Unexplained diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever that spikes not related to chemo, anyone else had thi

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heatherdrnd
heatherdrnd Member Posts: 6
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My brother is post op colon cancer with 1 3cm tumor on the liver and 5 microscopic spots on the liver. They were able to remove everything from his colon. He just finished his 2nd treatment of fol fox two weeks ago Monday. About 3 days after being unhooked from his 5FU he started having diarrhea, severe nausea and then stomach cramping started with a fever that comes and goes. They have run multiple tests on him and so far everything is coming back negative. The problem is the symptons are still going on, we are on day 9 of the symptoms. We are thinking the next steps needs to be liver MRI/CT scan to check for blockage from surgery or the tumor growing? He just checked into the hospital today. I'm looking for any advice on additional tests we should have done and/or anyone who has had these same symptoms? Any advice would be great, we are very worried.

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  • just4Brooks
    just4Brooks Member Posts: 980 Member
    #2
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    Yep.. sounds like chemo to me
    I went through the same thing when going through chemo... It seemed to get easyer as the treatment went on.


    Life is funny sometimes

    Brooks
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    #3
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    Tumor Fevers
    **************************************…
    "Tumor-associated fever -- Fever in cancer patients is not always caused by an infection. Some tumors may cause a fever. The appearance of a fever and its degree may reflect the growth or spread of a tumor. Cancers that commonly cause fevers include Hodgkin'sdisease, leukemias, lymphomas, kidney cancers, bone cancers, adrenal cancers, and hypothalamic tumors.

    Breast, lung, and colon cancers do not usually cause fevers, but if these cancers spread to the liver, fever may then occur. Also, any tumor that is blocking the intestine, stomach, urinary tract, or respiratory system can cause fever.
    Doctors do not know exactly how tumors cause fevers. The fevers can occur in cycles or just occasionally, and may occur at a certain time during the day, or may not occur for days or weeks.

    Fevers associated with a tumor may go away if the tumor is treated, and then return when the tumor returns. Fevers caused by a tumor are best treated by treating the cancer itself. The fevers can be treated with nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen. Aspirin should be used with caution in patients with Hodgkin's disease or other patients at risk for bleeding problems."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Our oldest son has a friend who lost her leg to cancer and her care page today had reports of her being in the hospital with a 'tumor fever' so I checked the web for info after seeing your question. Yahoo had the above info.
  • k1
    k1 Member Posts: 220 Member
    #4
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    post op diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever
    How long post-op is he?

    As I recovered from my surgery (colon resection, removal of 6 cm tumor) at first I was getting better day by day and week by week. About three weeks after surgery something began to go wrong and I started having terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea and very painful bowel movements. Had fever but it was only 99-100 at first and I'd had that both before and after surgery so the fever wasn't that remarkable.

    However, I felt I was suddenly regressing in my recovery and didn't know why. I went from starting to eat normal food to where I couldn't eat at all, and for weeks could only digest Ensure and soup. Would wake up in the middle of the night screaming.

    When I complained to my surgeon at my three weeks post op appointment he said was normal to have ups and downs and this would get better in time, was just my system readjusting to the resection. However, it did not get better and in fact got a whole lot worse.

    Finally when I went to my first oncologist appointment about 5 or 6 weeks post op and complained about these symptoms he ordered a CT scan and all he told me afterward was that bacteria might be out of balance since the surgery but he didn't see anything to really worry about like another tumor or anything. Said there was some old scarring possibly. When I still did not improve after three more weeks I went back to my gastroenterologist that did my original colonoscopy, a doctor I liked very much.

    The gastro doctor was very alarmed after looking at the CT scan I had had and said he believed I had a massive infection. The inflammation and scarring was at a part of my intestines (cecum) that was 100 percent normal and clear during my pre-surgery colonoscopy two months beforehand (he had the photos to compare, which the other doctor did not). He prescribed two very strong antibiotics -- levaquin and flagyl -- and said those would kill any bacteria I had in my system. After taking those antibiotics, I was better in a week after I had been suffering for about four or five weeks... the antibiotics not only cleared up this terrible cramping and pain and diarrhea and fever but what I think was also a bladder infection (I had complained I thought I had a UTI after surgery and was told it was just things readjusting and the ureter is often irritated after colon surgery).

    Bottom line is, while I have no idea what might be causing the symptoms in your family member's particular case, I know how important it is to not give up trying to get treatment for symptoms and to not let them blow you off until you have some answers. Go to a second or third opinion if necessary.

    K1
  • heatherdrnd
    heatherdrnd Member Posts: 6
    #5
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    k1 said:

    post op diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever
    How long post-op is he?

    As I recovered from my surgery (colon resection, removal of 6 cm tumor) at first I was getting better day by day and week by week. About three weeks after surgery something began to go wrong and I started having terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea and very painful bowel movements. Had fever but it was only 99-100 at first and I'd had that both before and after surgery so the fever wasn't that remarkable.

    However, I felt I was suddenly regressing in my recovery and didn't know why. I went from starting to eat normal food to where I couldn't eat at all, and for weeks could only digest Ensure and soup. Would wake up in the middle of the night screaming.

    When I complained to my surgeon at my three weeks post op appointment he said was normal to have ups and downs and this would get better in time, was just my system readjusting to the resection. However, it did not get better and in fact got a whole lot worse.

    Finally when I went to my first oncologist appointment about 5 or 6 weeks post op and complained about these symptoms he ordered a CT scan and all he told me afterward was that bacteria might be out of balance since the surgery but he didn't see anything to really worry about like another tumor or anything. Said there was some old scarring possibly. When I still did not improve after three more weeks I went back to my gastroenterologist that did my original colonoscopy, a doctor I liked very much.

    The gastro doctor was very alarmed after looking at the CT scan I had had and said he believed I had a massive infection. The inflammation and scarring was at a part of my intestines (cecum) that was 100 percent normal and clear during my pre-surgery colonoscopy two months beforehand (he had the photos to compare, which the other doctor did not). He prescribed two very strong antibiotics -- levaquin and flagyl -- and said those would kill any bacteria I had in my system. After taking those antibiotics, I was better in a week after I had been suffering for about four or five weeks... the antibiotics not only cleared up this terrible cramping and pain and diarrhea and fever but what I think was also a bladder infection (I had complained I thought I had a UTI after surgery and was told it was just things readjusting and the ureter is often irritated after colon surgery).

    Bottom line is, while I have no idea what might be causing the symptoms in your family member's particular case, I know how important it is to not give up trying to get treatment for symptoms and to not let them blow you off until you have some answers. Go to a second or third opinion if necessary.

    K1

    C.Diff?
    Did they diagnose you as having C.Diff? They ran an initial test on him for this but are now running a second test with a more "fresh stool sample". A lot of his symptoms seem to match up to this. I've heard it is hard to get rid of. Did the levaquin or flagyl give you diarrhea? The nurse today said that can be a side effect.

    Thanks for your response!
  • k1
    k1 Member Posts: 220 Member
    #6
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    heatherdrnd said:

    C.Diff?
    Did they diagnose you as having C.Diff? They ran an initial test on him for this but are now running a second test with a more "fresh stool sample". A lot of his symptoms seem to match up to this. I've heard it is hard to get rid of. Did the levaquin or flagyl give you diarrhea? The nurse today said that can be a side effect.

    Thanks for your response!

    Infection
    I think that because I got the post-op CT scan they did not test for any specific bacteria after surgery. They decided to act and prescribe the antibiotics on the basis of the CT Scan instead. As I mentioned, it had showed huge area of inflammation in an area in my intestines that was not involved in my cancer and which had not problems two months earlier in colonoscopy.

    For what it's worth, I did get tested for c. difficile and camphylobacter as part of pre-colonoscopy before cancer dx. Since that was the same doctor who ended up rx my antibiotics after surgery, maybe he didn't feel the need to test again.

    Basically I was told that the combination of Levaquin and Flagyl would wipe out just about any type of bacteria I could possibly be having, and I guess it did.

    My new oncologist warned me to report any new problems even now because I would need monitoring for recurrence of inflammation and infection and might need additional antibiotics.

    Yes, combinaton of Levaquin and Flagyl for 14 days had unpleasant side effects. Horrible taste in my mouth all the time (from Flagyl, my doc said), headaches, diarrhea, lack of appetite and the most unusual side effect was nightmares that woke me out of my sleep. At first I didn't connect these nightmares to the antibiotics and blamed it on stress, then saw it was a listed side effect on the Levaquin. There is another dangerous side effect to Levaquin listed -- it can can cause joint damage at your heel/ankle spontaneously -- thank goodness I didn't have that.

    I have to say that compared to what I went through the few weeks before, when I had the infection and severe pain and diarrhea and lost 20 lbs in 8 weeks, the side effects of the antibiotics were a minor annoyance. I felt so much better about a week after taking them I couldn't believe it had taken so long and a third doctor to hear the same complaints to get diagnosed and treated for infection.

    K1
  • k1
    k1 Member Posts: 220 Member
    #7
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    heatherdrnd said:

    C.Diff?
    Did they diagnose you as having C.Diff? They ran an initial test on him for this but are now running a second test with a more "fresh stool sample". A lot of his symptoms seem to match up to this. I've heard it is hard to get rid of. Did the levaquin or flagyl give you diarrhea? The nurse today said that can be a side effect.

    Thanks for your response!

    c. difficile
    Saw my surgeon for three months post op check today. Even though the antibiotics have helped my condition, he is recommending a new colonoscopy to see what damage the infection I had might have caused. He DID mention that it might have been c. dificile I had that caused the inflammation and infection that showed on the CT scan. He said while there are other less invasive tests (stool sample tests) to determine if I have a c. dificile and whether it is still active, he wants a full colonoscopy to inspect my colon for any serious damage that may be lasting. So, another colonoscopy now, the first since before my surgery and cancer dx.

    I thought this was a big coincidence that he was discussing that particular bacteria just a day or so after you mentioned it. Before, I was just told they were doing two antibiotics as broad spectrum treatment for many types of bacteria that could be causing the problems I was having.

    And FYI, my surgeon said Flagyl is the antibiotic of choice for c. dificile in his opinion, not Levaquin. He said I would need a lot longer dose than just 14 days (what I had before) to wipe out a c. dificile infection if that is indeed what I had. Even though I feel better now, dr. said there may be remnants of it, it might return, and there might be damage from it.
  • k1
    k1 Member Posts: 220 Member
    #8
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    k1 said:

    c. difficile
    Saw my surgeon for three months post op check today. Even though the antibiotics have helped my condition, he is recommending a new colonoscopy to see what damage the infection I had might have caused. He DID mention that it might have been c. dificile I had that caused the inflammation and infection that showed on the CT scan. He said while there are other less invasive tests (stool sample tests) to determine if I have a c. dificile and whether it is still active, he wants a full colonoscopy to inspect my colon for any serious damage that may be lasting. So, another colonoscopy now, the first since before my surgery and cancer dx.

    I thought this was a big coincidence that he was discussing that particular bacteria just a day or so after you mentioned it. Before, I was just told they were doing two antibiotics as broad spectrum treatment for many types of bacteria that could be causing the problems I was having.

    And FYI, my surgeon said Flagyl is the antibiotic of choice for c. dificile in his opinion, not Levaquin. He said I would need a lot longer dose than just 14 days (what I had before) to wipe out a c. dificile infection if that is indeed what I had. Even though I feel better now, dr. said there may be remnants of it, it might return, and there might be damage from it.

    No C. Diff
    My C. Diff tests came back negative. So my post-op symptoms are still unexplained. I'm going to be getting another CT scan next week, the second in 8 wks, and then probably another colonoscopy if the inflammation has gone down since first post-op CT scan.

    Heather, if you are still around what happened with your family member who was suffering all the unexplained problems post-op? I'd really like to know if they figured it out or not. Thanks.

    K1

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