no appetite and bloating

NEDbound
NEDbound Member Posts: 54
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Hello everyone!

I have now completed 10 Folfox treatments.  I did 7 with full dose and 8-10 treatments were with reduced dose oxaliplatin.  I am planning the last two treatments to be 5FU only.

Over the last couple of weeks I have had a new epigastric pain, bloating and nausea.  These symptoms seem all to familiar to my small bowel obstruction that lead to my diagnosis.  The symptoms are lasting between treatments.  For example, I am feeling these symptoms now and my infusion was 2/4 with pump detach on 2/6.  It seems like having these symptoms on 2/10 is a long time to blame them on chemo.

Thoughts?  Did your symptoms like this increase from treatment to treatment, and last longer as you went along?  Or should I be asking for a PET scan to look for local recurrance and new small bowel obstruction?

Thanks,

Summer

Comments

  • vtspa6
    vtspa6 Member Posts: 172
    #2
    My husband is scheduled for

    My husband is scheduled for his 11th folfox treatment next week (he skipped it 2 wks ago because he was sick w/cold/flu/cough).  He takes Zofran during his treatments to help with nausea.  Before he started chemo he had a colostomy because they feared that his tumor would grow and block him before the treatments started working.  He does not have pain or bloating and the Zofran helps with nausea.  Your symptoms do not sound like it would come from chemo.  I would tell your doctor and hope that you are sceduled for either a scope or scan.

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    #3
    Progressive and accumulative

    Chemo's side effects CAN be accumulative, getting worse and lasting longer the more treatments you have. 

    By the end of my treatment, I had maybe one good day, if I was lucky. 

    Saying that, I would talk to both your Oncologist and the Oncology nurses. These symptoms could just be the accumulation of Chemo in the body, or they could be something more serious. 

    Until then, try to stay calm and postive. Don't be getting anxious, becuase you start to feel things that aren't there, when you are hyper anxious (in my exprience). 

    For peace of mind, talk to you Oncologist. 

    Good Luck!

    Sue - Trubrit

  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #4
    Obstructions……….

    Obstructions……….

    Any operation into the abdomen can cause adhesions and hernias, both of what can cause an intestinal obstruction.

    Symptoms are usually bloating, pain, nausea, loss of appetite, very watery anal output, fever…. And PAIN..

    An adhesion only gets worse, never better. Any operation to remove the adhesion usually results in more adhesions.

    There are methods to reduce the occurrence of adhesions, but it takes a well experienced  intestinal surgeon to be aware of all the methods and products available for the surgery.

    They can not “see” an adhesion with a scan. They would use ultrasound to identify the restriction and it’s location. Often, they can also identify what is causing the obstruction, but it takes an experienced technician and physician.

    Of course, all that is moot if you aren’t experiencing an intestinal obstruction. You may have a bad problem of gas.

    PET scans were originally designed to outline a tumor clearer to hopefully provide a surgeon with a bit more information. Since it’s beginning, it’s morphed into being used as a tool to use to locate active cancer.

    Once they open a patient up, they can see what no technology can otherwise see. If they see too much cancer spread, or into areas that can’t be addressed, they button you back up and call it a day. So much for “technology”.

    I hope you have gas.

    Be well,

    John

  • NEDbound
    NEDbound Member Posts: 54
    #5
    John23 said:

    Obstructions……….

    Obstructions……….

    Any operation into the abdomen can cause adhesions and hernias, both of what can cause an intestinal obstruction.

    Symptoms are usually bloating, pain, nausea, loss of appetite, very watery anal output, fever…. And PAIN..

    An adhesion only gets worse, never better. Any operation to remove the adhesion usually results in more adhesions.

    There are methods to reduce the occurrence of adhesions, but it takes a well experienced  intestinal surgeon to be aware of all the methods and products available for the surgery.

    They can not “see” an adhesion with a scan. They would use ultrasound to identify the restriction and it’s location. Often, they can also identify what is causing the obstruction, but it takes an experienced technician and physician.

    Of course, all that is moot if you aren’t experiencing an intestinal obstruction. You may have a bad problem of gas.

    PET scans were originally designed to outline a tumor clearer to hopefully provide a surgeon with a bit more information. Since it’s beginning, it’s morphed into being used as a tool to use to locate active cancer.

    Once they open a patient up, they can see what no technology can otherwise see. If they see too much cancer spread, or into areas that can’t be addressed, they button you back up and call it a day. So much for “technology”.

    I hope you have gas.

    Be well,

    John

    Thanks John!  I hope so too!

    Thanks John!  I hope so too! :)

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