How many different kinds of diarrhea?

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O Stoma Mia
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How many different kinds of diarrhea?

Postby O Stoma Mia » Sun Sep 16, 2018 1:16 am

Some time ago I heard that there are three or four different kinds of diarrhea, and I was surprised to hear that there were so many. Since then I have been looking around for information about types of diarrhea with respect to CRC treatment side effects, but so far I haven't really found anything specific that would answer my questions. Whenever chemo side effects are mentioned in the chemotherapy documentation, they typically just say "diarrhea" -- nothing more specific.

    - Does anyone have any information on the specific kinds of diarrhea associated with various chemo regimens?

    - Does anyone know whether some chemo regimens generate a different, more intense diarrhea than others?

    - Does anyone know what the medication-of-choice would be for treating each of the various types of diarrhea?

    - And how many different kinds are there, actually? Some sources say three, some say four, some say more.

Thank you.

Image

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Maggie Nell
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Location: Central Highlands, Victoria, Oz

Re: How many different kinds of diarrhea?

Postby Maggie Nell » Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:09 am

When your sitting on a mountain
and your butt becomes a fountain
diarrhea, diarrhea

When you're driving in your car,
and your house is just too far
Diarrhea, diarrhea

When you think its just the farts
And it turns out to be the “sharts”
Diarrhea diarrhea


There's HEAPS of different kinds according to this site.... can't find any chemo-related verses though! We
should create some for a justsing-along.

http://diarrheasong.blogspot.com/



Chemotherapy-induced Diarrhoea
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3126005/

Isn't Irinotecan called I-run-to-the-can here?
DX April 2015, @ 54
35mm poorly diff. tumour, incidental finding following emergency R. hemicolectomy
for ileo-colic intussusception.
Lymph nodes: 0/22
T3 N0 MX
Stage II CRC, no adjuvant chemo required.

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O Stoma Mia
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Re: How many different kinds of diarrhea?

Postby O Stoma Mia » Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:47 am

Maggie - Thanks for your reply and the links !

Ron50
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Re: How many different kinds of diarrhea?

Postby Ron50 » Mon Sep 17, 2018 6:48 am

Hi O Stoma Mia,
I can vaguely recall my oncologist telling me when I first started chemo that 5fu seems to act very much like Epson salts drawing fluid from the body via osmosis and flushing out the system. I had to change the strength and frequency of my chemo to lessen the problem and I had chemo every Tuesday for 48 weeks. They stopped leucovorin and used levamisole instead. I have since had my gall bladder removed and that caused bile salt malabsorption . Without the gallbladder metering the bile the liver dumps it into the duodenum . It virtually clears out all before it. I was not aware of it when I had my GB out but bile salt diahorrea occurs in around 10% of gall bladder removal. There is a drug which in my case eliminates the problem. Cholestramine. I get sachets of it in powder form and drink it first thing in the morning, It binds the bile salts as well as cholesterol and takes them thru the system without them being absorbed. It works well for me. My other main problem is motility. My neuropathy (over 20 years of it) has gradually spread passed my hips and seems to be interfering with my colon. A lot of my digestive process seems to be gas powered rather than motility powered. I have found that I have to avoid carbs that ferment badly and rely on coloxyl (stool softeners ) to move things along. Ron.
dx 1/98
st 3 c 6 nodes
48 sessions 5Fu/levamisole
no recurrence cea <.5
numerous l/t side effects of chemo

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CRguy
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Re: How many different kinds of diarrhea?

Postby CRguy » Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:45 am

I would agree with basically the 4 causes or some combination/variation thereof.

Another consideration which may be important is based upon
frequency / consistency / urgency factors

the linked Bristol Stool Chart page will give further reference to this topic
and notes their three physical descriptions of diarrhea consistency, would often be associated with urgency
and I would think increased frequency, as many of us post op CRC patients have clustering.
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

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O Stoma Mia
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Re: How many different kinds of diarrhea?

Postby O Stoma Mia » Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:41 am

Thanks Ron50 and CRguy for your insights. I find this area a particularly difficult one to understand, especially within the LARS context. LARS is a multiplex syndrome: many possible causes (e.g., surgery, radiation, chemo, etc) and many possible outcomes or long-term side effects (e.g., fecal incontinence, peripheral neuropathy, HFS etc. etc.)


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