Help! Chemo Nausea

Molly I was only allowed to take the Steroid for 2 days only after each infusion, to be honest that wasnt the clincher in terms of helping me at all, whether I had that or not. Im not sure if you can have it for longer or not. Honestly I tried everything for Nausea it was relentless, in the end Ativan was the only thing that well it actually put me to sleep, I still felt nauseas but not as bad if that makes sense? so I continued with that through FEC its the only thing that got me through. Be really open over communicate to your team, give them a call tomorrow and see what they say? the more they know, the more they can rejig your meds to try and help! Feeling for you!! its rough!! Hugs Melinda xo

Karen, I'm doing fairly well with extra dexamethesone steroid. I hope they are able to offer me this regime like you had. Are there risks with taking steroid for longer? Mel, were you offered extra steroid for the week after? Or are you alergic or didn't work well?

@Karenhappyquilter I have to say you described it perfectly, exactly how I was and my oncology nurse noticed, that's how we worked out I was allergic. Ativan strangely was the only thing that helped me combat the nausea. It's the hardest thing! 

Ativan and a steroid dexamethasone helped me. I took them for a week after each chemo because I had a lot of nausea. I had a strange reaction to  ondansatron so avoided it and also an "allergic" type response to Maxalon (it gave me Parkinson's disease like tremors) and didn't help the nausea much.  Also I drank lots of ginger beer, lots of little meals.  Also sports drinks went down easily.  I found the mouth wash they gave me made me feel sick so I stopped using it.  It's definitely horrible when you get the nausea.  Strangely some people don't get it which is lucky for them.  Just writing this comment has made me feel slightly nuaseus! Very best luck.  

Molly for my 2nd, 3rd and 4th infusion of FEC I was put in hospital for 3 days on a drip as I couldn't hydrate and was just so sick in pain too. It did help getting that head start however once home still struggled.. 

Good on you Marg! I'm huge into alternative therapies but have always said used in conjunction with medicine. They are more of helping to deal with symptoms and side effects of treatment. I think people get a little carried away thinking for Gods Sake that anyone would replace treatment with fully alternative...I certainly don't and I'm a Reiki Master.

make sure you tell your team as hopefully they'll find something that works. It sounds like you're drug sensitive too as this is how it presented for me. I promise there is light at the end, day at a time, you will get through. Day at a time is the only way. Hugs Melinda xo 

Thanks ladies for your tips. Well maxalon & ondansatron was useless. Persisted for 24 hours but ended up on the rescue steroids today as I could no longer eat or drink. That plus endone for the bone pain & I feel back from the brink. Hope they've got some better drugs for me next round or else I'm not sure how I'm going to get myself into that chair. So amazed at all who've done this & grateful you can all help me through it. Although I'm not that keen Marg, home pharmaceuticals may be needed if that's all that'll get me out of that pit of misery.

Was given anti nausea medication and was told to take it as soon as I had a mild sensation of nausea. I was told to take it as soon as possible if I began having any symptons. I am normally not a fan of taking any medication but learnt that it was very effective when I did take it early. I was lucky and my nausea did settle down over time.Everyones different and for some they are not so lucky.

Just wanted to say I was allergic to Maxolon, and even recently in hospital was given Ordansetron, they gave me a dose it did not work...they come back and are like it shouldve worked!! UMmmm NO it didnt they give me more...still didnt work. I found ZERO anti nausea meds worked at all, the only thing that helped me through 4.5 months of feeling nausea?? was Ativan...Just make sure you communicate everything with your team so they can get on top of things quickly. Hugs Melinda xo

As well as the anti nausea meds mentioned by the other ladies I sipped constantly  on ginger tea both hot and cold (a few slices of fresh ginger steeped in boiling water) which helped me. Also at times sucked on pieces of crystallized ginger. Maxolon did nothing for me.
Hope your nausea eases soon x

I've been able to manage with a cannabis and coconut oil infusion. This may not be strictly legal, but this is a good forum to share anything information relating to cancer treatments. I know there is a good deal of curiosity about cannabis and I have researched the topic and spoken to a number of people who have used the drug in a similar way to what I have done.

I put about 10 grams of very dry cannabis buds into a tray and cover it with 500 ml of the best organic liquid coconut oil I can buy. I put the tray into the oven at 120 degrees and leave it there for about 4 hours. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn, which it shouldn't at that temp. It stinks, so be aware that any visitors are going to wonder what the hell you are up to. Take the tray out of the oven and leave it sit over night then strain with the finest sieve you have  I store the infused oil in the fridge where it goes semi solid.  

The antiemetics given prior to chemo work for about three days for me. I take the oil infusion for about three days after that. I take a teaspoon of this mix twice a day, once after lunch and again about midnight. The pot is of reasonable quality, is several years old and was kindly donated. 

Now, the disclaimer. I chose to do this as I found out ten years ago that commercial antiemetics really disagree with me. I am sharing my personal experience and am in no way advocating that anyone else should persue any alternative therapy.  My oncologist, my GP and the staff  at the oncology ward are all aware of what I am doing. Other things to keep in mind:

• Cannabis is illegal. Growing it, buying it or using it is against the law
• It is not possible to effectively gauge the strength of this infusion
• Operating machinery or driving a car while under the influence of any illegal substance will get you into a world of legal trouble and could cost you and others dearly. 
• I do not drive a car for at least 24 hours after taking this infusion. Cannabis can stay in your system for weeks, but the soporific effects of this infusion last for less than 12 hours for me.
• I take this oil as a way of managing my nausea. It also helps me sleep and I feel it alleviates some of the muscle pain associated with chemotherapy
• I do not believe that this infusion will have any effect on the course of my disease and am not taking it as a treatment for my cancer
• Cannabis derivatives are currently being trialled as a remedy for nausea associated with chemotherapy. This product differs from the drugs being trialled as it is an infusion rather than a distillation.

So, there you go. I am happy to answer any questions but can't help anyone who wants to source this product or its ingredients. Now my chemo is finished I won't be taking it any more as I won't need it. Marg