Fecal Incontinence - Many months after chemo is over

Hello,

My Mom finished chemo in November '08. She is 87 & was diagnosised with Stage 3C last June.  After Carbo/Taxol/Plat chemo treatments-No surgery she is now technically cancer free. 

She is feeling great.  This outcome is just short of a miracle in my family's eyes & heart.  Everyone remember that miracles do happen!

The one issue she has been experiencing is sudden urge to go & as she describes it, "explosive diarrhea".  All of her other side effects have gone away but even after 5 months without chemo this still occurs.

Has anyone else had experience with this?  Any ideas or thoughts on how to help her with this?

Thanks so much. Your wisdom is priceless.

MaryAnn

 

My question is, how do they KNOW she is cancer free?  Perhaps the tests that were run did not show cancer which could be there.  And, there is her age.  Chemo does strange things to the body.  I experienced a similar feeling after chemo with urination.   It has cleared up now.  Perhaps in time her body will take care of it.  

Good luck, I wish you the best.

 

I, too, was told I was cancer free only because the CA 125 count was at 24 from 904 at surgery last August.  I had a ileostomy reversal and the oncologist felt around as he put the ileostomy back together and felt two very small tumors.  They were cancerous and again the ca125 was at 24.  I start again on chemo (avastin, cisplatin, and gemzar) starting April 1st.  If it hadn't been for the reversal, I would have thought I was in remission.

 

I was diagnosed stage IIIC in October 2007 at the age of 49. Other than the cancer, I was/am a very healthy person for my age. I had 6 months of the carbo/Taxol and thankfully have been in remission ( ca-125 of 6 !) ever since. Unlike most women who end up constipated during treatments, I had frequent diarrhea. After I was done with treatments in April 2008, I still had occasional bouts of diarrhea for about 3 or 4 months. To this day, I do experience periods where there seems to be a real urgency in moving my bowels. Chemo does do damage to the entire digestive tract, so I can see why there can still be some problems months later. Based on your mother's age, and the fact that she appears to be in remission, I wouldn't be too concerned, but it is definitely something to talk to the doctor about.

I believe in miracles too.  I am still hoping that God heals me and well aware that it is the only way to be cancer free.  However, I was told that I was cancer free after months of chemo and debulking surgery.  My CAT scans never showed cancer cells as they were to microscopic to see on the scan.  I did have a recurrance after 6 months to my surprise and the doctor's as well.  I don't think there is such a thing as cancer free, but I do believe in miracles.  Keep the faith.  Deb

 

On 3/23/2009 madwomyn wrote:

Hello,

My Mom finished chemo in November '08. She is 87 & was diagnosised with Stage 3C last June.  After Carbo/Taxol/Plat chemo treatments-No surgery she is now technically cancer free. 

She is feeling great.  This outcome is just short of a miracle in my family's eyes & heart.  Everyone remember that miracles do happen!

The one issue she has been experiencing is sudden urge to go & as she describes it, "explosive diarrhea".  All of her other side effects have gone away but even after 5 months without chemo this still occurs.

Has anyone else had experience with this?  Any ideas or thoughts on how to help her with this?

Thanks so much. Your wisdom is priceless.

MaryAnn

 

Hi MaryAnn.

Congratulations to your Mom. Miracles do happen . I strongly believe that either her cancer was in early stages or  because she was just dealing with chemotherapy .Most of us we had surgeries first and than chemo and we are experiencing recurrences. Her incontinence is a normal thing with diarrhea..chemo killed her positive bacteria and sometimes months after chemo this will be happening to her.Please buy her probiotics in a Natural food store they must contain acidophillus and bifidus and give this to her after meals.

The probiotics will help to restoreher positive bacteria in her colon.

I did that with every chemo and did not vomit once.

Honey give your Mom a hug for being so BRAVE in her beautiful age.

Bella