How to Relieve Chemotherapy-Related Constipation?

I took epsom salt baths daily, drank apple juice and coconut water, and ate alot of prunes. One time, it was really bad and I had to result to doing a fleet enema. I hope you feel better soon 💕

I've tried Senna, but also Miralax, Colace, extra water and fruits and vegetables. Miralax worked best when I was most uncomfortable.

I use stool softener everyday

I had constipation to start. Drinking plenty of water, taking a magnesium supplement and colace has definitely helped. Water is key tho and something I struggle with ALL the time.

Regularly take stool softener and prunes.

I use a probiotic daily

Drink more water! I have been fighting the same thing, and I am taking in 1 gal per day. It definitely helps. I will also take a stool softener as needed. But, I don’t take them daily if I don’t need too. Good luck ❤️

I drink 10 glasses of water a day and take a probiotic at night No problem in the mornings anymore.

Prune juice is my go-to. I drink all the water, take pre/probiotics and also use psyllium husks normally but have had to use prune juice in the week after TC regimen infusions.

I take dulcolax a few days after TC. Take 1 if not so bad, 2 if really bad at night and by morning it has worked.

I use citrus of magnesium , it works well

Citrate of Magnesium, it’s a bottle and I drink the whole thing. You can get it at the grocery store or your pharmacy, it’s OTC

I use Beni fiber twice daily and senekat twice daily lots and lots of water. Try to stay away from nuts, well in my experience it seems to make the constipation worse. Miralax helped soften the stool. Also I got a potty chair to elevate my feet on the toilet. It helps align your bowel system to help empty my system. When all else fails try an enima.

I make a fruit smoothie with flax seed powder everyday (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, banana, greek yogurt, spinach,1 Tbs flax, oat or almond or coconut milk to desired texture, blend...) I found the stool softeners and miralax for me were too unpredictable and often found myself in embarrassing situations ... also massaging the mid section...

Prune juice worked wonders for me! Even just prunes

Also Dulcolax worked well… very gentle… never resulted in ‘running to toilet’! Lol

This is what I have done. Miralax morning and evening with 2 senna the day before infusion. Miralax and senna the evening of infusion. Miralax and senna in evening the day after infusion. I didn't have constipation after that. If you can penvent the blockage at the beginning ( day of infusion) your body will heal enough to take care of the rest. Always try to keep your fiber intake at good levels during the week. Chemo is hard on your gut!

I would definitely recommend speaking to your doctor. A week is quite long to not have a bowel movement. Constipation will dehydrate you and make you feel full so you won’t want to eat or more importantly drink water. Apple juice works wonders. After two days of constipation I had such pain that I did an enema for relief.

Hot prune juice always helped when I worked on the hospital floor.

Water, water, water! Walking helps. I didn't always feel like that, though. Watch what you eat. (I love bread but that does not help.) Just thoughts. Hugs

Try daily Vitafusion Fiber Gummies. Very gentle and effective for me.

Thanks!

Smooth Move Tea with camomile helped me. Tea has senna in it. You can buy it at ShopRite in the Tea aisle.

You can try a glass of prune juice.

Constipation during chemotherapy can be really challenging and frustrating, especially when the prescribed treatment isn't providing relief. Since it's been a week without improvement, reaching back out to the oncology team would be a good next step - they may need to adjust the approach or suggest additional options that could work better for this specific situation. Many others in this community have likely faced similar challenges and may have helpful experiences to share about what worked for them.