Trying to get my digestion back on track. Any ideas?

a_oaklee said:

consultation

Hi Phoenix.  Sorry to hear about these new problems.  Did they give you a diagnosis when you stayed overnight in the hospital?  Did they do an abdominal xray?  Do you have a fever?  Do you hear any bowel sounds?  I have no idea what the side-effects are for the medicine you are taking, but I do think you should call your oncologist.  The only suggestion that I can make is for you to handle your diet the same way they do post-op.  Start with clear liquids, advance to full liquids and then soft diet and ultimately regular diet.  Eat small amounts.  I don't know what your discharge diagnosis was or how they want you to follow-up, but I definitely would see a doctor about this.

Hi a_oaklee,

They did not give me a diagnosis.  I got an abdominal x-ray and heard nothing about it.  I do, however, have tumors in my abdominal wall and I wonder if that contributes tot he full feeling I get.  No fever, plenty of bowel sounds.  I have been eating solid but I am going back to square one with liquids including juicing and soft foods.

Srashedb said:

a few days after my husband's

a few days after my husband's spinal surgery, he ended up in the emergency room and then 16 days in the hospital.

his symptoms were severe abdominal pain and when he tried to eat or drink anything, he felt "topped off" (his words).

initially, they ran scans and could find nothing; about 6 days in, he began vomiting and after some more tests, a blockage was noted but still unclear as to the cause. They gave him an NG tube to drain him (a sewage line, described by his college roommate) and I must say, very descriptive.

they tried a few times to remove them, pumped him with enemas and tried liquids; not successful since the vomiting started and enemas did not work. Back to the NG tube (out of everything he underwent, this was his worst experience). More scans and even some discussion of surgical intervention and an emergency nephrectomy so he would not be too set back. By now, he had lost 30 pounds from his high-end 160 and was looking like a holocaust survivor.

finally, bowel sounds were heard and slowly things got back to some norm but he was facing 5 cyber surgery treatments and a radical nephrectomy; the latter freaked us out since it could happen again.

much as heavy narcotics are needed post-op, no patient should be released post surgery until the bowel is functioning. I pushed this during the nephrectomy stay and there was no problem except for coming home with a catheter which was a piece of cake and was removec one week later.

my long-winded point is this: feeling topped off and vomiting are not necessarily cancer but should be treated very seriously since they could lead to bowel perforation, a nightmare we dodged.

hope this gives you some thoughts and avenues to explore; since July, he went to the ER three separate times. twonwere quick and the long stay resolved on its own. UCSF is really on top of things; our local hospital relegated him to the hospice with mega drugs which probably made the blockage worse.

once at UCSF, the slow recovery began.

just our experience; take what you need and leave the rest...

Sarah

"Topped off" perfectly describes the feeling I have.  It is 9:30 a.m. and have not eaten anything since dinner yesterday (drinking water and juice), yet I feel--- topped off.  I will be seeing the oncologist tomorrow and discussing it further.  I have a great gastroenterologist, so I think I will make an appointment to see him

I had this same problem last year and got the NG tube  (rubber hose up the nose), and I won't describe what came out but it was not pretty.  I expected the same this time, but they did not give it to me.  The last time, I was VERY bloated and had unbearable gas pain.  This time I had very little bloating and a little fleeting gas pain... but the vomiting and diarrhea was relentless. The whites of my eyes were blood red from broken vessels. 

Believe it or not, through this episode I gained 3 pounds.  I think it is a result of the fluids they gave me though.

I went to the onc today and after reviewing my blood tests taken in emergency, there was nothing to show it was related to the chemo or any organ malfunction.  He believes I may have eaten something bad, and it's highly possible because I have no sense of taste right now.  It could have been food poisoning.  I did tell my husband I didn't feel well earlier that morning, but I have no idea what I ate. 

I drank 1/2 glass of prune juice yesterday evening, and ate some prunes, and by morning I was in the restroom.  Feeling much better now and the full feeling has subsided some.