abdomen bloated/distended

trspitfire
trspitfire Member Posts: 19
edited August 2011 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I am a stage IV colon cancer survivor, I read this board almost every day but rarely have a question thats been unanswered by others, it has been so helpfull...recently I've finished my year of chemo (following surgery) and have been on a chemo break, in the past month or two I have had a hernia where the surgical scar is (Dr and nurse said we really dont want to deal with that unless it becomes painfull etc. as the reapir surgery can be worse for me than the hernia.. o.k. I am fine with that, but then most recently I've noticed that my abdomen has become quite distended and a bit uncomfortable , (as I always feel full and bloated,) my abdominal area feels hard or tight to the touch and frankly I am beginning to look pregnant, I've had very little weight gain during this time, its not like I am eating a lot and packing on pounds, I have a CT scan coming up in a few weeks and am considering calling the Dr. and moving that up if he recommends it, in the meantiem does anyone have experience with related symptoms / conditions etc ?

p.s. I take vicodin once a day for unrelated pain, a beta blocker and a few advils thrown into the mix

Comments

  • Sonia32
    Sonia32 Member Posts: 1,071 Member
    #2
    Hi
    I'm sure someone will jump in, but I'm just thinking practical things instead of build up of fluids etc. But might be a silly question, but are you going regular? your not constipated?
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #3
    trspitfire -

    It sounds like that hernia is becoming more of a problem sooner
    than later! If any part of the intestine gets caught between the
    muscles, it can cause a partial (or full) obstruction.

    A obstruction can cause a "bloated" feeling, along with a
    "bloated" appearance. It can be painful, or just a nuisance,
    depending on it's involvement with the digestive tract.

    A CT may not indicate much, where a sonogram might
    display a more accurate rendition of your innards.

    Did your colorectal surgeon, or your GP make the statement
    regarding "not doing anything about it"?

    Surgical intervention is possible, but the risk of creating more
    hernias and adhesions often outweigh the benefits of fixing
    the problem. A hernia belt, or hernia support may be a much
    better option. The "Nu Hope" company specializes in hernia
    support belts, etc, and it may solve your immediate problem.

    They make hernia belts for those of us with an ostomy, and
    for those without an ostomy.

    The belt may help prevent an obstruction, if you don't already
    have one! It can also help slow, or stop the hernia from getting
    worse. In some cases, the use of a belt will help the muscles
    build up, and support the area better, perhaps avoiding a
    permanent massive hernia.

    Your physician or surgeon can write a script for it to enable
    your insurance to pay for it.

    It's well worth looking into!

    Best wishes for you,

    John
  • daBeachBum
    daBeachBum Member Posts: 164
    #4
    Get checked out
    Hi,

    I hope this turns out to be nothing to worry about, but I would definitely tell your doctor and get an ultrasound or CT scan. I have absolutely no experience with hernias and don't want to alarm you, but this could also possibly be due to Ascites fluid buildup. I had this early on and it made me look like like I had a huge beer belly even when I was losing a lot of weight. It's not dangerous in itself, is an uncomfortable symptom sometimes caused by CC and peritoneal cancers. The usual fix is diuretics and paracentises, until the root cause of the ascites symptoms is handled.

    Again - I don't want to alarm you, but I urge you to speak with your doctor...

    Strength and love,

    Ray
  • here4lfe
    here4lfe Member Posts: 306 Member
    #5
    Incisional Hernia
    My wife, Stage 4, recently had her hernia repaired. She looked 10 months pregnant, and was in a lot of discomfort. Her repair was done as part of surgery to remove her ovaries, which were cancerous. The oncologist and ob/gyn had a lenghty discussion of how to proceed, with the oncologist wanting to do more chemo, and the ob wanting surgery. The ob won the argument, and we are glad she did, as all samples (ovaries and hernia sac) tested positive for cancer. After a short surgical break, my wife is back on chemo, and her tumor markers are falling nicely.

    Best
  • trspitfire
    trspitfire Member Posts: 19
    #6
    here4lfe said:

    Incisional Hernia
    My wife, Stage 4, recently had her hernia repaired. She looked 10 months pregnant, and was in a lot of discomfort. Her repair was done as part of surgery to remove her ovaries, which were cancerous. The oncologist and ob/gyn had a lenghty discussion of how to proceed, with the oncologist wanting to do more chemo, and the ob wanting surgery. The ob won the argument, and we are glad she did, as all samples (ovaries and hernia sac) tested positive for cancer. After a short surgical break, my wife is back on chemo, and her tumor markers are falling nicely.

    Best

    thanks for all the advice,
    thanks for all the advice, I will be calling my G.I. Dr. today

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