Treatment:

Starting a low-fiber diet on the first day of radiation treatment can be helpful.

Avoiding the following foods may help with symptoms:

• Alcohol and tobacco
• Almost all milk products
• Coffee, tea, chocolate, and soda drinks with caffeine
• Foods containing whole bran
• Fresh and dried fruits
• Fried, greasy, or fatty foods
• Nuts and seeds
• Popcorn, potato chips, and pretzels
• Raw vegetables
• Rich pastries and baked goods
• Some fruit juices
• Strong spices

Foods and drinks that are better choices include:

• Apple or grape juice
• Applesauce, peeled apples, and bananas
• Eggs, buttermilk, and yogurt
• Fish, poultry, and meat that has been broiled or roasted
• Mild, cooked vegetables such as asparagus tips, green or black beans, carrots, spinach, and squash
• Potatoes that have been baked, boiled, or mashed
• Processed cheeses, such as American cheese
• Smooth peanut butter
• White bread, macaroni, or noodles

Other ways to control the symptoms of radiation enteritis include:

• Eat foods at room temperature
• Eat small meals more often

Your doctor may suggest or prescribe certain medications:

• Drugs that help decrease diarrhea, such as loperamide
• Pain medications
• Steroid foam that coats the lining of the rectum
• Special enzymes to replace enzymes from the pancreas

Drink plenty of fluids (up to 12 8-ounce glasses) every day when you have diarrhea. Some people need fluids given through a vein (intravenous fluids).

Your health care provider may choose to stop or reduce the dosage of radiation for a short period of time.

There often are no good treatments for chronic radiation enteritis. Your doctor may discuss surgery to either remove or go around (bypass) a section of damaged intestine.

Expectations (prognosis):

When the abdomen receives radiation, there is always some nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In most cases, the symptoms get better 2 - 3 weeks after treatment ends.

However, when this condition develops, symptoms may last for a long period of time. Long-term (chronic) enteritis is rarely curable.

Complications:

• Bleeding and anemia
• Dehydration
• Malabsorption
• Malnutrition
• Weight loss

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you are undergoing radiation therapy or have had radiation in the past and are experiencing a lot of diarrhea or stomach pain and cramping.