Managing nausea

SueinRI
SueinRI Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Caregivers #1
My friend has cancer of the appendix. Her chemo schedule is every two weeks. During sessions 2-4 she had medical marijuana which helped with the nausea and she was able to function pretty well. Now, the MM isn't helping. Any suggestions on 1. how do deal with the nausea and 2. how do I find someone who has survived this process for her to talk to? Thanks in advance for any help.

Comments

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #2
    I'm an appendix cancer survivor - stage IV dx 4/07, doing great
    I know both dealing with the rare cancer, and the chemo. Read my page on this site to find out what I've been through, and see what might apply to your friend.

    Has she tried Emend with Aloxi or Zofran? Those are good anti-nauseants. I've also had good luck with hydroxyzine (also known as Atarax or Vistaril). I learned since my chemo that taking ginger supplements in conjunction with Rx anti-nauseants enhances the effects of the drugs. There have been several articles on this published in medical journals. The recommended optimum dosage of the ginger is about 1 gram (2 capsules)per day.

    Please advise your friend that she must see a specialist in Appendix Cancer. It is rare enough and differs enough from colon or rectal cancer that she should consult with someone who has this area of expertise.

    Feel free to send me a private message with questions, or to have her send me a message.

    Alice

    PS - for more ideas on managing nausea, you may want to post this on the Colorectal Discussion Board, as the chemo is much the same. There, lots of people who have had the same chemo can give recommendations. You will also find postings there that address nausea.
  • SueinRI
    SueinRI Member Posts: 2
    #3
    abrub said:

    I'm an appendix cancer survivor - stage IV dx 4/07, doing great
    I know both dealing with the rare cancer, and the chemo. Read my page on this site to find out what I've been through, and see what might apply to your friend.

    Has she tried Emend with Aloxi or Zofran? Those are good anti-nauseants. I've also had good luck with hydroxyzine (also known as Atarax or Vistaril). I learned since my chemo that taking ginger supplements in conjunction with Rx anti-nauseants enhances the effects of the drugs. There have been several articles on this published in medical journals. The recommended optimum dosage of the ginger is about 1 gram (2 capsules)per day.

    Please advise your friend that she must see a specialist in Appendix Cancer. It is rare enough and differs enough from colon or rectal cancer that she should consult with someone who has this area of expertise.

    Feel free to send me a private message with questions, or to have her send me a message.

    Alice

    PS - for more ideas on managing nausea, you may want to post this on the Colorectal Discussion Board, as the chemo is much the same. There, lots of people who have had the same chemo can give recommendations. You will also find postings there that address nausea.

    Thank you so much Alice!
    Alice, I can't thank you enough for your helpful information. I would love for my friend to be able to talk to you, is that being too pushy? She hasn't eaten for weeks, needs to keep getting hydrated (which helps) but I'm very concerned about her organs shutting down, which wouldn't be a good thing. My email is nbsue at aol if you are so inclined. I think that she would greatly benefit from someone who has already been through this terrible experience. I'm so glad to hear that you are doing well now and are taking the time to share and help others.
    I am new to this site and not quite sure how to e-mail you directly.
  • Barbara53
    Barbara53 Member Posts: 652
    #4
    SueinRI said:

    Thank you so much Alice!
    Alice, I can't thank you enough for your helpful information. I would love for my friend to be able to talk to you, is that being too pushy? She hasn't eaten for weeks, needs to keep getting hydrated (which helps) but I'm very concerned about her organs shutting down, which wouldn't be a good thing. My email is nbsue at aol if you are so inclined. I think that she would greatly benefit from someone who has already been through this terrible experience. I'm so glad to hear that you are doing well now and are taking the time to share and help others.
    I am new to this site and not quite sure how to e-mail you directly.

    lemon drops
    When my mother was on carbo/taxol, she said the worst part of the nausea was the horrible taste in her mouth, which would not go away. She found that cheapo Sourhead lemon drops (a visiting nurse knew the trick, and brought them from the Dollar Store) cut through the horrible taste, which in turn made the volume go down on the nausea. Frequent mouth rinses with Biotene helped with the taste problem, too.

    Along with Alice's excellent advice, perhaps these little things will help slightly.

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