Mom waiting for chemo to start - very sick - is this normal

My mother was dx last week. We are still waiting final biopsy results, they won't start tx until they recieve it. It has been 10 days since tenative dx. She is sooooo uncomfortable, w/ nausea, and now pain, and seems very weak (maybe the pain meds?). SHe is so bad, I am afraid she is going to die before she even begins chemo. Would the doctors tell me if she was at that point? They seem sympathetic, though not alarmed. Is it normal for her to feel this badly while waiting for results and chemo? I am trying to work, and to save my time off for when she really needs me - but I don't know what is going on.