Stomach cramps and nausea 3 months post op.

[Jusjust]

Hi all, my husband has been experiencing stomach cramps and nausea quite a lot, he has been also been constipated which probably accounts for these symptoms, but as a precautionary measure his consultant has requested a barium swallow, which has got him nervous again thinking the worst. Has anybody experienced these symptoms at this stage post op? Thanks.

[hilr]

Hi, I get stomach cramps sometimes after eating, sometimes as part of dumping syndrome, or as a partial effect rather than full dumping syndrome, but they usually pass within 30-60 minutes.

When I've eaten "enough" I get a lumpy feeling in my throat which can tend towards nausea, but again this passes in half an hour.

I am four and a half months post surgery.

Good luck with the barium swallow and let us know the results.

Hilary

[geranium1111]

Hi - I also suffered constipation for quite some time - it started from the time in hospital but eventually returned to normal - it's obviously more difficult because of the tenderness of the stomach muscles etc.

If you can eat fresh fruit might help once things settle down

regards Mick

[Hidden]

Having this sort of digestion problem after the surgery is not uncommon, and invariably it is a digestion problem rather than a recurrence of cancer. But they do tend to check because stomach pains, and indeed diarrhoea can be signs of something more serious, so he should not get worried by the fact that they will check up all round.

Does he yo-yo between constipation and diarrhoea? This can be very frustrating and a real issue for quality of life.

It is sometimes a combination of a) diet to keep the motions consistently soft - easier said than done when one is recovering from a bout of diarrhoea; b) how the food passes down into the system - which the barium meal examination should shed some light on. Sometimes the pyloric sphincter at the bottom of the stomach does block food passing through, and needs a minor procedure to stretch it a bit so that food does not back up and cause the nausea; c) the effect of semi-digested food passing through the system too quickly, leading to insulin spikes and/or colic. Some food might be worse than others, so a food diary can help, also low glycemic index food that does not create the same spikes as food with processed sweeteners in it; and d) sometimes infection in the bowel (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) caused by some of the less healthy bacteria developing because there is not the same stomach acid to keep it under control.

So the chances are that a combination of carefully looking at diet, and perhaps some medication might alleviate the problems, but they may not be solved without a session of being really careful and disciplined about monitoring what food he eats, and sticking to the 'little and often' principle.

It is almost inevitable to reach a certain stage when one suddenly realises that one really does need a different eating pattern. But a specialist dietician and/or gastroenterologist may also be helpful.

[Hidden]

I wouldnt worry about cancer return as these probs are really common I suffered greatly for months and can still have problems nown and again.Yes eating small portions and often.Trying to find the foods what aggravate it can help.When constipated I was advised to have laxatives which helped.You can get medication from gp to help with the transit of food through the digestive system.

[ccfc]

Its natural to worry but I am 11 months post op and still suffer these symptoms. Especially nausea, mainly after eating in the morning.

Regards, James.

[alexLS14]

Next week I celebrate one year since discharge after surgery. Trying to find a suitable eating regime is still difficult. I fluctuate between slight constipation and being too loose! Nothing serious enough to worry about. Estimating the quantity of food to eat at a sitting still difficult and often results in overeating (feeling uncomfortable and bloated). A rest after eating for half to one hour usually sorts it out. Still unable to eat cereals - makes me go to toilet. Eggs and bread (sometimes) also make me 'go'! Not been nauseous since the end of chemo. treatment

[Jusjust]

Hi all, things seemed to get worse and by Wednesday of last week the stomach cramps were unbearable, so much so I had to call an ambulance, anyway they carried a CT scan and my husband was convinced there was something bad, but to our joy it was nothing sinister, but very painful acute constipation, this was treated with a strong laxative which has now resulted in diarrhoea, but the stomach cramps are still there, I am hoping this will all ease with pain killers, also he has stopped taking morphine as this we were told was the culprit for the constipation. Any way thought I would give a quick update and also to let you know that all your responses really help as this can sometimes be a lonely thing to battle through, and this site is a great help to me and my husband.

[Stevewellswood in reply to Jusjust]

Hi just just I am 18 months post opp and not much different from your husband carnt go near eggs make me so I'll good luck Steve w

[strangetimes]

Jusjust ,how are things going ?

I'm worried that your husband will get withdrawal symptoms if he's stopped or is cutting down on the morphine . And if he's stepped down to dihydrocodeine ,or anything with codine ,that will also cause constipation . I find Laxido very gentle and good for constipation .

I had terrible cramps when constipated ( I think post op things like that are much worse ) and found that Buscapan ,which you can buy over the counter ,helped a little .

[JDMC16]

When I complained of these symptoms post op to my surgical teams nutritionist it was explained to me that the most likely cause of the stomach cramps & feelings of nausea was air pockets within the lower GI system/colon.