Is this normal?? Nodules in Stomach

[SusanC]

My Mum 70 has had 1 round of Carboplatin, all went well. She has however had severe pain when eating, she advise her oncologist of this and was given Morphine medicine. This has not helped at all and out of deperation she went back to her GP yesterday.

Her GP asked if she was aware of what she had, Mum said "Not really", The doctor told her she has a large growth on her left ovary and a smaller one on her right, also nodules in the stomach. This is what has been giving her the problems with pain. The doctor told her that every time she eats the food has to pass these nodules and that is what is causing the severe pain.. She prescribed her Hyoscine to be taken before eating. Mum started them yesterday and what a difference, she managed to eat,and sleep with no pain.

Are stomach nodules a common thing with Ovarian Cancer? Any help / advice would be much appreciated.

Also can anyone advise when the Carboplatin starts to work, her GP told her give it a month and she would notice a difference.

Sue

[Hidden]

Hi Sue,

I'm not a doctor but I think what the GP said to your Mum about noticing a difference after one month was perhaps rather careless. In my patient experience (5 years of receiving chemo) a cumulative effect is required for chemo to have maximum impact, and it can only be quantified or measured via a scan. It is really only for your Mum's Oncologist to comment on this, though, as GP's do not have the specialist knowledge, so I would encourage you to ask him that question.

Good luck

Gill J

[SusanC in reply to Hidden]

Jill

Thank you for your reply, Mum had mentioned to her Gyn consultant and also to the Onc consultant about the servere pain she was in and neither of them picked up on what the problem was, they just told her to take pain killers.

Yet her GP said striaght away what she thought was the problem. 3 weeks on and Mum has been so much better, I think what the GP meant was that after a month she should be feeling better and could start to try fruit, veg and brown bread again. Her GP has just returned to work after having traetment this year for Breast Cancer so I think she is very sympathetic to my Mums condition.

Mum had 2nd chemo yesterday, all went well.

Her CA125 in Aug before diagnosis was 344

Oct before 1st chemo it had risen to 1440

and Nov just before 2nd Chem it had dropped to 490.

Not sure if this is what normally happens though.

Sue

[RuthPOvacome]

I am one of the support line nurses at Ovacome and if you would like to give us a ring to discuss this please feel free to do do on 02072996650 Mon- Fri 10-5.

It would be useful if you were able to discuss either with the oncologist or specialist gynae nurse what is meant by the stomach nodules as the word stomach covers a lot of things from the stomach itself to anything within the abdomen.

We are pleased to hear that the medication that the GP prescribed has helped. The Carboplatin usually begins to affect the cancer after 1 or 2 doses.

[SusanC in reply to RuthPOvacome]

Ruth,

Thank you for your reply.

We spoke to her consultants registrar yesterday prior to her 2nd chem and was advised nodules on the peritoneal, also the liver has a 3cm lesion.

Right Ovary 7cm growth, Left Ovary 2.5 cm growth.

Her CA125 in Aug before diagnosis was 344

Oct before 1st chemo it had risen to 1440

and Nov just before 2nd Chem it had dropped to 490.

Not sure from the details above though of the stage, Mum was advised a month ago 3c but given the liver is involved I would have thought that stage 4.

The boating she was suffering with had eased somewhat as well, whether that is a result of the chemo or the Hyoscine I have no idea. It is just nice to know she is not up pacing the floor all night in such pain.

Sue