nausea, vomiting, fatigue,tests

nanuk
nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I'm on 5fu/Oxal/Leuco/ IV bi-weekly for 4hrs, and come home with 5fu & hydration pumps for two days. For the first two days, I don't sleep for 48 hrs because of anti-nausea drugs in the 4hr infusion, then when I remove the pump(s) on day 3, I get nausea & vomiting for 2-3 days..for the past 2 rounds I've used Emend, an anti nausea drug which controls the vomiting, but from day 3-5 my body wants to vomit, but my head-(Emend) won't let it, which is almost worse than vomiting..along with this comes fatigue and dizzyness. I'm wondering if
anyone has experienced this sequence, and / or has
substituted the drug Zophran or other anti nausea
drugs for late-(day 3-4) onset nausea/vomiting.
The Emend has also traded diarrhea for constipation, which is amixed blessing for someone with a colostomy..
Also, has anyone had a colonoscopy during their chemo, and what, if any complications did you have? I'm scheduled for both a CT and colonoscopy
in the next week, and wondering how that additional yummy stuff they put in your veins and
tummy will affect my already abused intestional tract.. Bud

Comments

  • jsabol
    jsabol Member Posts: 1,145 Member
    #2
    Gosh Bud, Sounds like that 18 wheeler keeps tracking you down. I have great admiration for your ability to stick with it. I'm sorry I don't have any specifics to help with your questions, but I want you to know you remain in my prayers. Keep hanging in there, Judy
  • KrisS
    KrisS Member Posts: 229
    #3
    Bud- I am so disappointed to hear that you have had so much nausea. I have used Kytril, Zophran and Anzemat post chemo. Kytril gave me major constipation despite that being the time I was on CPT 11 with spectacular diarrhea! I had the problems you are having with Emend when I tried Zofran and Anzemat. It may be worth asking for some samples to try however, because everyone is different in what works for them.

    I have read that there is a new antinausea drug that works on both late and early nausea. Unfortunately I do not know the name. I will let you know if I find it.

    I also am kept awake by the Decadron. Over the last few treatments, however, I have developed a bit of early nausea and have been taking a small amount of lorazapam the night after chemo. It has a side effect of making me sleepy. Last night I fell asleep with the TV on and slept for almost 6 hrs straight.

    I hope you find some combination that works. You deserve a break!

    IV contrast for CT is not bad. I have to take a bit of methylprednisone before hand because I had a bit of itching redness one time and they don't want to risk me getting a more dramatic allergic reaction. Be certain to drink a fair amount of water after. I don't mind drinking the barium much. Last time they tried to give me a different, clearish liquid contrast-gastrografin, however. That was not good. I am not certain whether it was the oral contrast itself, or a psychological reaction that caused me to vomit almost all of it within 30 minutes. The gastrografin tasted a bit to me like the quick prep for colonoscopy which had caused me to vomit violently!

    As for colonoscopy, I prefer drinking the large volume of Nulytely. I have not had to do that since I've been on chemo, so I don't know what the combo of that might be like.

    Hope things go better soon.

    Kris
  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #4
    Hi Bud,sorry u are having such a tough time,I know the feeling. I had 5FU and leukovorin ,it nearly killed me ,I had severe bowel osmossis and was fast heading for renal failure. Finished up having 48 sessios of 5FU and levamisol(old regime levamisol is a cattle drench so I was worm free as well). I wouldn't have any of the intravenous anti nausea drugs that were steriod based as I wouldn't sleep for a week, I stuck with anzemat and found them excellent. I had a colonoscopy and two scans during chemo, I had to use the fleet prep as I couldn't drink 3 litres of that other crap without throwing up constantly. AND if thew offer you food after the scope DONT EAT IT YUUKKKK.The scans were no problem ,just a another imposition.. I was stage three with six positive nodes ,that was nearly seven years ago and no sign of recurrence.. Good luck and hang in there ,,Ron
  • shmurciakova
    shmurciakova Member Posts: 906 Member
    #5
    Hey Bud! I am sorry to hear of your distress! I had a colonoscopy last summer when I was on chemo and it was not too bad. I too took the Fleets Phospho-soda and I barfed up the second dose but I was already cleaned out enough for them to proceed anyway and it was fine. As for your nausea, I would not recommend Zofran. For one thing it is EXCEEDINGLY expensive, even just for the co-pay and it makes your legs go crazy! At least it did me, and I felt like I was on crack or something! Adavan actually worked best for me after I got home and I also had them cut the Decadron in half. Xanax also will knock you on your butt. I was also given Ambien (for sleep). You deserve some good drugs. Try Adavan if you haven't already. It is good for nausea and for sleep both.
    I'll be thinking of you. Please let us know what works once you get it figured out.
    Take care, Susan

    Oh yeah, I took Kytril during my chemo. It did not do the wierd leg thing.......although it did cause constipation so I would take Senokot the night of my chemo. It works pretty well and is not too harsh. I don't have a colostomy though so I don't know how it would be for you. I have had constipation even w/ camptosar...
  • pjdavis
    pjdavis Member Posts: 2
    #6
    Bud,I was on the same treatment as you are on and have found that Zophran takes care of my nausea.I was given Atropine for the diahrea.I didn't experience any vomiting and the nausea came in waves.After I had taken the first day of treatment it was suggested to me to take the Zophran as soon as I returned home with the pump.I have been very fortunate not to have nausea along with the "cold" effect you get from the oxilaplatin.I am now off the treatment and am taking Xeloda in pill form at home but I can take the oxiliplatin again if needed.My tumors shrunk drastically but after 7 months on it,the doctors felt my body needed alittle rest.Take care and keep your spirits high and good luck.PJ
    P.S.One of my nurses suggested that I drink alot of water or gator aid and that also helped with nausea
  • meeshell594
    meeshell594 Member Posts: 3
    #7
    Hi, Bud. I'm sorry you're having such a rough time. I'm on the same type chemo. But, I think I get Adavan intaveneously for nauseau/vomiting (I'll doulble-check). And, I take Phenergan 25mg tablets to supplement, as needed. So far, I haven't had any problems with vomitting, just a little nauseau, which the tablets help with. I haven't had to use them very often. For me, when I feel nauseaous, I have to eat something because an empty stomach makes it worse. Seems like liquids do, too.

    I have had problems with insomnia. The doctor offered Ambien, but I declined since Tylenol PM is working and my wallet needs a break.

    I haven't had any problems with diarrhea, but that could be because of mega doses of iron, which can constipate (the chemo & iron side-effects cancel eash other out, I think).

    The fatigue you have could be related to reduced red blood cells/anemia. Even though I've been taking the iron, the doctor put me on Aranesp shots. I get them every other week and boy do they sting! Procrit is a similar treatment but those shots are weekly. The shot seems to help with the fatigue, especially on my "off" weeks. I usually have just 2 really down days at the end of treatment week. I just stay in the bed and sleep. But, I think down time is neccesary for recooperation.

    I used the Nylytely for my bowel-resection surgery and I hated it. There's no way I could do it if I was nauseaous. I used something else for the colonoscopy that was more palatable to me. I can't remember the name for certain but I think it might be sodium citrate. It took 2 8-ounce bottles a few hours apart, along with a liquid diet. They keep the bottles behind the counter but a Rx isn't required. It tasted kind of like a Sprite with a very slight clammy under current. Best very well chilled and you drink it fast (while holding your nose!) It didn't taste good, but at least it was over quickly. Ask your doctor if this method would work for you.

    Good luck on your tests!

    Michelle
  • jsabol
    jsabol Member Posts: 1,145 Member
    #8
    Hi Michelle, I read with great interest your response about the prep. I used the small bottles of phospho soda stuff for my original colonoscopy, and was almost too nauseous to ride to the hospital and nearly hurled on the receptionists desk (while she sweetly told me everyone gets a little nauseous from this stuff). For my surgery prep, I switched to Nu- litlely at my doc's suggestion...what a mistake for me. I was throwing up foam after 5 glasses, but luckily had taken in enough to clean me out.
    I think the bottles of stuff you used are magnesium citrate, which I used years ago (like 20) for other surgery preps. I agree that the taste wasn't the greatest, but it didn't make me nauseous. My doc says it's not used much any more, but no reason not to from his perspective. When I'm done with chemo, I'll plan to use that for my next colonoscopy.
    Thanks for the info, Judy
  • 4mykids
    4mykids Member Posts: 33
    #9
    Early in my treatment, I had monthly treatments of 5FU/leucovorin and cisplatin. The cisplatin was the real killer for me as far as nausea/vomiting. I was sent home with Zofran and Ativan to take together for nausea/vomiting, and I found it very effective and did not have any problems with the Zofran or with sleeping. I hope you find something to work well for you and begin to feel better soon.

    Thoughts and prayers,

    Michelle
  • cmcl
    cmcl Member Posts: 78
    #10
    Hi Bud,
    I'm so sorry you are not feeling well, but I can certainly relate. When I was on the same meds as you I had extreme nausea. I had pre-meds of Emend, Kytril, Decadron and Ativan(Lorazepam). The Ativan knocked me out. If I vomited during treatment, they would give me more Ativan. I didn't care because I would just go back to sleep, which I prefered. I had all those meds to take at home too if I needed it, which I did. I also had Zophran. I also had a homeopathic med called Ippicachauana (I'm not sure of that spelling) which my doc reccomended. You can take it as often as you need to, it really worked for nausea. I had some sleepless nights, but I prefered that over nausea/vomiting. I would listen to relaxing music on my earphones to help me fall asleep.
    I found that I had to figure out what worked best for me. My pre-meds were always the same, but I would take what I thought was working best for me at home. It did take a while to figure out a schedule, but I eventually got it down to a science.
    I wish you lots of luck. Keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, it's there waitng for you.
    Take care,
    Carolyn

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