Bowel obstruction

[Lilyada]

Good morning lovely ladies! I rarely post but am so grateful to you all for unseen support at this challenging time for us all.

After debulking in March I am now waiting for my 6th chemo session, hopefully on 7 October. I had a long wait before my 5th session, due to an excruciatingly painful bowel obstruction which necessitated a three day stay in hospital. The blockage was cleared by vicious (but effective) laxative. They think it was due to adhesions after surgery.

I was advised to go on a low fibre diet. This goes against all my eating habits, which I thought were healthy - lots of veg etc. I have been having trouble with constipation since and am paranoid about a repeat occurrence.

Have any of you ladies had the same experience and found a cook book or ways to manage this low fibre diet thing to enable you not to worry about it happening again? Help!!

Sorry for rambling on - any advice would be appreciated.

Hugs to all you special people, Angela xx

[Bettyxxx]

hi Angela

I too had a bowel blockage from adhesions mine was 4 years ago. I was told by my surgeon to just keep my bowel moving and i take Dulcolax at his suggestion its both a softener and and moves the bowel too. I take it once every few days. I dont know about low fibre diets and eat pretty much everything. Maybe advice has changed i am not sure but it might be worth asking.

Good luck

Diane

[Lilyada in reply to Bettyxxx]

Hi Betty

Thank you so much for your reply. I remember the Consultant was very noncommittal when I asked about diet. I will definitely have a rethink.

Do hope that all is going well for you.

Angela xx

[Bananasmoothie]

Hi Angela,

The low fibre advice is very common but there isn't much, if any evidence that it is helpful. The thinking is that adhesions (ie scar tissue) effectively narrow the bowel or cause kinks in it. More liquid motion will therefore pass through more easily than bulkier / more solid motion, and fibre makes motion bulkier / more solid. However fibre helps motion move through the bowel, and lack of fibre can lead to constipation which makes motion more solid.

As a clinician I advised people who'd had obstruction due to adhesions to avoid nuts; to cook veg well (so it was more mushy than crunchy); to chew food well especially fibrous food like pork; and to spit out things like orange pith or gristle if it's left in your mouth after chewing well, but I wouldn''t advise wholesale change in your diet. I agree with Betty that regular / semi regular dulcolax or similar is a good idea particularly if you're prone to constipation, as is making sure you keep well hydrated.

Unfortunately adhesive obstruction is very unpredictable. You may never get it again, or you may have another episode or many - regardless of what you eat or do. So a little bit like OC & recurrence 😔

Hope this helps and wishing you all the best.

[Lilyada in reply to Bananasmoothie]

Hi Bananasmoothie

Another thank you for your considered reply. Before I had the obstruction my diet was what I thought was healthy - lots of vegetables, nuts, oats, meat and fish (as well as cakes of course).

Over these past days I have become very stressed looking up what I can and can’t eat and saw a regime that was totally alien to me.

What you advise, and from a clinician standpoint, seems much more akin to what I was thinking. I’ve always been one to chew food a lot but probably did have quite a lot of raw/lightly cooked veg. To change the cooking times for veg seems easy enough; I’ll cut out nuts and make a point of drinking more fluid and with the aid of Dulcolax, I think I could find a good compromise.

I was wondering about why I’d had this problem recently, as since the op was in the middle of March and my diet hadn’t changed. From the lovely posts I’ve read on here, I think as you say, this obstruction could happen at any time. However, I think I’d recognise what was happening earlier. Also, with the changes I do make, hopefully I can delay the onset of another episode.

Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

All best wishes, Angela xx

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Good morning Angela

Thank you for your post. I was really sorry to hear about your recent painful bowel obstruction and how worried you have been about having a repeat of this episode. I can see you’ve had some responses from the forum community which I hope have been helpful.

I wondered whether you have had the opportunity to speak with a specialist oncology dietitian who may be able to offer personalised nutritional advice and dietary suggestions about managing this moving forwards? Your oncologist or clinical nurse specialist should be able to arrange a referral for you.

Whilst this doesn’t replace a conversation with a member of your clinical team, Ovacome have an information booklet about diet for a blocked bowel which can be found here: ovacome.org.uk/blocked-bowe... . This provides details about a fibre-restricted diet and provides a list of foods which are advised. I hope this may be of interest to you. We can also send a copy of this to you in the post, free of charge, if you prefer?

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to talk anything through with a member of the Ovacome support team. You can send us a message 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 help with questions, provide information resources or just have a friendly chat.

Best wishes

Annie – Ovacome support

[Lilyada in reply to OvacomeSupport]

Thank you Annie, that was certainly interesting. I feel so lucky to have discovered this forum and feel the benefit of the many recounted experiences of the ladies of this unfortunate club.

All best wishes, Angela xx

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team in reply to Lilyada]

Hi Angela

No problem at all. I'm pleased that the information was of interest and that you are feeling the benefit of the MyOvacome forum community.

If you would like to learn more about other ways to speak to people affected by ovarian cancer, you may be interested in our Staying Connected programme. This consists of a range of support groups, workshops and events, which mainly take place online. For further details, please visit: ovacome.org.uk/staying-conn... . You would be really welcome to join us.

Please do let us know if there's anything else we may be able to support you with.

Best wishes

Annie - Ovacome support

[Towgirl]

Hi, i am supporting my mum on her ovarian cancer journey, and know that since she had horrendously painful constipation after her 3rd chemo, and before debulking she is very aware of her bowel movements. She manages it mainly by diet, eating more or less fruit etc as necessary and using ducolax or even sennacot if the fruit doesn't have the desired effect, I know she would never let it go too long before seeking advice now.

[Lilyada]

Hi Towgirl - your Mum is lucky to have a caring daughter like you! Your Mum is quite right to be very aware and I’m pleased she is managing it ok. I do wish her all the very best as she goes along this difficult journey that we all share.

Angela xx

[Luci22]

Hi,

My mom also had issues with constipation during chemo. She found dulcalox and dried fruit helpful at that time. Now however she has not been on chemo for over 6 months and her surgery was not bowel related but is experiencing constipation and dry bowels again. She’s eating chia seeds daily, adds a bit a flax to her yogurt, drinks lots of water, etc. but bowels have been getting tough. Anyone know why they may be? Does not seem drug related as she’s not on chemo. Does it mean she could have a blockage coming?

thanks.

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team in reply to Luci22]

Hi Luci22,

I am sorry to hear that your mum is experiencing constipation again. Has she been able to speak with her doctor or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) about her concerns? If your mum hasn’t done so already, I would encourage her to contact her clinical team so that they can give her information and advice about her own individual situation.

I do hope that these symptoms are alleviated soon. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with the Ovacome support team if you would like to talk anything through. You can contact us by calling 0800 008 7054, by emailing [e-mail] or by sending us a message through the forum.

Best wishes,

Cathryn

Ovacome Support

[Luci22 in reply to OvacomeSupport]

Yes , her check up with the oncologist is next week so we will definitely mention it. Thank you!

[Lilyada]

Hi there Luci22

Sorry to hear your Mum is suffering with bowel problems. I’m not on chemo now and having had one bowel obstruction, I am paranoid about avoiding another one! I take either senna pills (1 or 2) in the evening, which keeps me regular or sometimes I take a Dulcolax if I feel the senna is not quite doing the job. Now I’m pretty sure that most people will say that it’s not healthy to rely on these pills but it’s working for me at the moment.

I do feel I have a healthy diet, try to drink a fair amount of water too. Is your Mum drinking enough water? An increase in water intake may do the trick. Good luck.

Wishing each and every one of my fellow teal ladies a better 2023.

Love, Angela xx

[Luci22]

She’s started taking them more and they have helped a little bit there are still days she misses a movement even when she takes it. I’m giving her all the information I get on here so thank you!