am so afraid that w/ all of the medicine she is on, they might interact w/ each other.  At times, she is confused, dazed, sleepy, and now is so weak from the toll that the diarrhea has put on her body.  I am afraid she may become dehyradated from loosing the nutrients.  If you can offer any alternatives.....where we may can go next, if all of the medicine is neccesary....do they interact?  She fell recently and cracked her wrist, which I think is contributed from being on all of the medicine.  Thanks.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

If the diarrhea continues, you may want to consider a lower endoscopy for further evaluation.  

With exposure to radiation in the pelvis, one consideration would be radiation colitis.  The diagnosis is normally made via lower endoscopy (i.e. flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonocopy).

If this is the diagnosis, treatment can be medical (including sucralfate or sulfasalazine) or endoscopic (including laser therapy or argon plasma coagulation).

These options can be discussed with your personal physician or gastroenterologist.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com

[yoshi]

my mother had cervical cancer in 1990 and for many years she had diarhea (diarrhea) many times a day.
Someone suggested a baby formula to her which contains certian substance for controlling diarhea (diarrhea) in baby and it works well for her,she still have diarhea (diarrhea) but not as frequent/
If colonscopy is clear,have you considered her flora could have  been altered by the cancer treatment and she should be adding more good bacteria like eating yogurt with live culture ,taking tablets which contain live culture.
you can get them in health food store