upcoming chemo

Just finished treatment. I found with chemo that taking the nausea meds just before you felt awful really helped, also check out what they give you, Zofran worked best for me and the dr. gave me the meds, I didn't have to pay for it..Also, a mild salt water wash will help with any mouth sores. keep your mouth as moist as possible, drink lots of water and the ice pops will help with that. And remember, different drugs react differently with different people. Your father's experience may not be like yours. Also, it helped me to remember that the goal was to kill the cancer and it would be over soon. Good Luck!

Judy,

I completed 4 rounds of AC in Sept 01. I had nausea after my 1st treatment because the ativan/compazine combo didn't work for me. I changed to Zofran with the next round and it did the trick! They will give you anti-nausea meds with the chemo usually as part of the pre-meds you are given @ 30 minutes before the actual AC treatment. Take your anti-nausea meds as prescribed - don't miss even if you don't need. That's the trick!

I tolerated AC rather well - used Vicks Vapo-rub under my nose to help with sensitivity to smells that made me quesy! Never had mouth sores either. I did find my tastebuds changed. I used to drink diet coke by the gallons - couldn't drink any carbonated beverages throughout chemo. Drank lots of iced herbal teas instead. Good luck! It's a small price to pay for the long range benefits.

hi judy!!

nice to have you aboard, i'm new too, but i just completed 4 (ac) treatments, so i can relate to you somewhat. the naseau meds really work wonders!! i never got sick and only towards the end (the last treatment) did i feel slight naseau. ask your doctor about zofran. you take this 3 days after your treatments every 8 hours and it works!! they will probably prescribe this automatically. they also prescribed ativan and compazine for "in-between" naseau, but i never had to take it. i took a few ativans once in a while for anxiety. my father also had chemo many years ago when i was only 8 and he died of liver cancer so i remember his experience which scared me also. so many things have changed!! even in the last few years as far as the naseau an vomiting side effect. you may experience depression also, so don't be afraid to ask for something for that. as for the mouth sores, i never had any. not everyone gets them, but a friend of mine told me she would gargle with mild salt water and there are prescription meds for that too that your doc can call in immediately for you. for some reason, i had some diarrhea on and off and i suffered from insomnia. my doc prescribed ambien for the insomnia which works good and i used ammodium ad for the diarrhea. sometimes people get constipated as a side effect from the anti-naseau meds and your doc can advise what to take for that also. i was never instructed to take the naseau meds before treatment, so in my experience it's best taken right after each treatment and you should have back-up meds if the zofran doesn't work. if you don't mind me asking, what state are you in? i'm in georgia and i went to a great cancer center, with great support!! also what is tram flap reconstruction? well, i guess that's about all i can tell you about the naseau subject, but i know what you're about to go through and if you ever need to talk, please write and also my personal e-mail is dewb215@aol.com if you ever need me. write back soon.

megan