anyone experienced bowel obstruction while on Caelyx/Carbo? I just had my third infusion and already experienced bloating of belly and heavy cramps and vomitting after second infusion if I ate someting complicated but this time cannot keep any even small and simple food inside. I am vomiting more than i am eating, also fluids.
My last stool was on Sunday, my belly is very bloated and can’t pass gas either. I have cramps every few minutes for few seconds.Last food I could keep, was lunch on Tuesday. My blood pressure is low from no energy.
I contacted my oncologist for help but if anyone has similar experience, I would appreciate if you can share it. Also if any home medicine? My doctor gave me magnesium hydroxide tablets for constipation.
I am really done here from all the pains 😞
Thank you 🙏
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Beatyourself
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Good morning dear Beatyourself. I'm really sorry to hear you are struggling so much, I believe you can't keep any food because you are severely constipated, there is no space in your tummy, the best thing that helps me is Lactulose, you can get it in any pharmacy without prescription, it's extremely sweet and not very tasty but does the trick every time for me.I hope this will help you and you will feel better soon. With best wishes, Dee. Xxxxx
So sorry to hear you’re experiencing this . I had 2 bowel obstructions while on Carbo Caelyx and ended up in hospital.
I still get constipated now while on chemo even on a different regime. I double up on laxatives, laxido and docusate to try and prevent it. Good luck x
Good morning Bea, so sorry to hear you are having problems again with chemo. I haven't suffered with constipation as I have a stoma, not done for ovarian cancer, but over 30yrs ago for ulcerative colitis! My bowel did get twisted after 4th carbo/taxol and ended up in hospital for a few days, a lot of pain😓but surgeon seems to have sorted bowel out with debulking🫰It does sound like you need more help to sort this out though. Do you have a specialist nurse you con contact? I have to take magnesium as stoma + chemo causes it to be low and this always makes bowel loose so hopefully it will help you🤞It took me at least 2 weeks to recover from my first round and had 2nd on Tuesday so keeping everything crossed for better experience this time, I think I know why they call Caelyx the red devil now😒
Sending my best wishes and hope you feel better very soon,
I did have a partial bowel obstruction after chemo (a different chemo), the pain was absolutely off the scale and the volume of vomit was unbelievable. It got really quite serious due to the amount of fluid I lost and I was rushed to A&E in an ambulance. For me it was difficult to diagnose in the days leading up to it because I was still passing stool (due to it only being a partial obstruction) so I was sent home after being checked out.
Is there a chemo helpline you can call at the oncology centre or a specialist nurse there you can call? I think they would very much want to check you over and possibly scan you to see if there is an obstruction. For me, steroids (plus nil by mouth and a lot of saline infusions) was the main treatment, to reduce inflammation around the bowel to ease the obstruction and after that I was fine, but it did take a 2 week hospital stay. I also had a naso gastric tube for a few days at the beginning to draw off the fluid from my stomach instead of vomiting it up.
I really think you need to get to hospital to get checked out, especially if you are not passing gas as that means nothing at all is getting through, which they should take very seriously. Please let us know how you get on xx
I’m so sorry you are suffering in this way. I had it to a point after surgery so I know how it feels. My GP sorted me out with Cosmocol but she was on the cusp of sending me to A&E so I do think you should be checked out to be on the safe side.
Moving on for when you are sorted out I discovered a few months ago that just 3 prunes before bed is an absolute gamechanger. I have not used any form of laxative since that first night and it’s been about 8 months now. No constipation and no straining to go.
I hope others with constipation concerns give this a try and see the results that I have.
Hi. I've just finished 6 sessions of Caelyx/carbon and has dreadful bowel problems that I didn't have with carbon/plaxitel. Bloating, slow bowel - as in things moving really slowly but thankfully no vomiting. I moved right off high fibre foods which really helped so no cruciferous green veg (cabbage, broccoli etc, no nuts or seeds or legumes (chick peas) etc and I took sennacot tablets every day and added prunes to my diet daily. (Syrup.of figs was also good but prunes are effective and much cheaper).I hope you get it sorted. Jax
imo I think you should contact GP or go to a and e. I had terrible pains and constipation after my second infusion of carbo/taxol. My husband took me to an and e. My bowel had perforated and required emergency surgery. Please get yourself checked .
Hi My dear, I am so sorry to hear. You must go to A&E immediately. I have experienced bowel obstruction before my 4th Chemo, it was the worst experience. Luckily it resolved without surgery. I didn’t eat or drink for 4-5days. I actually also had bowel obstruction after my OP and I had to go back to the theatre again. It is better you go to hospital ASAP and they will put NG tube on you to depressue your belly and it will be resolved in 48hours. With best wishes and lots of love. Xx
listen to the advice of those telling you to go to A and E. Blocked, twisted bowel needs medical assessment and can be dangerous. Until you’ve been assessed I don’t think you should be taking constipation remedies or fruit that induces bowel movement. If you are shivering, sweating, vomiting have diarrhoea and awful pain go to A and E.
I had a blocked bowel eight years ago and Doctors and A&E kept telling me it was constipation-it wasn’t and I was taken to A&E. Consultant said not being able to pass wind is a sure sign bowel is blocked. I had to have part of my bowel removed. Brilliant Surgeon no stoma, but I was in hospital for two weeks.
Please go to A&E and insist that it is sorted. I was a week being told it was constipation and nearly died so please don’t hesitate and good luck Lx
One more voice, please go to A&E (accident and emergency) to get checked out. If you're not passing gas you may have a total obstruction which is very dangerous. Please get some medical attention asap!
Thank you all lovely ladies for sharing the experiences and valuable advices!
I met my oncologists today and he said I made a mistake to decrease dosing of magnesiumhydroxise tablets and if I keep on taking them, it will be good.
He claims all problems come due to cancer that covers bowels (on top of debulking operation from last year) and so they need to be helped to pass better. For me it feels like chemo is eating my bowels …
I did manage toilette this morning and cramps disappeared but after eating chicken soup I got cramped again and had to throw up again.
So guess will have to take it step by step also with food intake.
Hi Beatyourself, I'm in exactly the same position as you. I went to A&E, had a scan and was told compact constipation. I was told to take 4 laxido a day. I went to toilet quite a lot so lay off the laxido. 2 weeks later I can't eat much and throw up if I over eat even a small meal. So back to A&E, we're I was offered a hennama but because I'd already been there hours and I would be sent back to waiting room for it to work, with only one toilet and room full of patients, I decided on second option, senna and laxido. A week later my symptoms are worse, not being able to eat or drink much before throwing up, I couldn't stand it any longer. Feeling weak and exhausted my husband called a ambulance. So I spent 3 days in hospital, had another scan, doc said my bowel could have twisted then twisted back then went to sleep. He said I need to move about more, drink plenty of water and tiny meals and he was confident it would resolve it's self. I just wish I had his confidence. I've been home 2 1/2 days and I'm trying to move more, sip water and eat tiny amounts and take the medication. I've been sick every day so far. So it's trial and error the amount to eat. Just feels like I'm trapped in a nightmare. I've been off my cancer treatment for about 8 weeks now because of it. So I feel like the clock is ticking. I hope yours is resolved soon because I know how painful and awful it is. Good luck ♥️.
Hello Mushymob, thank you for sharing your story. Fully can relate to it. Are you having same chemo cocktail ?
I ended up in cramps again yesterday but still took 3x2 magnesium hydroxide tablets and this morning walked 20 minutes for acupuncture (where she tried to stimulate digestion and bowel move). Almost fainted when I was done and had to throw up again but I had out of blue twice bad diarrhea so am confused. Cramps are less and stomach insecure. All this great advices from doctor are simple but so difficult to keep if you out of energy or already worried about consequences, right ?
But as you say, we keep on trying … my friend told me that I should eat like little baby so figured, just simple and single foods but couldn’t get to 6 times a day yet 🤪. Have hardly any appetite
Hope we can figure it out soonest, best wishes to you 😘🍀🍀🍀
Hi, I had that chemo combo at beginning of the year then was put on Rucaparib (Rubraca) tablets 1200. It's a parp inhibitor. One of the occasional side effects of it is, a blockage in the bowel. But before I got that I was doing OK. It was keeping the cancer in one place and putting it to sleep so to speak. So I'm hoping this obstruction will resolve soon before the dreaded C wakes up and starts to spread again. Talk about time ticking. Fingers crossed for us both. Good luck and best wishes xx
Yes, I was doing really well on it until my bowels decided to spoil things. I've not too it now for about two months. Now I'm back in hospital keeping my fingers crossed that it's going to get resolved. Not sure what is going to happen if it doesn't resolve it's self. I'm taking 2 laxido a day and hennama in the mornings. No food just sips of water... Watch this space... I'll let you know how I go on when I've something to report. Hope you're having better luck 🤞 ♥️.
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Caelyx
Gem / Carbo
Bowel Obstruction Management
Carbo/caelyx 2nd line
