Not feeling so good

Glad yo hear it AliMarie. You're not an annoyance! Don't suffer in silence. They have all kinds of meds to help. They need you to tell them how you feel so they know what to give you. No one knows what side effects you'll get til you get them, so speak up. Your comfort is important. Rest up & I hope you feel better soon.

Just a tip if you are having the ondasetron wafers. I found the taste started to make me squeemish too...so I'd put a sugar free mint in my mouth first then the wafer. Worked a treat. Nothing too hot though. I needed stemitil 3 times daily also (maxalon didn't agree with me plus I got dizziness even when looking at my phone, stemitil solved it)  and took the wafers half hour before my meals. 

@AliMarie, glad you're feeling a bit better. Hang in there.

Thats great! Absolutely, do not put up with anything, I learnt the hard way too, I didnt want to whinge or complain. Honestly, the sooner you call the sooner they can sort things out. xx Melinda

Thankyou all so much. I made the call and now have some Zofran (Ondasetron) and even within the hour I feel some improvement!! It's true, I needed to make the call but didn't want to feel like an annoyance....of course I was told by the staff to always call and never 'put up' with symptoms. It's all so new and overwhelming. Thankyou again to all of you for your advice xx

@AliMarie I remember my Oncology Team saying the first cycle dictates pretty much your tolerance and how you will cope. Mine was shocking, I did 4 FEC 3 weeks apart, 2nd infusion I had to be put in hospital for 2 days and with the remainder of them also. I'm drug sensitive so they said I never had a hope with it worst luck. Anti Nausea meds didnt work, I reacted to Maxolon they said and took me off it. Ativan is the only thing that gave me any sort of relief, the pain meds I couldnt take and suffered 4.5 months on panadol osteo and nurofen. @LMK74 I'm surprised with the Dex as being a steroid I was only prescribed to take for 2 days that's it no more. Once I realised how I was going to be I had to reassess my 'so called plans' of how I was going to tackle the rest. I ended up having to stop work, was chronically ill and in horrendous pain by the end. Gee at 20 months its a distant memory, I have no idea how I got through, it was hell, but I did!! and am really feeling great these days :) can't say I'd do it again LOL. Hugs Melinda xo

Hi @AliMarie, The first cycle sucks! I though of it as my body going 'holy crap, what's that!' Best advice I got was to keep a diary of the side effects each day. I seemed to get a new side effect each day. Then be open and honest with your oncologist and they can help you manage it all. The only nausea I felt was after my first cycle. I found having Sustagen helped, as mine was connected to feeling hungry. And keep hydrated :)

I drank heaps of tap water but ours here is a higher pH. It has the same effect of a tiny bit of bicarb soda in water which will make you burp those disgusting chemo burps away. Drink lots, not just a little. 

@Molly001 has given you great advice. There is a reason the idea of chemo freaks us out, it can be a most unpleasant experience. You can only deal with the issues as they arrive.

As for different reactions to chemo, it's like stting in a bar watching people drink wine. Some chug it down with little visible effect, others fall off their stools and throw up after two glasses. It's all about your individual chemistry and there isn't much you can do about it except keep your team informed so they can tinker with your meds. Keep in mind it is a cycle, most of us have good days and bad days. I struggled with starting to feel better then having to go back into the mincer, but if you choose to take the treatment that's part of the deal.

I found soda water more palatable than tap water. It also helps  lift some of the crud off your tongue if you use it as a mouth wash and spit out the first couple of mouthfuls.

Yes ..definetly call and seek help. I needed ondasetron and stemitil and took it religiously as well as dexamethasone for 4 days instead of 2.