Extremely bad acid heartburn

[Holsgram]

hi,

On here about my mum again.

She is suffering really bad with acid reflux.

She hasn’t had chemo for 4 weeks but they did attempt debulking surgery which didn’t work. So we are not sure if it’s something to do with the blood thinners or she’s worried it is the cancer.

has anyone else suffered after attempted / failed surgery? Or just in general

thanks

[N-A-58]

I don’t want to alarm you but severe acid reflux for my mum was due to a blocked bowel.

Does she have abdominal pain? Is she going to the loo?

[Holsgram in reply to N-A-58]

Hi,

she has been going to the loo with the help of ducosate.

However she did have a blocked bowel when she was first diagnosed and was in hospital for a month and she say feels like she did at the beginning.

Thanks

[Eriksendi]

I’ve had intermittent problems with acid reflux since my diagnosis and treatment nearly 7 years ago. It has been so bad recently I’ve had ca125 done and full body ct and all is ok. I take one omeprazole in the morning and one in the evening when it’s bad and drink loads of gaviscon advance. It does settle it in the end. I have problems with food passing through and am waiting a further adhesiolysis for scar tissue all post surgical issues. If she’s not taking the gaviscon, it’s definitely worth a try. Hope she soon feels better x

[Rankij11]

Hi , acid reflux was my most acute pre-diagnostic symptom.

But it has never resolved, even now , when I’m considered stable.

I’m pretty convinced Olaparib makes it worse

I manage it by diet and meal size , I think Omerazole is useful , they often use if you are on meds regularly. I try not to use but that’s just me ………

Hope your mum improves , it’s very uncomfortable

Best wishes

Jennifer

[Holsgram]

She only started the tablets yesterday so the doctors think it’s due to her attempted surgery but that was 3 weeks ago and I’m not convinced.

Will see how the next couple of nights pan out.

Thank you for replying, I will pass this on. Not nice for any of you

Hollie

[testarossa71]

Hi, I’m sorry to hear your mum is suffering with such bad reflux.

I’ve had very similar issues, particularly when I was first diagnosed and had a go-slow on digestion and bowel activity, and again when I had a recurrence. It still happens from time to time, but here are some things that I do to keep it under control. Obviously, your Mum needs to speak with her consultant, CNS, or GP regarding her specific situation and any medication but I hope these suggestions help x

I keep the fat I eat down as low as possible. That’s a major trigger for me, especially later in the day.

I finish eating for the day at least 4 hrs before bedtime, to allow my stomach to empty as much as it can.

Sit fully upright for at least an hour after meals. When you’re reclining, your body slows down the digestive processes. Sitting up, if possible, helps your body process food faster. If your Mum is able, going for a brief walk (even just around the house) after meals speeds that process up even more.

Raise the head end of the bed; Either put the feet at the head end on blocks or books. About 3-4 inches has worked for me. And/Or use a wedge pillow, or a couple of plump pillows. Anything that helps her keep her head a little higher than her lower rib cage/feet. This helps keep any excess acid down where it belongs, and not drifting up from the stomach into the oesophagus.

If your Mum likes to sleep on her side, I strongly suggest she avoids sleeping on her right hand side. The body is not full symmetrical internally and if you sleep on your right, it allows excess acid to leak through the sphincter (which *should* stop stomach contents being regurgitated) and into your throat and mouth. I later learned that sleeping on my left dramatically reduced the number of times I had reflux.

From a medication perspective, I take 1x omeprazole twice a day, and a dose of peptac liquid (gaviscon) directly before bed. Both prescribed through via my consultant. I also have a pack of orange Rennies by the bed and a small glass of milk. I find that if I am rudely awoken in the night by acid, having a quick glug of the milk (I find milk soothes and coats the throat so it doesn’t feel so burned) and chewing on a couple of Rennies gives me a little respite while I line up another dose of peptac liquid.

Incidentally, peptac comes in aniseed flavour (which makes me gag) and mint (which doesn’t). If one doesn’t work for your mum, don’t be shy to ask for a different flavour.

I was also prescribed (around the time of diagnosis) a liquid antibiotic (erythromycin) which is believed to help the stomach empty faster. They gave me the kids’ version - banana flavoured and much more palatable than the grown ups’ version!). I found it quite useful so maybe you or your Mum could ask one of your clinicians?

Finally, if it’s the bowel that’s holding things up, then a combination of senna tablets and docusate capsules can be really helpful. As you probably know. docusate is a softener, and senna is a pro-kinetic ie it pushes things along so the two work really well in combination. Rather than taking big doses of either to get results, I was told that taking smaller regular doses over several days can be gentler on the system and can help to re-regulate the bowel into regular output. Again, it’s worked for me and maybe it can be useful for your Mum.

I hope some of these suggestions are useful - reflux is miserable but I’m hoping that your Mum’s situation could be improved.

Best wishes, Annie (testatossa71) x

[Holsgram in reply to testarossa71]

Thank you for all this advice! I will send over to my mum. They have prescribed she take 2 doses of the anti-reflux medicine for a month. Hopefully on top of all the advice above and a breakdown in diet I hope it relives.

Sorry to hear you’ve had to go through all this to. I hope your feeling better x

[Cheka123]

i had that also is she taking her nausea pills ...also not to alarm you when i had that i started to have recurrance demand a scan and blood test asap

[Holsgram]

thank you! She has had blood tests but I do think she should have a scan and will urge them to do one.