Symptoms of diarrhoea

About 1 out of every 10 people with cancer will suffer diarrhoea at some time during their illness. You need to know what is normal for you when deciding whether you have diarrhoea or not. Generally, diarrhoea means

• An increase in the number of bowel movements you have each day
• An increase in the amount (volume) of stools you have in a day
• A change in the way your stools look (they go from solid to soft or watery)

Other symptoms you may notice are

• Cramping pain in your tummy (abdomen)
• Feeling sick
• Needing to get to the toilet urgently
• Bloated feeling in the tummy

If you have a colostomy and you are emptying your colostomy bag more often than normal, then it may be a sign that you have diarrhoea.

If your diarrhoea becomes very severe, you can lose a lot of fluids (dehydration) and this can make you very ill if it isn’t treated. You may have a serious infection that is making your diarrhoea worse.

So it’s important that you see your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms of severe diarrhoea

• Fever or chills
• Signs of dehydration such as feeling very thirsty, rapid heart beat, feeling or being sick, and dark looking urine
• Blood or mucus in your stool
• Severe cramping and tummy pain

Having continuous diarrhoea can make you very dehydrated. This can cause more serious problems. It is very important that you let your doctor know if you think you are losing more fluid than you are able to drink.

Sometimes it can be hard to know when to call your doctor because you don’t want to bother them. You may feel embarrassed about talking about diarrhoea.

You may worry about what is causing your diarrhoea but it’s better to tell your doctor as soon as you have the first signs of diarrhoea. They will understand and want to help. They can advise you on how to manage your diarrhoea and may recommend some medication.