abdominal discomfort

[Tabby13]

has anyone experienced long term lower abdominal discomfort following de- bulking surgery or worsening of IBS?

[win_56]

Hi Tabby, yes I get cramping and diarhea and just had a colonoscopy. This was not through surgery itself though, Prelim results are Colitis. This really all started when i went on the Parb inhibitor Rubraca, I'm not on them now as didn't work for me, but my bowels have never been the same since.

[Lampadusa]

Yes.Ive struggled with abdominal discomfort and indigestion, wind and constipation following debulking operation in Feb 2022.Have never been certain what the cause is ,but convinced it's because of the fact i had a bowel resection too.Now on niraparib and new blood pressure tablets, so impossible to tell what's causing the stomach issues.Talk it through with your oncologist when you can.I will.

[Seedlings in reply to Lampadusa]

Hi Lampadusa,I read your post and felt that I needed to reply.

I started Niraparib in June 2021 on a 200mg dose. I was also on a blood thinner due to a clot which showed up on CT post treatment. I had a ropey time at the start but then things settled,but only for a short period of time. In September my bloods began to drop,my haemoglobin. I had a transfusion,2 units. Two weeks later again the same. Issue. Altogether I had 5 transfusions in seven weeks!. I was not well. Having a medical background I was reading all I could. I found out that being on an anticoagulant was a risk factor in causing adverse effects in patients on Niraparib. I brought this to the attention of my oncologist and boy was it a struggle to be heard!!. The fact that you are having stomach issues is what made me write to you. On investigations to find out why my Hb was dropping I had an endoscopy and it showed that I had haemorrhagic gastritis. I was taken off the anticoagulant then. I also .... eventually,after a second opinion got my dose reduced to 100mg. I'm doing very well TG. Please discuss with your oncologist. I reported the adverse event to the manufacturer of the drug and they were very interested. I hope you can resolve your stomach issues.

Best wishes

Ann

[bamboo89 in reply to Seedlings]

Can I ask which anti coagulant treatment you were on? Was it an oral anticoagulant such as apixaban, warfarin or something else?

[Seedlings in reply to bamboo89]

I was on Xarelto. I was on it five months. It was a tablet daily. Ann

[bamboo89 in reply to Seedlings]

Ah okay, Rivoraxaban in the UK. I think the drawback is the fact its an oral anticoagulant - probably doesn't sit too well with a PARP inhibitor. I was on niraparib for about 9 months, but my anti coagulant is still heparin shots, so I had no problem with intestinal bleeding, even though I have gastritis and gastric erosion. I intend to remain on the heparin until they force me to switch to an oral anticoagulant because it bypasses the stomach, even though injecting myself daily isn't exactly fun!

[Lampadusa in reply to Seedlings]

Thanks Ann.I see my consultant this week so will definitely ask further. Up to now my oncologist has just said that bowel resection often take months/ years to settle, but my difficulties seem to be getting worse .

[Seedlings in reply to Lampadusa]

I also had a bowel resection and stoma, which was reversed. My bowel will never be the way it was before but I am able to manage it. I did and still do , although not as often, get muscle cramps and stomach discomfort. It does take time to heal for sure but if you look up the GSK(Glaxo Smyth Kline) manufactures info on Niraparib, not just the info in the box of the tablets, it is under adverse haematological effects. It recommends stopping the drug for a short period of time and also reducing the dose. It has made a massive difference for me to my quality of life. Your bloods may be fine but being on the anticoagulant and having stomach symptoms should warrant a closer look, in my opinion. I really hope that you can get to a better place. Hugs and best wishes.Ann.

[bamboo89]

I did not notice any increased irritable bowel symptoms or increased wind after the surgery, even though I had a bowel resection - I got odd twinges of sharp pains for a few weeks which were probably due to everything healing,but they passed. But then I refused the adjuvant chemo, didn't have it, wasn't on any cancer drugs at all - if you had it, maybe that's a factor.