Published
Is she using an opioid? Do any changes in her diet affect her stool consistency? Her stool may firm a bit as she gets further out post operatively and the inflammation at the surgical site(s) improves but the actual bowel adaptation may take up to a couple of years and is often not a realistic goal for a hospice patient.
Small frequent meals with good electrolyte replacement orally will help with dehydration issues. If the imodium is problematic, perhaps Lomotil would be a more successful alternative.
Good luck.
mslavender1982
3 Posts
I admitted a new hospice patient about a month ago with metastatic colon cancer. She had just had surgery for colon cancer, and now has only 8 feet of bowel left. She has elected to not have further diagnostic studies or treatment. She's doing well post-operatively, but she is struggling with diarrhea. The only instructions the doctor has given her is to take immodium. Taking too much causes her to not have BM's completely. Taking too little causes intractable diarrhea. She is completely miserable! Any suggestions?