Cancer: Home treatment for diarrhea

Home treatment may be all that is needed to treat diarrhea caused by cancer or the side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Be sure to follow any instructions and take any medicines your health professional has given you to treat diarrhea. Check with your health professional before using any nonprescription medicines for your diarrhea.

• Rest your stomach. Do not eat for several hours or until you are feeling better.
  • Take frequent, small sips of water or a rehydration drink and small bites of salty crackers.
  • Take care to avoid dehydration.
• Begin eating mild foods (such as rice, dry toast or crackers, bananas, broth, and applesauce) when you feel better.
• Avoid spicy foods, other fruits (such as oranges, grapefruit, or plums), alcohol, and coffee until 48 hours after all symptoms have disappeared.
• Avoid all dairy products other than yogurt for 3 days after symptoms disappear.
• Avoid fried foods and foods that are high in fat until you begin to feel better.

Symptoms to watch for during home treatment

If one or more of the following symptoms occur during home treatment, contact your health professional:

• Signs of dehydration develop.
• You develop severe diarrhea (large, loose bowel movements every 1 to 2 hours).
• You have any diarrhea for longer than 1 week.
• You have severe pain in your belly.
• You develop black or bloody stools.
• You develop a fever.
• Your symptoms become more severe or more frequent.

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Author:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated November 17, 2005
Medical Review:	Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Douglas A. Stewart, MD - Medical Oncology
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