Hello,
At the end of 2019, my mother was diagnosed with advanced pleural mesothelioma. The cancer is in the lining of her lung and in the abdomen.
She has undergone 4 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy treatment, which contained cisplatin, avastin, and a strong steroid. The effects were horrible, most notably extreme nausea and abdomen distension. And the fluid building in her lung causes major discomfort, but she will most likely have that drained periodically.
After the final round, last week's scan shows that the tumors have stabilized, so we are commencing with maintenance chemo soon. This will be every 3 weeks, but it will no longer include cisplatin.
My family is learning to cope with the new normal, but I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for treating abdomen distension or nausea? Or perhaps tips from your own experiences with these chemo drugs?
We've tried prescription anti-nausea medicine and medical marijuana but neither has helped.
Any tips or guidance through this time would be greatly appreciated.
Hi and welcome to the online community
I'm very sorry to hear that you mother has been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma and she's currently suffering with a distended abdomen and nausea.
I don't have any experience with this type of cancer but I noticed that your post hadn't had any responses yet. This could be because no one here has had the same experience or simply that the person who has, hasn't seen your post yet. By replying to you it will 'bump' your post back to the top of the page where it'll be more easily seen.
I don't know if you've seen this booklet that Macmillan have produced on understanding mesothelioma. If you scroll down to page 76 it talks about how ascites (which causes a distended stomach) can be treated. If you haven't done so already, give your mum's CNS a call and tell her about your mum's distended stomach and also her nausea as there are lots of different drugs around to combat nausea.
I notice that you've said that your mum has tried medical marijuana and it's very important that she tells her team if she takes any type of supplements as some things can make cancer treatments less effective or increase their side effects.
When you have a minute it would be useful if could pop something about your mother's journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Edit Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
Sending a supportive (((hug))) ... from a safe distance!
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
