Need some help please!

 

I have had 24 rads, only 6 more to go.  About 2 days ago I started being VERY sick on my stomach.  I'll spare you the details, but the doc thinks I maybe caught some kind of bug and told me to keep up my fluids.  So, I have, and today I feel back to normal.  I haven't been able to eat all day because I'm scared of throwing up again and the thought of food makes me feel sick.  I've been drinking water and Gatorade all day.  Well, about 10 minutes ago, I started throwing up...again.  I've been completely fine all day.  The vomiting started at this time of evening the last two nights, too.  My saliva had gotten extremely thick and stringy at my second week of treatment and by the 4th week was back to normal.  Now it's thick and stringy again and literally gagging me.  Is all of this "normal"?  What about the vomiting?  I've lost 5lbs this week and was already TOLD not to lose anymore.  

 

Any suggestions or advice?  I'm feeling pretty miserable (and frustrated!)  

 

Thanks

Comments

  • fishmanpa
    fishmanpa Member Posts: 1,227 Member
    Anti Nausea Meds STAT!

    Hi Tracylynn,

    First off, congrats on the single digits! You're almost there! Sorry you're feeling under the weather. Certainly it could be a bug. Regardless, your doctor is right. You need to keep hydrated and nourished. Do you have anti nausea drugs? With nausea and pain, the best thing to do is stay ahead of them. Don't wait until the symptoms are there. If you have the meds, I would be taking them. Hopefully they'll stay down and help alleviate the nausea and vomiting.

    The saliva/mucous thing is rough. I started getting that ropey stuff around week 4-5 and it stuck around until 2 weeks post Tx but I had stuff from my sinuses to my throat as well. The baking soda/salt/glutamine rinse helped me. A seen a few folks recommend Mucinex and Robitussin. 

    Positive thoughts and prayers

    "T"

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    The week or so after chemo

    I felt nausiated, and fully expected to.....so when I'd have nausea two or two and half weeks out of chemo, I was like you.....What the he** is making me sick now???  Is it the rads....is it a bug...is it a culmination of everything my body has gone through the last many weeks?  Nausea out of the blue can be a bug, and it can be "just because"...no known reason.

    T said it best.....anit-nausea meds stat!!!  My Oncologist always told me to take my anti-nausea meds when I felt nauseated....no matter where between treatments I was.  I alternated between Zophran, Compazine, and Ativan...Took them about 30 to 45 minutes before I was going to do an Ensure....sometimes took them all day if I had that never ending, constant nausea going on. 

    p

  • TracyLynn72
    TracyLynn72 Member Posts: 839
    hubby called the doctor

    on call because I can't stop vomiting!  They are calling me out some anti-naus meds to the 24 hour pharmacy.  This is horrible. 

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    help

    TracyLynn72,

    Nausea meds (as stated), provided you do or don’t have a bug, the meds may help.  It is always wise to stay in front of nausea.

    Keep rinsing and spitting, I haven’t seen a cure for the thick mucus saliva which is guaranteed, except time (and even time is iffy).

    I sorry you are getting sick, but as you know you have to stay hydrated and get plenty of nourishment.  Even with a full calorie count many of us lost weight.  Losing some weight is one of our H&N bonds.  Feel better

    6 more to go, it sounds very nice indeed.

    Good luck on everything, you sound pretty normal (which is good)

    Matt

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,771 Member
    take the meds

    Take all meds that say anti nausea and anti vomit. Look around you should have plenty of those prescriptions already prescribed based on where you are in the treatment cycles. In any case, note the ones mentioned, they are the main ones, You can always get back to infusion where they can give you some that go via IV, like Emend which I don't think comes orally.

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716

    hubby called the doctor

    on call because I can't stop vomiting!  They are calling me out some anti-naus meds to the 24 hour pharmacy.  This is horrible. 

    Good....I'm glad hubby called...

    if the meds you have aren't working, then it's time to pull another anti-nausea med out of the cupboard.....and the Doc's know what else to try.  I feel bad for you, as I know how awful being sick on top of being treated is....one of my biggest fears was puking during rads.....like how was I going to tell them from inside the mask.....

    p

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    donfoo said:

    take the meds

    Take all meds that say anti nausea and anti vomit. Look around you should have plenty of those prescriptions already prescribed based on where you are in the treatment cycles. In any case, note the ones mentioned, they are the main ones, You can always get back to infusion where they can give you some that go via IV, like Emend which I don't think comes orally.

    Emend ~ Capsule

    Actually it does..., great stuff, expensive but does an awesome job...

    It comes in a three day pack similar to a Z-Pak.. That's how I had it, each cycle of three.

    First capsule is a little stronger for day one I believe, taken about an hour before first chemo... Next two days, one Emend each morning, both labeld day two and day three...

    JG

  • Laralyn
    Laralyn Member Posts: 532
    I had some other stuff going

    I had some other stuff going on that contributed to my nausea, but part of it was triggered by the mucus. Have you asked about a suction machine? Your insurance will cover it and when you feel the mucus in your throat, you can suck it out before it chokes you. It helped me--hopefully it helps you too!

    And yes, get some better meds. Ask about benedryl too. It comes in a liquid form, and can help make you drowsy so you can sleep through the sick spells.

    Know that this, too, will pass and soon enough you'll be recovering. :-)

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    Laralyn said:

    I had some other stuff going

    I had some other stuff going on that contributed to my nausea, but part of it was triggered by the mucus. Have you asked about a suction machine? Your insurance will cover it and when you feel the mucus in your throat, you can suck it out before it chokes you. It helped me--hopefully it helps you too!

    And yes, get some better meds. Ask about benedryl too. It comes in a liquid form, and can help make you drowsy so you can sleep through the sick spells.

    Know that this, too, will pass and soon enough you'll be recovering. :-)

    Sorry to hear

    I was given 3 different anti-nausea meds to start and did not experience what you are going through. I can only imagine how miserable that is. You're almost at the end of tx. Hoping the new meds help you.

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    Skiffin16 said:

    Emend ~ Capsule

    Actually it does..., great stuff, expensive but does an awesome job...

    It comes in a three day pack similar to a Z-Pak.. That's how I had it, each cycle of three.

    First capsule is a little stronger for day one I believe, taken about an hour before first chemo... Next two days, one Emend each morning, both labeld day two and day three...

    JG

    I liked the Emend a lot, too

    but the only time I ever took it was the days after chemo....like John said, it comes in a Z pack....if you're not already getting it from the Oncologist, ask them.  I used to think everybody got Emend....but after a year on this board, I find out that isn't the case.  It's great stuff for nausea...

    p

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,771 Member
    Laralyn said:

    I had some other stuff going

    I had some other stuff going on that contributed to my nausea, but part of it was triggered by the mucus. Have you asked about a suction machine? Your insurance will cover it and when you feel the mucus in your throat, you can suck it out before it chokes you. It helped me--hopefully it helps you too!

    And yes, get some better meds. Ask about benedryl too. It comes in a liquid form, and can help make you drowsy so you can sleep through the sick spells.

    Know that this, too, will pass and soon enough you'll be recovering. :-)

    mm

    My MM formula has Q-dryl, benydryl and antacid etc so it is partly designed for anti-nausea i think. does not have lidocaine so not so much for pain relief.

    They should be able to compound you some swish and swallow that might work better for stopping the nausea, not sure if swish and swallow is the right way to take it though.

  • robswife87
    robswife87 Member Posts: 209
    Vomiting from gag of mucous

    Rob vomited several times over the holdiay weekend. He was 6 weeks in and the saliva was so thick, he was gagging and throwing up.

    Got him L-Glutamine and put it in his water. He started drinking it right away and it thinned out the mucous. He has not vomited since. He says it works great to thin it out and makes it easier to spit.

    Sandy

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,771 Member

    Vomiting from gag of mucous

    Rob vomited several times over the holdiay weekend. He was 6 weeks in and the saliva was so thick, he was gagging and throwing up.

    Got him L-Glutamine and put it in his water. He started drinking it right away and it thinned out the mucous. He has not vomited since. He says it works great to thin it out and makes it easier to spit.

    Sandy

    glad to hear

    Glad this is working out. It seemed from your description that Rob could not take any fluilds orally. If he can, then what I find is adding some baking soda to things makes them go down easier. If I were to drink grape jiuce plain, it may sting, If I add a bit of baking soda, it can lower the sting effect. There are lots of things to try to make fluids go down easier.

    Of course, a good deep rinse with soda/salt solution always wonders in my camp. That always clears out all sorts of gunk that builds up.

    One thing going for me is I do not have nausea or vomit symptoms, so d some other things that probably don't work for you. For example, I use a water pik with the spoon blade thingie. Since gagging is not a big deal for me, I will direct that thing all around sensitive parts of the back of my throat and work out any junk which causes me to gag but the gagging is a sign for me to say, yes, i am shooting the solution on the nasty parts and getting tht crap out of there as well as applying the solution to those senstivve areas. yes, some pain but for me lots of gain.

    as to the glutamine, - amino acids in general. these are part of a family of BCCA (branc chain amino acids) some are critical and others not. In fact, L-lucene is the one better shown to work better with protein uptake so it makes a better acid to work while rebuilding torn tissue and muscle.

    All the supplemental BCCA including L-glutamine are delivered mixed with other stuff that makes it easier to consume. Here is a link to one of them aminox

    Which one of the ingredients adjusts the PH or whatever to the solution but I believe some of these additives makes it easier to swallow.

    good luck don

  • HobbsDoggy
    HobbsDoggy Member Posts: 276
    Musinex

    I had the same issues, maybe not quite as bad.  Musinex helped my lossen the stuff in my mouth and neck.  Did not think it would work, but it did after a day or two.

    I know the throwing up deal and it was really difficult for a at least a week, off and on. It did pass and it worked out OK, bur sure did not think it would at the time..

    Hope it gets better very fast. 

  • janetluvsron
    janetluvsron Member Posts: 116

    Musinex

    I had the same issues, maybe not quite as bad.  Musinex helped my lossen the stuff in my mouth and neck.  Did not think it would work, but it did after a day or two.

    I know the throwing up deal and it was really difficult for a at least a week, off and on. It did pass and it worked out OK, bur sure did not think it would at the time..

    Hope it gets better very fast. 

    THERE ARE SO MANY MUCINEX ON

    THERE ARE SO MANY MUCINEX ON THE MARKET, WHICH ONE SHOULD i GET FOR HUBBY GETTNG READY TO START HIS JOURNEY TOMORROW AND HE IS VERY CONCERNED

    ABOUT CHOKING.

    HE HAD A VERY HARD TIME WITH THE GAGGING POST TONSILECTOMY.

    THANKYOU ,

    JANET

  • jim and i
    jim and i Member Posts: 1,788 Member

    THERE ARE SO MANY MUCINEX ON

    THERE ARE SO MANY MUCINEX ON THE MARKET, WHICH ONE SHOULD i GET FOR HUBBY GETTNG READY TO START HIS JOURNEY TOMORROW AND HE IS VERY CONCERNED

    ABOUT CHOKING.

    HE HAD A VERY HARD TIME WITH THE GAGGING POST TONSILECTOMY.

    THANKYOU ,

    JANET

    plain mucinex. the others

    plain mucinex. the others have decongestants which dry out mouth. don't want that. it is hard to find the plain mucinex. i haven't been able to find the liquid. om;y tablet so if have swallow problems may noy be able to swallow.

  • TracyLynn72
    TracyLynn72 Member Posts: 839
    Thank you all very much! Ive

    Thank you all very much! Ive basically been drugged all weekend.

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,771 Member

    I liked the Emend a lot, too

    but the only time I ever took it was the days after chemo....like John said, it comes in a Z pack....if you're not already getting it from the Oncologist, ask them.  I used to think everybody got Emend....but after a year on this board, I find out that isn't the case.  It's great stuff for nausea...

    p

    good to know

    Thannks for the info on emend tabs. New info for me. Out of curiousity, since the cost of this one is notable, any idea what the going rates is? don