Need advice re: Stomach pains and Acid Reflux after eating?

[Doughnut21]

Hello ladies, I hope you are all keeping as well as possible.

I wondered if anyone could give me some advice please?

I had chemotherapy and de-bulking surgery 18 months ago and then took Avastin (Bevacizumab) for 1 year maintenance afterwards and my CA125 levels came down to normal for 1 year. But then I was diagnosed with a recurrence of Ovarian Cancer approx 3 months ago, as I was getting severe stomach pains and the CT scan showed the cancer had had spread to my small bowel. So I started my 2nd course of chemotherapy (i've had 3 sessions so far, 3 more to go), of Carboplatin and Gemcitabine.

I just wondered if anyone has any advice about constant stomach pains and acid reflux after eating / drinking, which i've been troubled by for about 3 months now?

My GP prescribed a PPI Proton Pump Inhibitor (Lansoprazole 30mg tablets) which I take 30 minutes before lunch. And my oncology /pharmacist also prescribed Gaviscon liquid which I can take after meals (but I worry about taking too many drugs, as I've read that Gaviscon liquid contains Alumininum particles which may build up over time in the body).

Has anyone else had problems with stomach pains after eating and even drinking?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance,

Debbie Doughnut

[Caleda4]

Hi, Sorry to hear that you are having these problems,as it is horrible.I did have a problem when I had chemo originally,and was prescribed Omeprazole which is basically the same as you are having, they are proton pump inhibitors. However I used to take mine before I ate anything in the morning and found that worked. My husband has been taking lanzaprozole for several years now due to a hiatus hernia and takes his tablet prior to eating anything in the morning. I believe if you are taking gaviscon after a meal, that the timing between the drug that you take before your lunch is to close in timing. My husband was told this by a private GP.

You should speak to your Oncologist about this though.

[Smileeveryday2021]

Yes- have in the past. Have taken Omeprazole /Nexium first thing in the morning.. plus gaviscon as required. I found whenever on chemo the steroids they give you for the first few days are a particular trigger… I used to take omeorazole a day or two before chemo and a day or two after. Wouldn’t need it for rest of cycle. I note you have had the symptoms same length of time as on chemo -so maybe steroids like me?

[Kaitlinsmum]

HelloI cannot offer medical advice but i can tell you what works for me. I was having severe abdo pains after eating - almost 2 yrs after surgery and chemo. Doc thought it may be scar tissue. A friend suggested a gluten free diet as several people are reporting gluten intolerance after chemo. I have been gluten free for about 3 months and have not needed to take pain killers for the abdo pain at all. I've also lots about 4kg in weight. Please check with your doc before you change your diet. X

[HappyGoLucky66 in reply to Kaitlinsmum]

I am starting to believe I have gotten gluten intolerant as well, constipation and bloating. I am challenged with getting started but I think with going through all the mental and physical stress of cancer it created a hostile environment for my digestive system.

[Newbery3]

Have no advice but hope you get sorted soon and sending you a big Welsh Cwtch X

[Doughnut21 in reply to Newbery3]

Thanks for your reply...you've been very helpful. Sending out healing thoughts and best wishes to you! x

[Trickysite]

I take 2 omeprazole capsules at night after supper as I had half my stomach removed and am also taking a drug that irritates the stomach. It works for me and I have had no acid probs. Best discuss with doc. Wish you all the best. Emma

[Doughnut21 in reply to Trickysite]

Thanks for your reply...you've been very helpful. Sending out healing thoughts and best wishes to you! x

[Saffery1]

I am under gastro consultant for this. It is crucial to take PPIs at least 30 minutes before you eat anything that day. The PPIs are all slightly different from each other - I've tried them all! - so it is worth finding which one works best. Gaviscon is great, but you do have to be careful of timings as it can interfere with drug absorption. Personally, I've found my cancer team know nothing about gastro management, so you could ask if you can get referred to a gastro consultant.

[Doughnut21 in reply to Saffery1]

Thanks for your reply...you've been very helpful. Sending out healing thoughts and best wishes to you! x

[bamboo89]

I would disagree with taking the PPI (Lanzoprazole) half an hour before food - proton pump inhibitors work for 24 hours, so I've no idea why your doctor has said to take it this way, you might ask for his reasoning there. Most people take them at night or first thing in the morning... I do take an acid control drug, but not a PPI, I take an HC agonist called Fomatodine, one at night before bed, because I find it more effective than a PPI, although it only works for 12 hours so might need to be taken twice a day. As for Gaviscon, ask your doctor if you can use magnesium trisilicate mixture instead - its often not available in pharmacies any more, so I buy mine from Amazon, its a liquid, about £6 a bottle... and no aluminium. However, any use of Gaviscon for you seems like it might be temporary, and things will settle down after your chemo is finished, so I wouldn't worry about alumiium build up during that time period. Digestive problems and ovarian cancer do go together, unfortunately, but I'd suggest you ask your oncologist or your specialist chemo nurse what treatment would be best to help with it, and particularly regarding when to take your PPI.

Miriam

[Saffery1 in reply to bamboo89]

I am under a gastro consultant who said it is v important to take PPIs on an empty stomach, so first thing in the morning, at least half an hour before food, in fact the longer the better. Pharmacists also tell me this. GPs, nurses, non-gastro people don't seem to know this. What's your professional background Miriam?

[bamboo89 in reply to Saffery1]

Haha, you're gonna laugh now! Many, many moons ago, I started out studying Biology, but switched to Horticulture, so my profession was Garden Landscaping and Design, nothing to do with the world of Medicine, but I've always been interested in human biology, medicines and medical information generally. I've lost count of the number of doctors and nurses who've asked me that down the years, they often think I've had medical training. I'd have become a pharmacist if I didn't have a major problem with maths and chemistry, I even found the chemistry necessary for horticulture really hard, my brain freezes as soon as it sees a string of hieroglyphs and numbers. I'm afraid I'm one of those people who researches medical stuff that snags my attention just for fun, and reads the Patient Leaflet supplied with drugs, then looks it up on line on science sites for extra info before I decide to take it or not... and is such a sad sack, I remember it all, or most of it.

It does bring its problems - I find it quite unnerving when I seem to know more than the fully trained nurse or doctor does on a particular thing ... Pharmacists are the people to speak to about medication, they're the experts on that.

M

[Doughnut21 in reply to bamboo89]

Thanks Miriam... Yes, I have spoken to the hospital pharmacist now and two of them have said to take the Lansoprozole PPI drug at least 30 mins before food on an empty stomach...they definately seem to know more than the doctors about these matters! Thanks, Debbie x

[Doughnut21 in reply to Saffery1]

Thanks Saffery1... Yes, I have spoken to two of the hospital pharmacists now and they have said to take the Lansoprozole PPI drug at least 30 mins before food on an empty stomach...they definately seem to know more than the doctors about these matters! (The only reason they said before lunch, was that I take Thyroxine thyroid hormone tablets first thing before breakfast and cannot be taken at same time. It seems to work ok either 30 mins before breakfast or lunch. Thanks, Debbie x

[Notage]

Like others have said gaviscon and nexium are good. There are also certain foods that can also be more triggering such as peppers (which I hadn't realised) and others, if you do a web search it should list them. The other thing I've found help is to sleep with the top of the bed slightly more elevated (so it's harder for the acid to run uphill at night!). Obviously check with your care team to see what they think.x

[carrotmunch5]

Hi there, me too have problem with pain in my stomach. It's so painful even oramorph doesn't get rid of it🤣 I take lansoprasole every morning it seem to work for me. Gaviscon doesn't work for me. Me too, I had gemocitabine last year with trial drug. Either chemo or the trial drug triggered. I am not sure. Even when I didn't eat anything, it gave me pain. Now with Lansoprasole, my stomach is pain free. Something maybe need to take for long term? Hope your stomach pain gets sorted, it's really horrible isn't it.

[Tillymint61]

Sorry to hear you are having these problems. I did on my second line chemo.I was already on daily omeprozole which they upped to twice daily evening and morning. Also Gaviscon which I only took if I felt uncomfortable. I would sleep slightly propped up too with a v cushion. Also tried to stay sitting upright rather than lying down for at least 2 hours. Not easy when you are fighting chemo fatigue! I also took paracetamol for the pain. I only needed this level of medication for about 5 days and then would stop all extras and see how I went. I was usually settled after that although I have stayed on the prescribed daily omeprozole. The warnings about Gaviscon relate to regular long term use. For shirt term respite after chemo it shouldn't be a problem but ask you pharmacist or Doctor to voice your concerns. Also eating little and often rather than normal portions three times a day really helped.

Wishing you well. Xx

[HappyGoLucky66]

Yes! I am trying to figure out if it’s intolerances to food now , but I have a lot of bloating and indigestion. I was diagnosed with stage 1c/2 aggressive clear cell in late 2019, with one occurrence after a year , I take Letrozole for maintenance. But I spoke to my oncologist just this last week about my gut and she said start a elimination diet to determine if it gets better. Then a ct scan if needed.

[Doughnut21 in reply to HappyGoLucky66]

Thanks for your reply...you've been very helpful. Sending out healing thoughts and best wishes to you! x

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Hi there Debbie Doughnut

Thank you for your post. I’m really sorry to hear that you have been troubled by constant stomach pains and acid reflux after eating or drinking for the past three months. I can see that you’ve had lots of replies from the forum community and I hope that reading about their experiences with this has been helpful.

I just wanted to share this information on the NHS website about Gaviscon: nhs.uk/medicines/gaviscon/ . You will see on this page that Gaviscon is described as a very safe medicine.

As many of our members have said, a conversation with a member of your medical team, GP or pharmacist should be able to provide you with further advice on how this issue can be managed, so that you can experience some relief from the symptoms you describe.

I hope this problem resolves for you soon. We are here to support you so please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we may be able to help with. You can reply to us directly through this forum, email us via [e-mail] or call our support line on 0800 008 7054. We’re here Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm, to talk through questions, provide information resources or just to have a friendly chat.

Best wishes

Annie – Ovacome support

[Doughnut21 in reply to OvacomeSupport]

Thanks for your reply Annie...you've been very helpful!