Hi,

Ever since treatment I've had bowel issues. It's either feast or famine. I take a stool softener but it doesn't do much. I go several days and have to take MoM which gets things going but not in a good way (if you know what I mean).

I'm seeing my team next month for my 3 month follow up and will ask them but I figured I'd toss it out there to the forum. Has anyone tried pro-biotics to help get their digestion back on track and how has it worked if you have?

"T"

There are pros and cons with probiotics, which some doctors recommend, but some do not with people with a compromised immune system, like cancer, AID's, terminal illnesses, and infants, being it only introduces more bacteria to the body, which may not be good, and can cause an fatal lactibuillius Septicemia (sp). My doctor just told me to take them with my antibiotics, which could cause C-Diff, which I already had, so I took a few, but stopped. They say in people with a normal immune systems it may be fine, but check the expiration dates being it's live bacteria, and forget the count it should be above, like billions lol, and refrigerated types are better. There are a few good articles I had, but can go to google search. Dangers of probiotics, compromised immune system and probiotics.

Hope this helps.

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/83/6/1256.full

Reminds me, I took probiotics before chemo in 2009, and had gottem sepsis, could have been other causes, but makes me wonder

Yeah... I'll wait and speak to my team. It just hasn't been fun in the bathroom lately ~lol~ I'm 6 months post treatment and I sure hope this isn't part of the "new normal"!

"T"

You can do other things naturally, like walking, drinking enough water, certain foods too, adding fiber, coconut water, coconut oil, aloe Vera juice, etc.........

Mr. T,

You are ahead of your times. Digestion issues often crop up after radiation. Between too much acid produced and issues with nerves (the infamous vagus nerve) that control the digestive process up to the descending colon. It can resolve, stay the same, be intermittent or always bad. Mine completely stopped working for over 100 days. It was not pretty. Fibrous bulk is about the only thing that keeps things working. Root veggies cooked soft.

Ed

My nutritionist is always telling me about my fiber intake. She keeps stressing fiber will help me feel full and keep everything else "regular". She has discussed the probiotics with me a long time ago but my memory on what she said is foggy.