Constipation is when your child is doing poo, and/or is having difficulty doing poo, and/or the poo is hard.
Some medicines can cause constipation. It is more likely during periods when your child isn't moving much. Dehydration can also increase the chances your child will have constipation.
The chemotherapy medicine most likely to cause constipation is Vincristine.
Your child's doctor or nurse will provide a plan to try to prevent or manage constipation. This may include a laxative or softener. The plan will include advice on how to increase the amount of fluid and high fibre foods your child has.
How much fluid your child needs depends on their age. Your child's dietitian or doctor will give you advice about this.
A daily serving of one of the high fibre foods below will help your child if they are constipated:
Hard poo can cause a tear in the back passage (anal canal) which can be painful and slow to heal and can allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream. This may result in serious infections during periods of neutropenia.
You can read some mroe detailed information about constipation. But remember, this information is for all children who are constipated, not just children with cancer. It's best to check the advice with your child's doctor or dietitian.
Read some more detailed information about constipation and what to do [1]
All the pages in the childhood cancer section of this website [3] have been written by health professionals who work in the field of paediatric oncology. They have been reviewed by the members of the National Child Cancer Network (NZ). Medical information is authorised by the clinical leader of the National Child Cancer Network.
This page last reviewed 10 June 2021.
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Links
[1] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/constipation
[2] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/tags/side-effects-treatment
[3] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/tags/childhood-cancer
[4] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F474%3Flanguage%3Dton