Are Nausea Meds Cumlative like Chemo

Hi,
Sorry you're having such a rough time. I wasn't able to get much relief from any of the anti nausea medicine including Emend. It's a long story so I will cut to the chase. I ended up using Medical Marijuana on the advise of several doctors. I am with Kaiser and their doctors are not allowed to prescribe it but that doesn't prevent them from recommending it. I made all my doctors and nurses at Kaiser aware that I was using it and they answered all my questions and helped and supported my decision. It was amazing how fast it worked (just as the doctor told me it would). I know it's a hard decision to make but it was much easier to make once I experienced the horrible nausea with no relief. If you have any questions please ask.

I will be praying for you and your family,

Debbie (gramma)

coolvdub said:

Yes they do random testing
Phil and Donna,

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately I am subject to random testing at work. Next week when I see my Onc, I'm going to bring up Marinol and see what he says. Maybe work will deal with it if I'm on the pill form and can prove it. There really needs to be a law on the Federal level. I wonder if I could get some sort of waiver through the Feds? Any how only made it two hours at work today and had to come home. Somebody at work said they think I can draw full disability and still work a limited amount of hours weekly, so I will be checking on that.

On a side note, does anybody else have a problem with the smell of food being cooked. It just turns my stomach these days. I think the Chicken we had for dinner did me in for today.

Don

nausea
Hi Don,

Just the semll of food cooking was unbearable for me sometimes. I was warned about this by my chemo nurses. Sorry it's bothering you.

As far as marinol - my pain management doctor said it was not as effective, however i don't know if it would work better than what you taking now. I guess the marijuana works so fast because it travels immediatly to the brain and that is where the nausea trigger is. The doctors said that marinol does not have all the properties of marijuana and that it takes longer because it has to be ingested.

I don't know if you would like to contact one of the marijuana clinics and discuss your situation with them. They have attorneys that they use to help them with situation like yours.

Anyway, I hope you can take some time off and get the rest you need to fight this monster. I don't know how people work while on treatment. I used to be a real go getter but I'm different now.

God Bless You and Your Family,

Debbie (gramma)

coolvdub said:

Yes they do random testing
Phil and Donna,

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately I am subject to random testing at work. Next week when I see my Onc, I'm going to bring up Marinol and see what he says. Maybe work will deal with it if I'm on the pill form and can prove it. There really needs to be a law on the Federal level. I wonder if I could get some sort of waiver through the Feds? Any how only made it two hours at work today and had to come home. Somebody at work said they think I can draw full disability and still work a limited amount of hours weekly, so I will be checking on that.

On a side note, does anybody else have a problem with the smell of food being cooked. It just turns my stomach these days. I think the Chicken we had for dinner did me in for today.

Don

Food - A Smelly Smell that Smells Smelly
Yes, the smell of food would often make me queasy. I've found too that my sense of smell has heightened a lot over the past 5 years. I find that kind of odd but I alway had a good sniffer. It's good for some things but not for stinky things.

I really think that if I worked for the govt or had a position where I was tested that I would have to have an "off the record" conversation with someone in HR about it. I certainly would make sure I hadn't done anything and need not worry but I would ask that if I had a note from the doctor etc. that they might look the other way. I know, not likely at all. I wish too that they had federal laws allowing us to use it. I won't go on too big of a rant now but with all of the other meds we have to take along with chemo (which certainly is not real good for you other than it kills cells, mostly cancer ones thank God) you would think they would realize it's beneficial use. I think most of us would agree it's less a moral question than a financial one having to do with Big Pharm and the govt.

I hope you get some relief Don.
-phil

This worked for me
Hi Don,

We haven't met but I am an 11 year stage IV colon cancer survivor. I was really, really, nauseated all the time until the Dr. gave me Ativan. It is a sleeping medicine and for chemo patients it works for nausea. I also had a routine before I went to chemo.

I love homemade BBQ hamburgers, but I was not going to ask my husband or mom to make me a burger before we left town for chemo. Nor did I feel like cooking. We would go to Burger King and get a Whopper Jr. the small hamburger, well done, with everything on it and leave at about 8:00am.I would take a nausea pill, then we would drive an hour and 45 minutes to my chemo destination and get the lovely 5FU and Leuk with cocktail. Then straight to the spiciest food I could find usually mexican food. Chemo screwed my tastebuds up so much that spicy is about all I could taste. I would then take another nausea pill and drive another hour and 45 minutes home. It was a huge difference.

By now you should be getting some idea with what sits okay with you and what doesn't. Some of this is a game. I had lost a ton of weight and could not afford to lose an ounce more. It became a game to see if I could stop the nausea and actually get something in me that I enjoyed not just need for nutritional value. Eventually I was my doctors first patient to finish chemo gaining weight. He was so proud. I felt like a blimp. But I felt better with some weight on my bones then skin an bones and nothing to fight this hideous disease with. So if anyone is using this to watch there weight. Don't!! This is just like getting to have a baby. You get to gain weight no should ever say a thing to you. Unless your diabetic and your not watching that end of it. If you gain weight and someone says something to ya! Tell em bite me, I'm fighten cancer, what have you done today?? LOL I'm kidding, I know sometimes people say weird things when we are sick, I think they are just feeling helpless and know there's not a whole lot they can do on their end except be there.

Everyone can get over the nausea and eat and have a good life. I know its hard I did it. Hang tough and just keep asking the doctor to change the meds if something isn't working for you, there is all kinds of meds and meds to be used in combination. Make it a game, it's a little easier to control when you look at that way. Our minds are great things.
Make it a Great Day!
Goofyladie (Cass) PS. I answered this kind of generically, sorry.
I was told you can get disability and if you have vacation hrs, or other hrs on the books at work they can pay you with disability up to your original pay. For instance disabilty pays 800.00 you make 1200 at work. Work can pay you up to 400 not exceeding your normal pay. I am not sure about being able to actually work. I think that counts against you. That's in CA anyway.