Just got out of the hospital

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EZLiving66
EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,482 Member

This past weekend has not been good.  Cry I went to see our son get his baseball award during halftime of his old college's football game.  It really tired me out!  I've been having such bad diarrhea since I started chemo.  By last night I was dehydrated, couldn't keep anything in my stomach (not nauseous though) and thought I might be having a heart attack because my chest hurt so bad.  They ruled out heart problems but then set up an IV to get some fluid into me.  My doctor also gave me some prescriptions to try to stop the diarrhea and they let me come home.  But, if I doesn't stop within 24 hours, I have to go back.  

Everything I read talked about constipation and chemo, but man, this is terrible!  The first two days after chemo I took Miralax like they told me but developed such diarrhea that I can't take a sip of water and I'm back in the bathroom.  I'm on a chicken noodle soup, banana, rice, toast with a little jelly, gatorade diet.  He said I could try some high probiotic yogurt too.  My doctor says it's the chemo; my oncologist said he thinks it's stress.

Anybody else develop severe diarrhea with chemo?  What did you do?

Take care,

Eldri (never more than a few feet from a bathroom)

Comments

  • AWK
    AWK Member Posts: 364 Member
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    I did for awhile

    I got a prescription for lomotil to take as needed.  My system just bounced from one extreme to the other and still does. Make sure to eat bananas or yogurt smoothies, potatoes etc to keep hydration and potassium up.  Are you getting leg cramps?  

    Sending hugs and healing.  Be gentle with yourself.  Anne

  • TeddyandBears_Mom
    TeddyandBears_Mom Member Posts: 1,811 Member
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    AWK said:

    I did for awhile

    I got a prescription for lomotil to take as needed.  My system just bounced from one extreme to the other and still does. Make sure to eat bananas or yogurt smoothies, potatoes etc to keep hydration and potassium up.  Are you getting leg cramps?  

    Sending hugs and healing.  Be gentle with yourself.  Anne

    Eldri,
    I got it last time

    Eldri,

    I got it last time about a week after my infusion. Not sure if it was from the chemo or the nuelasta, but it was the first time I had that impact. That was my 3rd round.  After I had it for 2 days, I took Immodium and it took care of it right away.  Immodium is an over the counter anti-diarrhea med. 

    I hope you feel better soon!

    Take care,

    Cindi

  • Lou Ann M
    Lou Ann M Member Posts: 996 Member
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    almost every time

    After every chemo my digestive system seems to run the cammet of every issue there is.  It starts with constipation and severe heartburn and then heads to diarrhea.  I use Ommeprezole for heartburn, but it is not working very well, I was usuing Myrlax for constipation,but after my bowel obstructio surgery my Gyn-Onc/surgeon gave me something called DocQlax and so far it is working,  I use Immodiem for the diarrhea and it works very well.  Hugs and prayers, Lou Ann

  • Kaleena
    Kaleena Member Posts: 2,088 Member
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    So sorry to hear

    sorry to hear you were under the weather and had to get IV therapy.    

    It it could be a combination of both.  It will wear you out.  Then you think about it and you get stressed.  It's a vicious cycle.   Sending you some calming thoughts to you

     

    hugs and feel better soon!

     

    kathy

     

     

  • TeddyandBears_Mom
    TeddyandBears_Mom Member Posts: 1,811 Member
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    Lou Ann M said:

    almost every time

    After every chemo my digestive system seems to run the cammet of every issue there is.  It starts with constipation and severe heartburn and then heads to diarrhea.  I use Ommeprezole for heartburn, but it is not working very well, I was usuing Myrlax for constipation,but after my bowel obstructio surgery my Gyn-Onc/surgeon gave me something called DocQlax and so far it is working,  I use Immodiem for the diarrhea and it works very well.  Hugs and prayers, Lou Ann

    Lou Ann

    My doctor prescribed Prilosec for me. I take one tablet every day (not just during chemo impacts).  So far, so good. No more burning.  And it has taken me through 3 treatments. (2 weekly and 1 of the mega dose infusions)

  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
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    Kaleena said:

    So sorry to hear

    sorry to hear you were under the weather and had to get IV therapy.    

    It it could be a combination of both.  It will wear you out.  Then you think about it and you get stressed.  It's a vicious cycle.   Sending you some calming thoughts to you

     

    hugs and feel better soon!

     

    kathy

     

     

    Every cycle

    I had diarrhea while on chemo (for breast cancer, but chemo noneless with the same side effects).  Anyway, my oncologist gave me an rx for lomotil, but I could control it pretty well with immodium.  This might seem like overkill, but for me it was insurance.  Buy some Depends.  I never went out without them.  Never had an "accident" out of the house (I did at home), but I had security and they really aren't so bad and it's temporary. 

    Hope this all gets better and under control for you.  Oh, I also kept a calendar, each day recording side effects, including temperature.  As the cycles went on, if I was having a symptom, I could look back on the calendar and determine if this was something that happened on a previous cycle or something new.  It sort of helped ne figure out when to panic or not.  Mostly it was reassuring for me.  Sorry about needing the IV, but dehydration is indeed a problem that you want to avoid.  Good luck.  Hope you can put this experience in your rear view mirror.

    Suzanne 

     

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,482 Member
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    AWK said:

    I did for awhile

    I got a prescription for lomotil to take as needed.  My system just bounced from one extreme to the other and still does. Make sure to eat bananas or yogurt smoothies, potatoes etc to keep hydration and potassium up.  Are you getting leg cramps?  

    Sending hugs and healing.  Be gentle with yourself.  Anne

    No leg cramps

    So far no leg cramps but bad stomach cramps.  Im going to make myself a banana yogurt smoothie for lunch.

    Take care,

    Eldri

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,482 Member
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    Eldri,
    I got it last time

    Eldri,

    I got it last time about a week after my infusion. Not sure if it was from the chemo or the nuelasta, but it was the first time I had that impact. That was my 3rd round.  After I had it for 2 days, I took Immodium and it took care of it right away.  Immodium is an over the counter anti-diarrhea med. 

    I hope you feel better soon!

    Take care,

    Cindi

    Used Immodium last night

    I used Immodium during the night just so I could sleep instead of getting up every hour.  Hopefully today will be better for all.

    Take care, 

    Eldri

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,482 Member
    Options

    Every cycle

    I had diarrhea while on chemo (for breast cancer, but chemo noneless with the same side effects).  Anyway, my oncologist gave me an rx for lomotil, but I could control it pretty well with immodium.  This might seem like overkill, but for me it was insurance.  Buy some Depends.  I never went out without them.  Never had an "accident" out of the house (I did at home), but I had security and they really aren't so bad and it's temporary. 

    Hope this all gets better and under control for you.  Oh, I also kept a calendar, each day recording side effects, including temperature.  As the cycles went on, if I was having a symptom, I could look back on the calendar and determine if this was something that happened on a previous cycle or something new.  It sort of helped ne figure out when to panic or not.  Mostly it was reassuring for me.  Sorry about needing the IV, but dehydration is indeed a problem that you want to avoid.  Good luck.  Hope you can put this experience in your rear view mirror.

    Suzanne 

     

    That's a great idea,

    That's a great idea, Suzanne!!!  I'm going to start doing that and writing down what works and what doesn't.  From someone who took 10 mg of Lisinopral for high blood pressure to someone who has a whole pharmacy in their bathroom, it sure is a change!!!  Ugh!!!!

    Take care,

    Eldri