Severe burning in the esophagus after chemo

Hi, new here so if I am repeating something which has been covered before, apologies. I am on round 2 of rituximab and bentamustine for relapsed follicular lymphoma S3 G1/2. On my 1st round I had severe acid reflux, the pain horrendous and after a gastroscope concluded there was some inflamation in the stomach and given lanzaprozole 30mg to take twice a day. After a few days things settled (week 3 of chemo regime) Had second dose in week 4 as planned. Now again suffering terrible with burning pain in esophagus/chest starting day 5 after chemo now on day 11. I am convinced the chemo is doing this, attacking the cells of the wall of the esophagus....has anyone else had to deal with this, what helped? Following a very bland smooth diet, staying upright etc but nothing helps...feels very scary at times as I feel my heart banging in my chest too but think this may be anxiety! Is it possible to have a weaker dose of chemo? I am going to chat with my team today but wondered if any of you have any words of wisdom before I do. Thanks in advance. 

  • Hi there,

    I'm on a completely different regime from you and haven't had anything quite as bad yet. But, as someone who has never experienced acid reflux or heartburn or any of those types of conditions, with this new chemo regime I am noticing that my oesophagus and inside of my stomach feel very 'raw', the inside of my stomach has felt incredibly painful at times and I do try to avoid acidic and peppery foods now (very unlike me, and making for a *** menu).

    Chemo can destroy the lining of your digestive tract so I guess the symptoms are probably quite common but yours is obviously severe and definitely worth getting checked out.  They may be able to give you medication to help or if they think the problem is severe enough or dangerous they might alter your chemo regime.

    Let us know how you get on.

    LJx