first chemo treatment, Nausa questions

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  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    Buzzard said:

    Thank you KMYGIL.......
    that will be $2.95 payable in cash check or debit card.................hehe....

    Also...
    Buzz was right about the Sunkist orange soda.. I been addicted to it ever since he mentioned it, and it goes down real nice :)

    XOX
    ~Donna
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member

    I haven't had to, but...
    I was afraid to mention this because of how controversial it really is, however...I always hated the way it made me feel (I never inhaled tho) ... I have had a few friends offer it to me now that I was diagnosed, and well, it works, and is less expensive than some of the precription drugs...'nuf said.

    Sorry you have to deal with this
    It is controversial and I believe it shouldn't be. Emend, which many people swear by, costs about $180 per pill w/o insurance. That's just crazy. I tried them and they were nothing special. Certainly not nearly as effective as the herbal remedies (for me). Another plus to "it" is that it changes one's mood, for the better in my case. The fact that alcohol and other drugs that are not beneficial are so widely accepted in our society just blows my mind. I'm glad that you have found some relief, I am sorry that you have to deal with cancer but if you can take the edge off, that's great.
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    PhillieG said:

    Sorry you have to deal with this
    It is controversial and I believe it shouldn't be. Emend, which many people swear by, costs about $180 per pill w/o insurance. That's just crazy. I tried them and they were nothing special. Certainly not nearly as effective as the herbal remedies (for me). Another plus to "it" is that it changes one's mood, for the better in my case. The fact that alcohol and other drugs that are not beneficial are so widely accepted in our society just blows my mind. I'm glad that you have found some relief, I am sorry that you have to deal with cancer but if you can take the edge off, that's great.

    That's my take on it as well...
    Other than trying it when I was a teen and it was the "cool" thing to do, I never got addicted to it and seemed to outgrow the novelty at the time... and hadn't really thought much about it one way or the other since. But after being diagnosed with cc and nausea was one of my big fears... I had some on standby. When the nausea hit, I used my standby stash and was amazed at how quickly it worked... when the expensive prescription meds really didn't do anything. For all I know, if I hadn't taken the prescription meds, it might have been a lot worse, but taking them I still had the nausea. But one or two puffs of the herbal remedies and I had NO nausea whatsoever!

    Like you, Phil, I have a really hard time understanding why the prescription drugs that don't necessarily do the trick, AND alcohol which, other than for pleasure, has no benefits to society are legal and widely accepted in our society... yet something like pot which has been proven to have a lot of benefits for those who have serious illnesses, are illegal and taboo.

    Up here, we have what is called the Compassionate Care Club. If you get a form filled out by your doctor that states your condition and that he/she feels that cannabais would benefit in relieving the illness symptoms, then you get a Compassionate Care Club membership card. With that card, you can buy the pot (or baked goods) at much cheaper prices than on the street AND it is much cleaner. If you are found to have the drug in your home or on your person by the police, if you show your Compassionate Care Club card, then they don't pursue charges or harassing you ;) But then, I think, although marijuana is still considered an illegal drug here, we tend to be a bit more lenient and if you do not have a compassionate care club card but can prove you do have a serious illness (and then get your doctor's support after the fact), you won't get hassled either.

    I'm surprised more States/places don't have this Compassionate Care Club concept. Yes, the drug is illegal... but that is illegal for recreational use. If a substance works for serious illness, then any State/country can make exceptions to the rule and that's what I have such a hard time digesting... why would they let people suffer when there's such an easy solution to a bad symptom?

    Huggggs,

    Cheryl
  • ldot123
    ldot123 Member Posts: 272
    Shayenne said:

    Also...
    Buzz was right about the Sunkist orange soda.. I been addicted to it ever since he mentioned it, and it goes down real nice :)

    XOX
    ~Donna

    Adjust dosage
    Hi there,
    Maybe you could ask the oncologist if the dosage can be adjusted. That happened to me the first time around and when things got changed, I felt much better.

    Lance
  • Madre
    Madre Member Posts: 123
    Pink lemonade
    When I had my first chemo I actually ended up in the emergency room with severe stomach pains - chemo side effect. The nausea was bad, I took compazine and ativan. I then got reflux so I was on tagement too (since chemo is done no more reflux). After round 5 they started emend and decedron. My friend suggested pink lemonade because even water wouldn't go down, and it worked, kept my fluids up and the sugar helped too. I ate a lot of watermelon too. Good luck!!
  • irene77
    irene77 Member Posts: 28
    Madre said:

    Pink lemonade
    When I had my first chemo I actually ended up in the emergency room with severe stomach pains - chemo side effect. The nausea was bad, I took compazine and ativan. I then got reflux so I was on tagement too (since chemo is done no more reflux). After round 5 they started emend and decedron. My friend suggested pink lemonade because even water wouldn't go down, and it worked, kept my fluids up and the sugar helped too. I ate a lot of watermelon too. Good luck!!

    thanks for the share on first treatment
    Madre
    I have also been having stomach pains and reflux guess thats part of the chemo, have been taking omeprazole for the reflux. Get my second treatment of chemo on Monday Doc said he will switch me to Emend and compozine, however I am still waiting for the apporval on Emend. The anti nausea pills make me feel dizzy and light headed. Catch 22 get rid of one thing and get another. Felt pretty good this week hate to go back on Monday for second treatment.
    Thank you again for all your suggestions.
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    irene77 said:

    thanks for the share on first treatment
    Madre
    I have also been having stomach pains and reflux guess thats part of the chemo, have been taking omeprazole for the reflux. Get my second treatment of chemo on Monday Doc said he will switch me to Emend and compozine, however I am still waiting for the apporval on Emend. The anti nausea pills make me feel dizzy and light headed. Catch 22 get rid of one thing and get another. Felt pretty good this week hate to go back on Monday for second treatment.
    Thank you again for all your suggestions.

    I know the feeling...
    I get my second chemo treatment right behind you on Wednesday! so I'm there with you trying to bounce back over the weekend...and it's true, just when you start feeling really good, then you have to go to chemo again and start feeling bad all over again, but look at it this way.. at least it's also one more round we got down and one less to go, and at least we know, we WILL feel good again :)

    Good luck on Monday! hope things turn out better!

    Hugggsss!
    ~Donna
  • irene77
    irene77 Member Posts: 28
    Shayenne said:

    I know the feeling...
    I get my second chemo treatment right behind you on Wednesday! so I'm there with you trying to bounce back over the weekend...and it's true, just when you start feeling really good, then you have to go to chemo again and start feeling bad all over again, but look at it this way.. at least it's also one more round we got down and one less to go, and at least we know, we WILL feel good again :)

    Good luck on Monday! hope things turn out better!

    Hugggsss!
    ~Donna

    thanks for the good luck
    Guess I am behind one week, Donna did you get very sick with your second treatment? or was it some what the same as the first. Also watching the Oscars tonight, I useto have an Oscar party at my house for the past two years. Taking care of myself this year. Missing my friends, life is different.
    Praying for you
    Irene
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    irene77 said:

    thanks for the good luck
    Guess I am behind one week, Donna did you get very sick with your second treatment? or was it some what the same as the first. Also watching the Oscars tonight, I useto have an Oscar party at my house for the past two years. Taking care of myself this year. Missing my friends, life is different.
    Praying for you
    Irene

    No...
    ...My 2nd will be this Wednesday, as your pump is being removed, mine will be put in, I'm just behind you a couple days with treatment :)

    I always thought I took pretty good care of myself pre-cancer..I even quit smoking 6 years ago.. and thought, "watch me get cancer anyway"...and wouldn't you know it? it happened!

    We don't have a party, what we do is make a list of all the nominees in the categories, I print off enough for each family member, check off who we think we will win, and bet $3 in a pool...whoever guesses the most people right in the category wins the pot :)

    Life is definitely differently, but not everything, that has been a tradition for many years since my mom started that when I was a kid, and that's something fun we do for the Oscars every year now...I try to keep some things as normal and still fun as possible for us, since they know it's going to be mom's "sick" time this weekend...

    My prayers and hugs are with you!
    ~Donna
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    irene77 said:

    thanks for the share on first treatment
    Madre
    I have also been having stomach pains and reflux guess thats part of the chemo, have been taking omeprazole for the reflux. Get my second treatment of chemo on Monday Doc said he will switch me to Emend and compozine, however I am still waiting for the apporval on Emend. The anti nausea pills make me feel dizzy and light headed. Catch 22 get rid of one thing and get another. Felt pretty good this week hate to go back on Monday for second treatment.
    Thank you again for all your suggestions.

    Good Luck on your second treatment.
    I have to chuckle a little with the dialog between you and Donna. I go in tomorrow for my 170 something treatment and this week or next week is my 5 year anniversary of starting treatments so I have had a hell of a lot of them over the last 5 years. I think I mentioned in an earlier post about how I deal with nausea. All I know is that it's not a $180 pill, it's been about for thousands of years as a medicine, and it WORKS for nausea and appetite. Amazingly in this day and age it's still controversial. I guess enough politicians have not had to deal with chemo yet, maybe then they will wise up. I hope your treatments go well and go quickly and effortlessly. I am not making fun of you, I guess I just can't believe how many times I've done this. It seems like many people have taken their pumps out. I still have mine in since they can not be put back in in the event they need to be. I guess my glass is half empty at the moment. Must be dry mouth...
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    PhillieG said:

    Good Luck on your second treatment.
    I have to chuckle a little with the dialog between you and Donna. I go in tomorrow for my 170 something treatment and this week or next week is my 5 year anniversary of starting treatments so I have had a hell of a lot of them over the last 5 years. I think I mentioned in an earlier post about how I deal with nausea. All I know is that it's not a $180 pill, it's been about for thousands of years as a medicine, and it WORKS for nausea and appetite. Amazingly in this day and age it's still controversial. I guess enough politicians have not had to deal with chemo yet, maybe then they will wise up. I hope your treatments go well and go quickly and effortlessly. I am not making fun of you, I guess I just can't believe how many times I've done this. It seems like many people have taken their pumps out. I still have mine in since they can not be put back in in the event they need to be. I guess my glass is half empty at the moment. Must be dry mouth...

    Hey.....
    ...If my posts can bring a chuckle or crack a smile to anyone, that just brings a smile to my face as well lol...honestly, I am taking your advice as well, am "prepared" with it as well, and it is sitting in my drawer waiting to be "used", so just so you know, I will be trying it this week if I have too ;)

    Hugsss to you Phil!
    ~Donna
  • fez1
    fez1 Member Posts: 47
    try something else
    Irene,
    You need to experiment with other meds. My husband used Zofran, Kytril, Emend and finally got some relief with good old fashioned Compazine. He took it with Ativan around the clock. At chemo he got Aloxi, Ativan, Decadron and Atropine. When he got home he started with the Compazine and Ativan. He also used Decadron for 3 days after chemo. Docotrs sometimes begin slow to see how you react since everyone is different. Ask for a different regimen before your next chemo. Also, every chemo treatment was different. What chemo drugs are you getting right now???

    Carol
  • polarprincess
    polarprincess Member Posts: 202
    fez1 said:

    try something else
    Irene,
    You need to experiment with other meds. My husband used Zofran, Kytril, Emend and finally got some relief with good old fashioned Compazine. He took it with Ativan around the clock. At chemo he got Aloxi, Ativan, Decadron and Atropine. When he got home he started with the Compazine and Ativan. He also used Decadron for 3 days after chemo. Docotrs sometimes begin slow to see how you react since everyone is different. Ask for a different regimen before your next chemo. Also, every chemo treatment was different. What chemo drugs are you getting right now???

    Carol

    meds
    i read through this fast so maybe i missed it, but at my treatment center we get aloxi and decadron in the infusion. I have not had issues with nausea through 8 treatments and they have a 97% success rate with this combination in colon cancer patients for preventing nausea.. has anyone tried the aloxi??
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member

    meds
    i read through this fast so maybe i missed it, but at my treatment center we get aloxi and decadron in the infusion. I have not had issues with nausea through 8 treatments and they have a 97% success rate with this combination in colon cancer patients for preventing nausea.. has anyone tried the aloxi??

    Aloxi
    You are right, it is the standard and it works for the majority of people. It didn't do squat for me, which is why we changed to the big guns! In fact, I had the gambit... Kytril, Zofran, compazine, phenergan ... none of it did anything, although at least phergan put me to sleep! Emend and decadron did the trick for the nausea as well as crying jags.
    mary
  • daydreamer110761
    daydreamer110761 Member Posts: 487 Member

    meds
    i read through this fast so maybe i missed it, but at my treatment center we get aloxi and decadron in the infusion. I have not had issues with nausea through 8 treatments and they have a 97% success rate with this combination in colon cancer patients for preventing nausea.. has anyone tried the aloxi??

    aloxi & decadron
    I get that combo also, and have had no problems, except for the inability to sleep for 72 hours and I have cured that with advil pm. I have emend in a drawer from when i THOUGHT I was constipated and was experiencing the nausea (great doctors in ER huh?).