GI issues or celiac as complication of longterm chemotherapy?

[Jenniferroseolson]

I've been off the grid all of June dealing with chronic diarhea while living with stage four NSCLC adenocarcinoma (stable) with pemetrexed (Alimta) treatment every three weeks. I was hospitalized for 6 days, yet every test has failed to find a cause. (CTscan shows cancer remains stable in lungs and none in GI tract.) Though an endoscopy indicated changes consistent with celiac disease, the blood test showed negative. I have been on a strict gluten fee diet for the past several weeks, and symptoms had improved until yesterday. My oncologist and other doctors do not think it is a response to chemo since I never had increased diarrhea before now and this is so severe and sudden. However, they admit they have had very few patients taking Alimta for this long (since June 2015). Have any of you found diarhea to be a long term side effect of your chemo? I am really struggling to be a mom and wife from the couch and toilet.

[Marymac4441]

Hi, I was on the same chemo as you but didn't experience any symptoms like you. With that said, I did go off it after only 4 months due to the severe chemo fog it put me in. I would get the chemo on a Friday and by Monday I would be so weak, nausea, couldn't function except to eat, get to bathroom and sleep for 2 days. I was stable as you with my lung cancer so my doctor and I decided enough was enough. My doctor had not seen the affects I had before. He has a patient who has been on this chemo for 6 years and the man still goes hunting every fall with no side affects from the chemo. I'm sorry I can't help you. I feel for you. Good luck for the drug works just has bad affects on some of us.