Hi can anyone help, my man has started oral chemotherapy and seemed ok the next day but is now feeling really unwell. How long will the nausea last? Thank you
Hi Lauren. . It's harsh and the anti sickness tablet isn't as effective as you'd hope. . I don't know if there is actually a cut off point exactly as everyone's different. . But it is vital to stay hydrated and to be cautious of bacteria. . I'm sure you know all of this but from experience the bowels coupled with sickness will rapidly dehydrate someone and its added complications. . Wishing your man all the very best and keep the mind and body connection. . God bless x
So sorry to hear that your man is going through chemo in the first place, but as kkkerry2 said, everyone is different, so in terms of when the Nausea stops, I suppose is down to your partner and how the chemo effects him. My Mums first round of chemo went better than her second, the Nausea from her second round came a couple of hours after we had returned from the hospital, and only really subsided 8 days later.
Just follow the guidance you have been given, and make sure he stays hydrated, for the chance that he may be sick. I found the Queasy Drops helped my Mum so so much, and she has the Domperidone anti-sickness that the hospital prescribes. But if the anti-sickness that has been given to your partner doesn't seem to be helping, then you can always ask for another one to be given to him, as a lot of the time they use a standard tablet, and there are lots of others out there for him to try.
Just keep remembering that the chemo he is having Is kicking butt! Haha.
Thank you for your reply, I haven’t heard of queasy drops but that’s a good idea and will have a look. I just can’t imagine another 6 months and hope the sickness gets better (typo meant my Nan not man). X
Have a look on here or try Amazon for the Queasy Drops, they're brilliant, and the flavours of them (they're like sweets and lollypops) my mum says are nice and she can actually taste them even though chemo is ruining her taste. There are also Ginger ones, ginger is brilliant for anti-sickness, so maybe look to see if there is anything with Ginger in that can help.
The Sea Bands are good too, they really help with Nausea. They're just a pair of Cotton wristbands that you wear over your pulse points, which somehow helps with sickness, so maybe those could help her too.
And it does seem never ending, it seems like we are constantly at the hospital with Mum at the moment. I know exactly how you feel hun, but right now my Mum is half way through her treatment, and it feels like a small milestone. She's keeping a scrapbook of this time, and putting a positive spin on things which I think helps her.
But honestly, you can message me anytime you need to talk to someone who really understands.
Thank you so much for your reply - just managed to get hold of queasy drops, they were sold out everywhere! So crossed they’ll work. Nan just had her second round so hoping it will get a bit easier. She has some travel sickness bands, she is in her 80’s so a bit reluctant to try new things but she is coming round to it. Sending my best wishes to you and your mum - all a bit new and hard to get your head around. The nurses and all the staff are amazing which is making things easier.
Hope your Nan is doing ok after the second round of chemo, stay strong for her, sounds like your doing an amazing job supporting her.
Just to echo the others comments really:
So important to stay hydrated! Dehydration makes nausea so much worse, small sips when she feels ill but also a large glass with meals or before a cup of tea. also really important to be hydrated in the days before treatment. If you think she is getting very dehydrated ask the nurses about a saline drip, I don’t know how this works with oral chemo but I felt much better for it when I had it with intravenous treatment
Queasy drops are amazing!! As are lemon sherberts, cola drops or whatever her favourite boiled sweet is! I think the trick is in sucking a sugary sweet
If none of this works, call the nurses and they can suggest how and when to take the antisickness meds and will be able to steer her to different sickness medication if it is needed, people respond differently to the different ones. The oncology support nurses are amazing and shouldn’t mind you calling on her behalf.
They have access to far better drugs than Amazon and it can take a while to get the balance and the dosage right. I made he mistake of thinking the nausea was inevitable and suffered unnecessarily for a fortnight before asking for help.
Drinking water little and often helped, as did ginger nut biscuits - very old school I know!
I had that same problem in December when I was trying to get them! Haha, must be everyone using them!
And oh bless her, I hope it does get easier for her, just let her oncologist know if things are making her nausea really bad though, because that's what we did when we went to see my mum's oncologist last week, and she's made sure her dose for her next chemo, which is tomorrow, has been lowered in strength. Not too low that it doesn't do anything obviously haha, but we are hoping it'll be a lot less harsh that way. Your Nan sounds just like my Grandpa who's 75, he always says I'm the stubborn one (I wonder where i get it from! Haha) but it's good that she's coming round to things, there's new things being developed all the time so I'm glad she's trying things that may help. We also have a brill team of doctors and nurses so I Appreciate how much easier they can make things for you!
Lots of love and hugs to you and your Nan (I hope she likes the Queasy Drops and they help!) And I hope she's already got past the hardest parts of chemo now, wish her well for the rest of her treatment.
And yeah, like Davek said, tell her nurses if you feel she needs a stronger anti-sickness, but the Queasy Drops aren't just sold on Amazon, they're sold and recommended on all cancer sites alike, and my mum's on a whole bunch of anti-sickness medication that doesn't quite do the job, yet the Queasy Drops do! Haha. So do whatever helps your Nan, every person is different, but if you feel the anti-sickness she's been taking aren't working, maybe suggest a change
