Frequent Bowel Movements 3 to 4 Days After 5-FU Leucouvorin Disconnect

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Muffin1259
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 8:03 am

Frequent Bowel Movements 3 to 4 Days After 5-FU Leucouvorin Disconnect

Postby Muffin1259 » Wed May 01, 2019 10:48 pm

Hi All, New here...My mom has been on Maintenace Chemo of 5-FU/Leucovorin for 3 years now...Has anyone had a problem with more frequent bowel movements??? This usually happens 3-4 days after disconnect...I'm getting worried it could be something more serious...Last scan was 3 Months ago and the tumor in her colon was stable...Any help would be appreciated...

Thanks in advance!!!

Paula

hiker
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:15 am

Re: Frequent Bowel Movements 3 to 4 Days After 5-FU Leucouvorin Disconnect

Postby hiker » Thu May 02, 2019 3:52 am

Hey there Paula,

5FU can do terrible things to the bowels. The worst part of it for me was terrible constipation, but other people I've spoken with get just the opposite. Has she had a recent colonoscopy? That's the only way to really see what's going on in there. A CT usually won't pick up anything in the colon until there's a good size tumor.

What treatment has your mom had other than chemo? She hasn't had surgery to remove the colon tumor?

hiker
Colonoscopy 2/17, 5cm tumor descending
Diagnosed stage iv, liver mets 3/17
Colon resection 3/17
Told surgery not an option, get my affairs in order
Meet w/MSK team 5/01/17
Folfox(3rds) 5/17-6/17
Liver resection/implant HAI pump 7/17
HAI pump chemo(5rds) 8/17-2/18
Folfiri+Vectibix(11rds) 8/17-2/18
Spot on chest CT 10/17
Lung biopsy (that was fun) 11/17
Nocardia bacterial infection w/spread to brain (this is serious) 11/17
IV antibiotics 12/17-2/18
Oral antibiotics 3/18-12/18
Clear of cancer since surgery

Muffin1259
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 8:03 am

Re: Frequent Bowel Movements 3 to 4 Days After 5-FU Leucouvorin Disconnect

Postby Muffin1259 » Thu May 02, 2019 7:37 am

Hi Hiker,

Thanks for the reply...Mom had surgery September of 2014...Removed part of colon, appendix, an ovary and fallopian tube...NED until Oncologist noticed a spike in her CEA to 30...This was discovered March of 2016...CT Scan showed a 4 cm mass another area in the colon...PET Scan showed no metastasis... Decided on chemo...Started Folfox on April 1st of 2016...12 cycles...Tumor shrunk...After Folfox she went on Maintenace Chemo regimen of 5-FU/Leucovorin infusion for 46 hours every two weeks...Stable scans everytime...CEA in the 3 range...

She has never had a colonoscopy...They only do CT Scans...

She's done great on both chemo regimens...Barely any side effects...Except some neuropathy from the Folfox...Only had to use nausea meds a couple of times...

I have noticed almost everytime after 5-FU/Leucovorin within 3-4 days her bowels go nuts for a day or two...She's actually had an issue ever since the surgery...Surgeon said this was normal...

But, the past two infusions...Two weeks ago and again this past Friday...Things are just worse...She's disconnected on Sunday...Last time problem started Monday...This time things were crazy starting yesterday...Pretty much in the bathroom within an hour of eating...

I'm her only caregiver and a bit of a worry wart...Hopefully, I'm just reading things into this...

natelaugh
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2019 11:40 pm

Re: Frequent Bowel Movements 3 to 4 Days After 5-FU Leucouvorin Disconnect

Postby natelaugh » Tue May 07, 2019 12:51 am

@Paula,
My dad is on 5FU and leucovorin. The oncologist prescribe my dad loperamide hydrochloride for anti-diarrhea. However, my dad has constipation so we never use it.

@hiker,
What med or things did you do to help with constipation?

Thanks,
Nate.
Caregiver to 80M
DX:CC,RC,desc
11/2018 rightPain
1/19/19 scopy,path
1/23 CTscan
2/19 surgery
2/26-2/28 NGTube
2/28-3/14 TPN bc ileus
3/2 2nd surgeryCloseOpenWound
3/4-3/28 woundVac
size: 6cm Adenocarcinoma
grade Poorly
Stage IIIC T3N2aMx
PositiveLymph:5of28
BaselineCEA:68
LVI:Y
PNI:N
Surgical margins:clear
MSI:MMR (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2) Intact nuclear expression
Lynch status:N
Laparascopic, partial colectomy
CEA:3/28/19 2.8
Chemo:4/16/19-9/17/19 5FU,12cycles,every 14days,leucoverin,zofran,Dexamethasone

hiker
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:15 am

Re: Frequent Bowel Movements 3 to 4 Days After 5-FU Leucouvorin Disconnect

Postby hiker » Tue May 07, 2019 8:37 am

Paula,

Is there a reason a colonoscopy is not being done? That's basic stuff and the only way to get a good look around in there.

Nate,

I tried just about everything to help with the constipation and the only thing to worked at all was Miralax. Take it the day before and day of infusion and it should help get things moving.

hiker
Colonoscopy 2/17, 5cm tumor descending
Diagnosed stage iv, liver mets 3/17
Colon resection 3/17
Told surgery not an option, get my affairs in order
Meet w/MSK team 5/01/17
Folfox(3rds) 5/17-6/17
Liver resection/implant HAI pump 7/17
HAI pump chemo(5rds) 8/17-2/18
Folfiri+Vectibix(11rds) 8/17-2/18
Spot on chest CT 10/17
Lung biopsy (that was fun) 11/17
Nocardia bacterial infection w/spread to brain (this is serious) 11/17
IV antibiotics 12/17-2/18
Oral antibiotics 3/18-12/18
Clear of cancer since surgery

boxhill
Posts: 789
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:40 am

Re: Frequent Bowel Movements 3 to 4 Days After 5-FU Leucouvorin Disconnect

Postby boxhill » Tue May 07, 2019 12:11 pm

Lots of us have ongoing diarrhea. During folfox and afterwards. Since part of the function of the colon is to remove liquid from the stool, having less of it left means watery stools for many.

I don't understand the rationale of not removing the second tumor, but then I'm not a doctor. Where is the tumor?
F, 64 at DX CRC Stage IV
3/17/18 blockage, r hemi
11 of 25 LN,5 mesentery nodes
5mm liver met
pT3 pN2b pM1
BRAF wild, KRAS G12D
dMMR, MSI-H
5/18 FOLFOX
7/18 and 11/18 CT NED
12/18 MRI 5mm liver mass, 2 LNs in porta hepatis
12/31/18 Keytruda
6/19 Multiphasic CT LNs normal, Liver stable
6/28/19 Pause Key, predisone for joint pain
7/31/19 Restart Key
9/19 CT stable
Pain: all fails but Celebrex
12/23/19 CT stable
5/20 MRI stable/NED
6/20 Stop Key
All MRIs NED


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