Chemo Belly Advice

Hi Shari

My chemo was of a similar type to yours- paclitaxel/carboplatin but I did not have the phesgo.

I also had some tough tummy effects- normally would start around day 3 and settle by the end of the first week post chemo. The actual chemo and some of the anti nausea medication- in particular ondansetron can be constipating. Like you- it was constipation/ cramping and then became diarrhoea. 

Don't forget that you have your hospital 24 hour number and that they can help with things like side effects. It is worth calling them as they can often give you medication and advice. 

One thing that helped me was to go on a tapering dose of steroids- it may be worth asking if this would help you- so for the first cycle I had high doses at home on days 1 and 2 post chemo and then they stopped completely. My consultant said it was the sudden drop that can cause issues for some people. On the 2nd and subsequent cycles I had the same doses on day 1 and 2 and then on day 3 I had half the amount and then day 4 that halved again. it made a big difference. 

Ask about the antinausea medication as I found the domperidone was better tolerated tummy wise. 

With the constipation they gave me stool softeners and buscopan helped with the cramping. Following a light diet helped and splitting up meals into smaller portions- eating little and often. For the diarrhoea they can give loperamide. It is worth talking to your doctor to see if any of these steps might help you.

I found moving around helped a bit with the cramping and also warm baths/hot water bottles. 

All these things made the tummy effects from my 2nd chemo onwards much more tolerable. They can also actually adjust the chemo doses if necessary.

Good Luck with your next cycle.

Jane

Thanks so much Jane. I really appreciate you taking the time to offer such a detailed & generous reply. I’m going to study it carefully & discuss with the chemo team. Again, hugely appreciated xx