hi I am about to embarque on my third chemo session the last two have been awful due to nausea which lasts about a week it’s so bad I struggle to eat and force myself to drink . Any suggestions gratefully received I should say that I am prescribed anti sickness which I was loathe to take but this time intend to take them as instructed.
thankyou
Sickness and vomiting is awful and I really suffered during my transplant and recovery. I was taking 3 different types of anti sickness and even had a syringe driver for a while when I was vomiting/wretching almost every hour. I didn't eat for almost 30 days and really got out of the habit which is not good for your recovery. You lose a lot of muscle mass too 
These medications do work but you may need more than one type and they will really help you, please take them
Chris,
I am so sorry to hear you are having such a rough time with your treatment, and afraid no advice but hopefully you will feel better soon. 🤞
Colette
Sorry you're feeling rough from treatment.Try to take the anti sickness regularly whether you think you need it or not. This should help.
Suex
Thankyou I think that it probably what I didn’t do last time xx
Sorry you are having such a rough time. When I had chemo my greatest worry was nausea and when I told my nurse she said “then I will get something prescribed which will stop any nausea”. It was a huge tablet given to me before each session and I never once felt sick. I know this isn’t very helpful but tomorrow I will look through my chemo medical notes and see if it is named and let you know. It really was a wonder drug for me. x
Thankyou it would be great to know what it was the tablet I take is really small x
I was told by the nurse that they can change the anti sickness meds. After 2 treatments I felt really ill. I phoned the hospital and was told to collect a different med. Also to take the meds on a regular basis and not just when I needed them.It was much better after that. I had a rituximab infusion and a pile of pills. I tried taking the pills with milk which helped.
I was counting the time for it to be over but I dont regret it. I got umrd and didnt need treatment for 8 years. In that time we went on cruises and got to see some places I would never have seen.
Im always tired and fatigued now and we are discussing a holiday. Im not sure I hàve the strength.
Stay positive. When this is over you can plan something nice. Its horrible feeling so ill and I hope things improve. Take the pills all the time, they help, Anne uk
Can't give any advice, I'm afraid (lots of helpful tips from others though!) but just wanted to say well done on starting your third round already!!! I would take the drugs as well, religiously. I have read from others they do work. Sometimes we need a bit of extra help...this is incomparable but my friend is always surprised I have been on prophylactic antibiotics for two years - "Is that not kind of bad for you?" Sure it probably is but better than ending up in a hospital with sepsis!🙂I hope they can give you something that will help. Petra ❤️
Sorry to hear you’re feeling so sick. I would agree with others not to wait until you feel really sick to take the tablets.
Hope you’re feeling better soon.
Peggy
Hello Hil
I sometimes think nausea is worse than pain Do take the meds ondansetron which is Zofran is great but on a schedule as others have said. There are also ones they can use to alternate with the Zofran. Compazine is one I use with it. I do not have chemo but other reasons I get very nauseous and could not stand it without these two meds with me at all times.
Thinking of you sending prayers and energy.
I never had chemo but I'm already interested in the topic because one day I might need to have it. So I'm gathering information already. Others gave you conventional advice and here is an unconventional one: You may want to check out the YouTube channel of Jeff DeProsperis, called "Blessings on my journey" and see whether there is something you find useful in the approach. If you don't then at least you learn something about how others are trying to tackle the issue.
My husband was given intravenous metoclopromide an hour before his chemo started, then oral Ondansetron and metoclopromide every 4-6 hours(dependingon your dosage) regularly for at least 24 hours after.
They didn't do this for his first chemo session, but instead told him to ask for meds if he felt sick, but once he started throwing up, nothing helped. So, I asked them to give him the antisickness ahead of time and his subsequent sessions were much better. He also had some ginger chews to settle his stomach and help with taste buds, which he used as and when needed.
I was extremely annoyed with the hospital for telling him he needed to ask for antisickness meds, when it was virtually certain that his body would react to the chemo this way. Once they gave him the meds ahead of time, he was only a tiny bit nauseous the first time but wasn't sick at all during his subsequent chemo cycles.
Apparently, the issue is that chemo triggers something in your brain that tells you to be sick, so taking metoclopromide 1 hour before chemo gives the antisickness meds a chance to prepare your brain to ignore those sickness signals. His fricking hematologist told me this, so I don't understand why they didn't just start the meds proactively from the beginning. Presumably to save costs. The nurses were a bit reluctant when I told them to do it this way, but you just have to be firm and tell them you know the chemo will make you sick so you don't need to 'wait and see' first.
I really hope this method helps you, cause I know the sickness can be horrendous.
Thankyou I find it sad to hear your experience with the hospital staff unfortunately it is all too common I will be sure to take any medication I need x
"Apparently, the issue is that chemo triggers something in your brain that tells you to be sick" - this makes intuitive sense. The brain registers that you have been poisoned. So it tells you to stop eating whatever it was that you ate. Evolution did not yet catch up with the possibility that poisons can be intravenously injected into humans.
I am on my fifth round and learned very quickly to take every anti nausea drug they could prescribe, it worked!
👍
Hello. I’m so sorry to hear how you’re feeling 😔… I’m sure the treatment will be well worth it, but it’s no consolation when you’re feeling so rubbish.
My husband had FCR for CLL back in 2015 and was very sick, bless him. The anti sickness tablets didn’t help much, but it’s definitely a good idea to take them before you actually feel sick.
Paul found that the only thing he could face was those packs of Chicken Supernoodles (yuk! )… a strange thing, but it did help ( unlike the ginger that I suggested!🤦♀️)
I think an ice lolly might also be an idea 🤔
Wishing you all the best,
Fran xx
P.S. he went on to have a good few years without treatment and then Venetoclax, which was much more palatable! 😉
My specialist prescribed Ativan, an anti anxiety drug, along with the anti nausea meds. I would get so anxious at the thought of vomiting nonstop again. It worked for me. It made me very sleepy so I could get through the rough days. Best of luck. Sally
Thankyou will bear in mind xx
I sympathise as I felt ill for around a week too. The nurse suggested eating something fresh tasting, like tinned pineapple when I felt ill. It did help. Also tinned mandarin oranges were good. I pretty much lived off them. I found it weird that I could feel so ill and yet be hungry, but then unable to eat, the fruit helped. .
I found it useful to keep alcohol wipes near me. I even kept them in my purse. Simply take a whiff and it will keep the impending nausea at bay. I was told this trick by an oncology nurse. I wish you the best.
I will certainly try that one Thankyou x
hi, when I had chemo (BR) I used a relief band on the day I knew the nausea would start. I couldn't tolerate the nausea pills and as long as I had the band on before the nausea started it really helped. Check it out at reliefband.com
Not sure, the relief band has batteries and generates a pulse to a nerve in your wrist...you can control the amount of pulses you need....it is used for morning sickness and motion sickness too
That's pretty awful that it lasts a week .. Dr. Valter Longo at USC has done a study on using the fasting mimicking diet 2 or 3 days before the chemo and 2 days after with surprising success ...---- below is some info from other sources .. blessings , james
…
"A fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) may help with chemotherapy nausea:
Description
An FMD is a low-calorie, low-protein, low-carb diet that's plant-based. One regimen involves eating up to 600 calories on the first day and 300 calories on the remaining days for five days, for a total of 1,800 calories. The cycle can be repeated every three to four weeks for up to eight cycles. Another regimen involves eating 600 calories per day starting three days before chemotherapy and on the day of treatment every four weeks.
Research
Some studies have shown that short-term FMDs can improve chemotherapy's effects and reduce adverse effects for breast cancer tumors. Other studies have found that FMDs are safe and well-tolerated by most patients, with fatigue being the most common adverse event.
Other tips
In addition to an FMD, you can try these other dietary tips to help with chemotherapy-induced nausea:
Eat starchy foods like rice and potatoes, and soft fruits like applesauce and bananas
Avoid high-fiber foods like salads and green and dark green vegetables
Eat dry, salty foods like plain toast or crackers
Drink clear liquids like apple juice, cranberry juice, lemonade, broth, Gatorade, ginger ale, 7-Up, popsicles, gelatin, tea, or cola
Take ginger with standard anti-nausea medications
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
“Fasting-mimicking” Diet Found Safe and Potentially Helpful to ...
The researchers administered an FMD regimen that consisted of a five-day, low-carbohydrate, low-protein, plant-derived diet, which provided up to 600 Kcal on day 1 and up to 300 Kcal on days 2, 3, 4, and 5, for a total amount of up to 1,800 Kcal in five days. The cycle was repeated every three or four weeks for up to a maximum of eight consecutive cycles. Study results demonstrated that the FMD regimen was safe, feasible, and well tolerated by the majority of patients. The incidence of severe FMD-related adverse events was 12.9 percent, the most common being fatigue, which was rarely severe.
ASCO Publications
DIRECT2: A randomized phase III trial with a fasting mimicking diet ...
May 31, 2023 — The FMD consists of a low-caloric diet of 600kcal/day starting 3 days prior to, and on the day of chemotherapy administration every 4 weeks, for a total of 5 FMD cycles during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (4 times dose dense Adriamycin plus cyclophosphamide followed by 12 times weekly paclitaxel).
World Cancer Research Fund
How short-term fasting can improve chemotherapy in breast ...
Short-term fasting-mimicking diets (FMD) have been shown to enhance the effects of chemotherapy while reducing the adverse effects for breast cancer tumours, but the mechanisms of this are not yet known.
cancer.uthscsa.edu
Dietary management for chemotherapy-induced nausea and ...
May 25, 2023 — Choose starchy foods like rice and potatoes, and soft fruits like applesauce and bananas. These types of foods are good for digestion and can alleviate other symptoms of chemotherapy such as diarrhea. On the other hand, high-fiber foods such as salads and green and dark green vegetables should be avoided.
pvhomed.com
3 Foods That Fight Nausea During Chemotherapy
Mayo Clinic discusses the evidence to support using ginger to battle nausea during chemotherapy, “There is evidence that when taken with standard anti-nausea medications, ginger may be helpful in further reducing or eliminating nausea and vomiting during and after chemotherapy treatments.
moffitt.org
Nausea Related to Cancer Treatment | Moffitt
Jul 29, 2015 — Try eating dry, salty foods like plain toast or crackers. Use a clear liquid diet to reduce the feeling of nausea. Liquids such as apple juice, cranberry juice, lemonade, broth, Gatorade®, ginger ale, 7-Up®, popsicles, gelatin, tea, or cola are usually well tolerated. Sip liquids slowly.
This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional."
👍Thankyou makes for interesting reading x
It's awful. I feel for you. I had chemo for breast cancer 22 years ago.
I don't know if they still do this, but I was given heavy-duty steroids on a daily basis, throughout (several months). It was supposed to stop the nausea, and give you a boost. Trouble was, it boosted the appetite, too, so I felt hungry all the time, and that was what made me feel nauseous, so I was eating all the time to curb it. I gained an enormous amount of weight, moonface, etc, Took me a l-o-n-g time to lose it, and it left me disfigured and very embarassed and self-conscious. People always assume you've eaten all the pies. :' (
I hope you don't have to endure for too long, and they come up with an answer that works for you. x
My husband, while getting chemo, always got a steroid until we realized it put him in a not-happy manic state. We cut it out. He was a strong guy seeming to tolerate a lot, and seemed to do okay without. If you can find a substitute. . ..
Thankyou for replying I am on a large dose of steroids for five days after the steroids I feel as if my brain is fried and the nausea doesn’t help but hopefully with the medication for the sickness and tweaking the steroids it might not be quite so awful . I appreciate your replying and hope that you are well at the moment xx
Thank you. I survived breast cancer, but have a few other things now, including CLL, but no treatment, so far. : )
I type this from my hospital bed, Auto stem cell transplant. I ask for Imodium and anti-nausea meds as frequently as they will let me have them. If I stay on top if I do okay. If I fall behind I have a terrible time playing catch-up. I.V. nausea meds do a better job than the oral pills. With me they alternate Compazine and Zofran. I do the Ensure clear Berry flavored over a full glass of crushed ice and sip it very slowly. Some protein for muscle mass, without that awful milk texture. Good luck.
HiOthers have said it, take the pills, I have to take them, they don't work 100% of the time but definitely improved it.
I get given 2 types 1st is 4 tablets only from day 1 for 4 doses (I will find it out the name, it stated with O I think)
The other is as and when max 3 times a day Metoclopramide 10mgs.
My nurses said need to eat and don't allow sickness to make me loose weight. I was to tell them if these 2 drugs did not work as they would change them asap.
We all try not to take drugs as we are all on so much, but these do work.
Hope that helps.
Some suggestions please.
I have been reviewing the information McMillan gives to patients in the chemo day unit, and despite the chief cancer nurse saying that patients are given exhaustive information many still don’t take the anti nausea meds they are given. She knows this after reviewing patients with N&V. Any suggestions on how to improve this.
I was amazed talking to my Podiatrist recently and she told me that she thought only about 10% of her patients know what meds they are on, or what for. Depressing situation.
Colette
I think that the information on what you are being given isn’t always offered I tend to ask what the numerous tablets are I’m not sure it would be volunteered
I have been taking my anti sickness as directed and even though I still feel slightly nausea I think it has helped .
While on FCR for 6 months I got fed up with feeling nauseous despite taking all the meds I was given. A GP who happened to be a sailor recommended I try anti sea-sickness patches. They definitely helped.
Nausea from antifungal med 
Adding additional chemo
Nausea with venetoclax 
Starting Chemo tomorrow
