Nasal passages, etc. never the same after 5FU?

For the constipation:

I use milled flax seed in my gluten free oatmeal.  It really works,  I did not have constipation issues but use it to keep myself very regular.  We all know that's important for us.  I also have a bananna daily, organic diet, I watch out for gluten - be careful of cereals they are very processed.

I am on an mediterrain-based, organic diet.  I am very careful what I eat and go to the gym now 3x per week.

Hope this helps.

devotion10 said:

Some ideas ...

I hope some other folks with personal experience will respond also. 

Nasal problems: It sounds as if you may have experienced mucositis from your 5-FU treatments.  Other chemo agents are also mucotoxic but I don’t know what else you had. Most of the time it seems folks are cautioned about and may experience sensitivity or potential sores in the mouth. But, my research indicates that mucositis is not limited to the mouth but can extend throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract and possibly affects all other mucosal surfaces such as those of the nasal passages, eyes, and genitourinary and respiratory tracts.  As a result of cell death in reaction to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, the mucosal lining becomes thin, may slough off and then become red, inflamed and ulcerated.  When you describe the condition of your nose during six months of treatment and then a few months after … maybe this was your situation?

One thing that helped my husband was nasal irrigation.  He began his treatments with a rather large benign nasal polyp that became very irritated and there was concern for inflammation, infection, and ulceration. He tried various drugstore irrigation products but found he preferred using a ceramic neti pot with a salt water rinse of ½ tsp salt and 8 ounces filtered room temp or lukewarm water.  If you have chronic sinus infections at present I am unclear of the safety of this as it may spread infection.  A humidifier can also help soothe and dampen dry nasal passages or even the grandma method of steaming up a bathroom for temp relief.  Placing a dab of petroleum jelly inside dry sinuses can help; just don’t let it migrate down your throat, as you don’t want it in your lungs. Any chance the nasal spray you are using may contain ingredients that irritate your nasal passages even though it does not contain a steroid? Considered surgery for the nasal turbinate?

Teeth loss: Not knowing your dental condition prior to chemo it is hard to say. Some treatments and medications can lower saliva production and increase the risk of dental caries; my son takes one of these medications and we have to be very diligent with dental care. I have him gargle with a salt and baking soda solution to aid his oral hygiene and mucosal health.  My son’s dentist suggests: not to drink alcohol or use mouthwashes that contain alcohol, chew sugar-free gum because chewing stimulates the salivary glands, keep mouth moist with regular sipping of water during the day, use Biotene mouthwash which is non-alcoholic, and eat crunchy, fibrous foods that help remove bacteria from the teeth like apples, celery, carrots, etc.

Research I did for my husband indicated that bacteria and fungi that live in the mouth may develop into an infection when the immune system is not working well, or when white blood cell counts are low as a result of treatments.  But then since chemotherapy can affect tooth enamel, it can also create the risk of long-term dental problems which may be part of the situation in your case.

Constipation has been covered by others on the site so I won’t go in to that one but a keyword research I bet will bring up some good tips.

Peace. ~ Cynthia

I too have nasal problems. Mine are sores and slight bleeding. I try not to blow too hard and use q-tips (with caution) to remove those tough boogers. No sinus problems though. 

As for constipation, it scares the heck out of me, because, like most of us, that was one of the signs that something was wrong.  I am actually more regular now that I've evre been in my life, sometimes too regular.  I eat Shredded Wheat with a Banana every morning, and I swear that keeps things moving for me. 

I'm happy to her about your clear colonoscopy. It sounds like you are really working on staying healthy with a good diet. Keep it up.

         All of the above over the years. My sinuses have always been bad with hayfever and allergies. Chemo did not help and I eventually suffered a sieries of massive bleeds. I was eventually referred to ann ear nose and throat specialist and he found an anneurism in there . He used 9 cauterising sticks to clean it up. I take two phenergan a day every day. Teeth ,I lost at least six to root fillings during chemo and another three to methotrexate(all root fillings) I wonder how many cyclosporin will wipe out? Constipation, well I have had a few blockages in fifteen years. I don't have any worries now as when I had my gallbladder out I suffered bile salt malabsorbtion resulting in chronic diarreah. I take questran lite to control that. I found my constipation always coincided with cooler times of the year when I forgot to drink enough water. I found drinking a lot of lukewarm water usually got me going. Cheers Ron.