Radiation extreme nausea

Angelapo
Angelapo Member Posts: 24 Member
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1

hello everyone, 

my mom is uterine Carcinosarcoma stage 3c2 and started pelvic radiation a little over a week ago. Chemo was nearly a breeze for her but radiation has been really rough. She threw up the first few days and still has terrible constant nausea. They have her on zofran and compazine or something but it hasn't seemed to help a ton. since we live in Colorado they told her to try marijuana so we may do that because she really feels like she can't  live a somewhat normal life these days. The doctor said because they are radiating higher up on that lymph node near her stomach that that's why she may have more nausea. Has anyone else had this extreme nausea with radiation and did you find anything that helped? We are worried as she still has four more weeks and supposedly side effects get worse.... any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

Comments

  • bluesmama
    bluesmama Member Posts: 125 Member
    edited March 2017 #2
    hey there

    i had radiation further down and it was combined with cisplatin. i was unwell throughout the 28 days of it. i used anti-emetics around the clock and then ativan for breakthrough nausea when the zofran wasn't cutting it. radiation also caused lots of diarhhea while the cisplatin and zofran caused constipation so i was constantly switching between miralax and imodium. i still lost about 10 pounds during treatment even though i was eating plenty but quickly regained it when radiation ended. my hospital provided this information and i found it helpful.

    everyone's side effects will be different but for me i had nausea throughout treatment. i felt like i had better days than others but in retrospect it never really went away until two weeks after treatment was done. the drugs helped me keep my food down but that's about it.

    i heard marijuana can really help. if it were legal here, i'd give it a shot. keep super hydrated if possible. if she's having trouble, demand IV fluids. my doctor told me to use prilosec and gas-x every day and it seemed to help with nausea. certain foods definitely made me feel sick. i stuck to bland foods like mashed potatoes and still do during my chemo weeks now. the effects are cumulative but i found the fatigue was the most noticeable.

    the cancer center i'm at offered counseling services and it helped me immensely. the physical stuff is rough on its own but it's the mental stuff that really wore me out. 

    good luck.

  • CheeseQueen57
    CheeseQueen57 Member Posts: 933 Member
    #3
    I had bad nausea

    Like your mom, I was radiated high on the abdomin. I took the nausea medicine around the clock and I was careful to take it before I got my radiation in the morning. But the medicine didn't make the nausea go away entirely. I'd try all that's available to you because nausea for 28 days is awful. 

  • Angelapo
    Angelapo Member Posts: 24 Member
    edited March 2017 #4
    bluesmama said:

    hey there

    i had radiation further down and it was combined with cisplatin. i was unwell throughout the 28 days of it. i used anti-emetics around the clock and then ativan for breakthrough nausea when the zofran wasn't cutting it. radiation also caused lots of diarhhea while the cisplatin and zofran caused constipation so i was constantly switching between miralax and imodium. i still lost about 10 pounds during treatment even though i was eating plenty but quickly regained it when radiation ended. my hospital provided this information and i found it helpful.

    everyone's side effects will be different but for me i had nausea throughout treatment. i felt like i had better days than others but in retrospect it never really went away until two weeks after treatment was done. the drugs helped me keep my food down but that's about it.

    i heard marijuana can really help. if it were legal here, i'd give it a shot. keep super hydrated if possible. if she's having trouble, demand IV fluids. my doctor told me to use prilosec and gas-x every day and it seemed to help with nausea. certain foods definitely made me feel sick. i stuck to bland foods like mashed potatoes and still do during my chemo weeks now. the effects are cumulative but i found the fatigue was the most noticeable.

    the cancer center i'm at offered counseling services and it helped me immensely. the physical stuff is rough on its own but it's the mental stuff that really wore me out. 

    good luck.

    Thank you!

    This is helpful - I appreciate it!

  • Angelapo
    Angelapo Member Posts: 24 Member
    #5
    CheeseQueen57 said:

    I had bad nausea

    Like your mom, I was radiated high on the abdomin. I took the nausea medicine around the clock and I was careful to take it before I got my radiation in the morning. But the medicine didn't make the nausea go away entirely. I'd try all that's available to you because nausea for 28 days is awful. 

    Thanks!

    Thanks so much - I appreciate your reply!

  • rcdeman
    rcdeman Member Posts: 263 Member
    edited March 2017 #6
    Hi Angelapo,

    Hi Angelapo,

    My mom is undergoing the same thing as your mom. She is undergoing upper pelvic or abdominal radiation right now since her cancer spread to a lymph node higher up. She's been feeling under the weather, not quite so bad as your mom, but she is definitely having nauseous bouts as well as general upper abdominal pain and bloatedness, and just discomfort and gas. Make sure your mom takes her anti-nausea medicine before each session, drink as much water as she can, and also take medicine if she has constipation or gas. Since marijuana's an option in your state, if it's really that bad, I think it won't hurt to try it. Still, I would research for myself on the possible side effects of that before jumping full in.

    Praying for your mom!
    Rebecca

  • Angelapo
    Angelapo Member Posts: 24 Member
    #7
    rcdeman said:

    Hi Angelapo,

    Hi Angelapo,

    My mom is undergoing the same thing as your mom. She is undergoing upper pelvic or abdominal radiation right now since her cancer spread to a lymph node higher up. She's been feeling under the weather, not quite so bad as your mom, but she is definitely having nauseous bouts as well as general upper abdominal pain and bloatedness, and just discomfort and gas. Make sure your mom takes her anti-nausea medicine before each session, drink as much water as she can, and also take medicine if she has constipation or gas. Since marijuana's an option in your state, if it's really that bad, I think it won't hurt to try it. Still, I would research for myself on the possible side effects of that before jumping full in.

    Praying for your mom!
    Rebecca

    Thanks!

    Thank you very much! Praying for your mom as well! 

  • Beverly30
    Beverly30 Member Posts: 18
    edited March 2017 #8
    Marijuana

    Hi Angelapo,

     

    I wanted to just add that a friend of mine has a different form of cancer and was really sick. She began eating marijuana edibles to get her appetite back.  It worked for her and she’s doing very well now.  I’m in CA and here you need to see a Dr. and get a card to purchase from our dispensaries.  It might be worth a try.  A Dr. familiar with the edibles might be able to give you the name of a good product in your area. 

    Bev

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