Peritoneal Mesothelioma & Relief of Gas Due to Tumor Blockage

According to the Mayo Clinic, 2,000 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States every year. A rare cancer that occurs in a thin layer of tissue that surrounds your abdomen, peritoneal mesothelioma can sometimes cause gas, bloating and fluid retention. There are surgical and medical options to treat peritoneal mesothelioma that should reduce your symptoms. Also try diet changes to help ease digestion.

Medical Options

• According to Cancer Help UK, some people who are diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma may be able to have surgery to help get rid of the cancerous cells. Patients should be fit, though, and the Mayo Clinic says that surgery is usually only beneficial when peritoneal mesothelioma is caught early.

  During a peritonectomy, a surgeon will remove the parts of the periotoneum---the lining of the abdomen---where the cancer is growing. Your doctor might also perform cytoreductive surgery. During this surgery, she might perform as many as six different perionectomy procedures to remove as much of the cancer as she can.

  During and after the surgery, she might apply heated chemotherapy directly into the peritoneal cavity. To do this, your surgeon will place a catheter directly into your abdomen after cutting into the wall of your abdomen. Heated chemotherapy drugs are given through the catheter. This is particularly helpful if you're in the early stages of peritoneal mesothelioma.

  Speak to your doctor about other chemotherapy options to shrink your cancerous tumor. Generally, treatments are given every two to three weeks on an outpatient basis. The goal of chemotherapy is to shrink the cancerous cells and keep them from growing.

  If your peritoneal mesothelioma is advanced, you may be too ill to undergo surgery or chemotherapy. To relieve gas and abdominal swelling that makes you feel uncomfortable and heavy, try a procedure called abdominal paracentesis. During this procedure, a needle is inserted into your abdomen to remove excess fluid. This is usually an outpatient procedure, and local anesthesia is applied.

Foods

• If your peritoneal mesothelioma is too advanced for surgery, try some supplements and diet changes to help make digestion an easier process for your strained abdominal cavity. Avoid foods that cause gas, such as sugars, starches and fiber. Watch out for the sugars raffinose, lactose, fructose and sorbitol, because these are the sugars that generally cause gas. When you're avoiding excess fiber, avoid foods that contain soluble fiber. Soluble fiber isn't broken down until it reaches the large intestine. Find soluble fiber in peas, beans, oat bran and most fruits.