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Bloating caused by radio therapy

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User
Posted 29 Jun 2022 at 19:23

My husband is in the third  of four weeks of radio therapy treatment. On three occasions he has had too much wind in his bowel and had to walk around  for about half an hour to clear it. We understand this is caused by the radiation causing irritation of the bowel.

 We have been given a sheet listing ‘wind-producing foods’ and  he has been advised ‘to limit his intake’ of these, which he has been doing.

Have other people had the same difficulty and can  anyone please give us more advice about anything practical & positive he can do to minimise , or even prevent, this problem?

Thank you

Jane

User
Posted 30 Jun 2022 at 03:27
I don't think it is generally caused by the RT, it is caused by diet or he may just be naturally gassy. It is a shame he wasn't given the diet sheet before he started - all men on RT should avoid any food or drink that causes gas ... avoid green vegetables, no beans, remove skin from fruit, nothing fizzy, no alcohol or caffeine. He could try drinking peppermint tea.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 30 Jun 2022 at 04:07

We were told not to change our diets unless/until any problem occurred. Sounds like same protocol at your place. We were supposed to go and do a #1 and #2 on arrival, which is a good way to get rid of any imminent wind, but if waiting for a long time, I was once asked to go out and have a fart and come back again.

There may also be a tendency when entering into the era of "never trust a fart" of holding on to ones you might otherwise have let go beforehand, so the doing a #2 on arrival may have been particularly important.

Edited by member 30 Jun 2022 at 04:09  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 30 Jun 2022 at 07:48
Thank you both. We had never thought about removing ‘skin from fruit’ and the avoidance of ALL GREEN vegetables has never been mentioned!
User
Posted 30 Jun 2022 at 11:17
I was typing quickly so I may have been too casual with my language and it may not be the case that all green vegetables cause wind but a lot of them do!
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

 
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