Lingering GI issues after last chemo

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Autum1031
Autum1031 Member Posts: 31
edited December 2017 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

I had my last chemo round of AC on December 6th and 7th, and I have to say, I'm pretty miserable. This last round hit me HARD. The fatigue is still really crushing, but more worrisome are the GI issues, which I did not have with the other rounds of AC, or with the 12 weeks of Abraxane. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem -- I'm going to get pretty TMI below.

I started getting loose BMs on the first Saturday - December 9th - and they haven't subsided, now on Day 9 (December 17). I don't typically have diarrhea - I just suddenly get that horrible cramping gassy pain that comes with Big D, I rush to the bathroom. Everything comes out with urgency and it's soft/loose, but not all watery like with diarrhea. I then feel horrible for a few hours later, still pretty crampy, sometimes even nauseous. I've had to take my anti-nausea meds twice in the past few days, which I've never had to do this far past chemo.

I see my medical oncologist in a few days, but I'd also like to hear from others who have gone through this. I haven't taken any Immodium because I'm not having the explosive diarrhea that others have talked about and I don't think it would help.

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited December 2017

    I'm almost 6 years out from chemo but I remember those GI issues well. I never had them before, so it was a shock when I had them during AC. I had severe heart burn. My MO had me take an over-the-counter liquid antacid which really helped. I also had diarrhea. About two weeks after my last AC chemo, it all started to get better.

    Glad you are seeing your MO soon!

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  • mustlovepoodles
    mustlovepoodles Member Posts: 2,825
    edited December 2017

    Ugh. How well I remember! I had persistent diarrhea from the very first chemo. I'd have 7-8 loose-to-watery stools per day. It was debilitating and I even had a few accidents when it came on me too fast to get to a bathroom. It got marginally better after chemo was done, but not a lot. I finally saw a GI doctor, who put me on Welchol to slow things down. Welchol is an old cholesterol drug whose main SE is constipation.

    Blessed life! This stuff was like a miracle. Immediately the diarrhea was better. I went from 7-8 loose stools a day to 1-2 soft stools every 2-3 days. Gradually I was able to wean down the Welchol from twice a day to 2-3 times a week and eventually stopped it altogether.

    Best of luck to you. Chemo was very hard on my gut and it took about 18 months to heal. I still have a day of diarrhea here and there, but it's 2000% better now.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited December 2017

    I was IBS-D before ever being diagnosed with breast cancer, but it was managed fairly well with diet. I had issues with the Big D throughout the six chemo infusions and it continued after chemo, while I was still on Herceptin. One of the onc nurses suggested starting a probiotic now that I was done with the chemo, and this made all the difference. Hoping you can get this under control soon - it will go a long way to helping you feel like you're done and on the way back to strength and wellness!

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