My husband can't keep anything down. Very nauseated after first chemo
Hey everyone. My husband just had his first week of treatments. Cisplatin Chemo on Monday and radiation for five days a week. He has been diagnosed with head/neck cancer. Has tumor on base of tongue with metastisis on both sides of lymph nodes. He is only 56 years old. Since his chemo on monday, he is unable to eat anything and drinks only probably 32 oz fluid per day because of the nausea. Takes vicadin for pain. Zofran and compazine for nausea, changing off every four hours. I thought it would be subsiding by now but it isn't. What can I do for him? Thanks for the website. I really need some assistance.
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Welcome Jama...
I was STGIII SCC HPV+ Tonsils and a lymphnode...
Also nine weeks (three week cycles) of Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU, then seven additional weeks of concurrent weekly Carboplatin and daily rads.
The gave me EMEND for the first three days of each cycle..., pricey but also for nausea.
First off hydration is essential, and calories..., get him in that mind set first off....
Communicate with your MD's, they figure out something as for helping with being sick and all...
Again, welcome ~ John
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Definitely contact theSkiffin16 said:Welcome Jama...
I was STGIII SCC HPV+ Tonsils and a lymphnode...
Also nine weeks (three week cycles) of Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU, then seven additional weeks of concurrent weekly Carboplatin and daily rads.
The gave me EMEND for the first three days of each cycle..., pricey but also for nausea.
First off hydration is essential, and calories..., get him in that mind set first off....
Communicate with your MD's, they figure out something as for helping with being sick and all...
Again, welcome ~ John
Definitely contact the medical team. If he can't keep anything down, he will become dehydrated pretty quickly and that wil bring on more issues. If he doesn't get enough calories in, he won't be able to heal...and he needs protein as well, even if in powdered form.
Can he keep water down ?
Can he eat slower ? a few things to try are ice chips, so they will melt slowly and not hurt as much as taking full swallows.
As John says, there are other meds and combinations of meds that they can give him to get the nausea under control. He will feel better once he can start to get some nutrition and keep hydrated.
Good Luck, hope you can find something to help him.
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thank you for responding. He
thank you for responding. He just tried some jello about an hour ago and is now thinking that he has to vomit. Is trying very hard to keep it down. He describes it as possibly having something caught. I am wondering if there is swelling in the back of the throat.
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what about water ?Jama said:thank you for responding. He
thank you for responding. He just tried some jello about an hour ago and is now thinking that he has to vomit. Is trying very hard to keep it down. He describes it as possibly having something caught. I am wondering if there is swelling in the back of the throat.
yes, it sounds like something may be irritating his gag reflex and he is involuntarily feeling like he is going to vomit.
Is he able to keep water down ?
If not better by tomorrow, I would take him to the E/R.
You might also call the doctor/hospital NOW...there may be an ON CALL resident on his doctor's staff that can advise you.
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Ingrid K., Yesteday when he
Ingrid K., Yesteday when he got IV fluids and IV Zofran for the nausea he was still too nauseated to take radiation. They have a fitted plastic mask that they put over his face and neck and clamp down to the table when they give the rad. So the nurse says we can't give you rad today. I said that he is nauseated a lot and we can't keep not giving his radiaton so what do we do. They just looked at me. Then Russ said that he would sit and wait to see. He did eventually get it done and he did get his rad trtmnt done today, but they don't seem to have an answer. I then went back to talk to the onc nurse and she said to increase the 8mg Zofran to three times a day. The thing is they were just going to send us home without helping. I am really concerned with this. I have to be positive but it is so hard if I can't help him either. Sorry for this but how do you know that the team knows what they are doing? How do you trust that?
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It's been 9 years since my treatmentJama said:thank you for responding. He
thank you for responding. He just tried some jello about an hour ago and is now thinking that he has to vomit. Is trying very hard to keep it down. He describes it as possibly having something caught. I am wondering if there is swelling in the back of the throat.
but I still remember bringing stuff back up ALOT. I had a feeding tube and was on medical formula and still went from 220 pounds down to 129. If he doesn't have a feeding tube in place, I strongly suggest he get one soon. In thinking back, it may have been because I poured it in too fast.
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keep working at it and it willl get better
Jama,
You are doing things correctly. You , your husband and your team just needs to figure out what works best for him in fighting the nausea and then to stay in front of it. Zofran worked for me if I took it early enough. Watch out for constipation too.
As was said do every thing you can to stay hydrated and getting enough nourishment. Hopefully, his body will adjust to treatments and the ride won’t be too bad.
Best of luck,
Matt
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God bless you all for your
God bless you all for your help. Russ just vomited again and yes I am going to take him to ER for some fluids. He wants to wait until
tomorrow but we will see. I will keep you posted and you guys don't don't know how much you have helped me tonight. You are all like
CA angels. thanks.
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Here's what I've learned
I have the same diagnosis as your husband and I am three weeks post treatment. Here is the top things that AT THIS POINT (there will be more later but we can deal with it then) in his treatment you need to know.
1. Hydration is critical. How much is dependent on his size but I'm 5'8 and needed 100 ounces a day.
2. You have to stay ahead of Nausea, pain and constipation. That means that you have to medicate before the problem is a problem. When it comes to constipation, you can't possibly deal with it if you aren't hydrated properly.
3. You have to get enough calories. Starvation kicks in quickly and the pain from that is very bad.
My doc's had me on Zofran and Compazine both at the same time!!! Try it, he has to get food and fluids down.
Have your doc's discussed a feeding tube with you? He really should have one. A few of the folks here made it through treatment without one but most get one early on. I can honestly say I don't know how I would have made it through without the tube. There were times that I couldn't eat or drink anything and I would have been in the hospital numerous times.
Of course there is much more but for now, that's the high points. This is an amazing place for support. What folks have told you so far is great stuff and a lot more people will be chiming in. Ask questions, someone here will know the answer.
Joe Cortney
Dallas, TX
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I can only reemphasize what the others have
said about the hydration....just lack of hydration will cause nausea (plus a host of other symptoms...none of which is thirst). Since your team isn't offering up anything on their own, you might have to take the bull by the horns and tell them you want to try Emend for his nausea....I also took that (along with the Zophran and Compazine)....it was great stuff!!
I'm sure he feels exhausted from all the throwing up, but feeling exhausted is also a symptom of dehydration.....getting a tube isn't going to stop nausea, tho it will help in getting nutrition past a very sore throat....I'd get him in for hydration sooner than later.....I know he doesn't want to go tonight, but if it were me, I'd insist.....the sickest I ever was during treatment was when I got dehydrated.....and I didn't even know I was.....
p
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Agree with Phranniephrannie51 said:I can only reemphasize what the others have
said about the hydration....just lack of hydration will cause nausea (plus a host of other symptoms...none of which is thirst). Since your team isn't offering up anything on their own, you might have to take the bull by the horns and tell them you want to try Emend for his nausea....I also took that (along with the Zophran and Compazine)....it was great stuff!!
I'm sure he feels exhausted from all the throwing up, but feeling exhausted is also a symptom of dehydration.....getting a tube isn't going to stop nausea, tho it will help in getting nutrition past a very sore throat....I'd get him in for hydration sooner than later.....I know he doesn't want to go tonight, but if it were me, I'd insist.....the sickest I ever was during treatment was when I got dehydrated.....and I didn't even know I was.....
p
Sounds to me like he needs hydration NOW! When I got dehydrated I actually tried to get my husband to not take me to the ER, I was so out of it that even tho I felt terrible I argued that I was fine! I waited to long and ended up spending over a week in the hospital getting fluids.
As for the nausea, stay on top of those doctors because there will be something that works for him. They just need to find it. You must get a handle on this because nausea will cause dehydration and dehydration will cause nausea." it's such a viscous cycle.
Keep us posted and stay strong, you've got this.
Billie0 -
any updates on Russ ?Jama said:God bless you all for your
God bless you all for your help. Russ just vomited again and yes I am going to take him to ER for some fluids. He wants to wait until
tomorrow but we will see. I will keep you posted and you guys don't don't know how much you have helped me tonight. You are all like
CA angels. thanks.
Jama
how is Russ doing now ? any better ?
if not, you should go to the ER. as everyone has said, he needs to be hydrated and get the nausea under control so that he can finish the radiation treatment.
You need to be the squeeky wheel and tell the doctors you want the medicines combined so they will help him.
He should be taking them around the clock on a regular basis, not just when he feels poorly.
You have to stay ahead of the nausea.
good luck and hope he is doing much better by the time you read this post.
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emendBillie67 said:Agree with Phrannie
Sounds to me like he needs hydration NOW! When I got dehydrated I actually tried to get my husband to not take me to the ER, I was so out of it that even tho I felt terrible I argued that I was fine! I waited to long and ended up spending over a week in the hospital getting fluids.
As for the nausea, stay on top of those doctors because there will be something that works for him. They just need to find it. You must get a handle on this because nausea will cause dehydration and dehydration will cause nausea." it's such a viscous cycle.
Keep us posted and stay strong, you've got this.
BillieMy husband had BOT and hypopharyngeal cancer and also had radiation and Cisplatin for chemo.
Please call the doctors and talk to them about hydrating him carefully - Jim always got several bags the day before the chemo.
We used Zofran for nausea, also. Jim never had much nausea after the first day following chemo.
I agree it sounds like the swelling in your husband's throat is triggering his gag reflex. Talk to the doctor but that may continue for awhile - swelling lasts a LONG time following radiation - so you are going to need some help with this.
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What angels you all are.
What angels you all are. Thank you for the posts. Russ vomited again last night so I took him to ER and got two bags of fluid along with the IV Zofran. Amazingly his labs were all good even though he hasn't eaten anything since Wednesday and that was a few crackers. The doctor on call said to stop the vicadin because that might be causing nausea also. We did today and he took the ibuprofen 800 mg for sore throat. He still isn't drinking much because of the nausea. He was able to eat some Jello today and a cup of juice this morning though. So far so good. He is really uncomforatable though again. Have been taking the Zofran and Compazine alternately every four hours. He had some ice chips and that he was able to keep down but got really cold. Put a blanket in the dryer and warmed him up. It seems like the stomach ache and nausea really increases in the evening. Can't figure that one out. When he gets up and moves around is when he really starts to feel it. I am almost tempted to get a motion sickness pill. I will wait until Monday and talk to the onc nurses after he gets his radiation trtmnt if it takes place. It has to that is all there is to it. They have to help him get his nausea under control. I think it really finally hit us this morning that there is nothing to do but ride it out. That there is no stopping this. Nothing else to do but "have this baby". Just don't know quite how to do that yet but take one moment at a time. The day finally comes to an end and we can say we made it today. Thank you for all of you to be so supportive to us all. You are great.
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There's a good chance thatJama said:I forgot to tell you, he is
I forgot to tell you, he is coughing up a lot of phlegm which is in his throat. He was swallowing it but is now spitting it out all the time thinking that that might be causing some nausea too. I didn't think it would come so ealry.
everything is contributing to the nausea....I didn't have much mucous, but have heard people here say it made them nauseaus.....have also heard people say that radiation made them sick to their stomachs, too. Add those things to the chemo he got....and you may just have a perfect storm going here.
One day at a time is the only way to go with this disease....get thru each day, and one more is crossed off the calendar....bringing treatment closer to an end. Don't worry about tomorrow, it will be here soon enough....the further he gets away from the chemo, that will be one thing that's not contributing. I don't know if he's getting it every week, or every three weeks, tho...
p
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He has to get calories and fluidsJama said:I forgot to tell you, he is
I forgot to tell you, he is coughing up a lot of phlegm which is in his throat. He was swallowing it but is now spitting it out all the time thinking that that might be causing some nausea too. I didn't think it would come so ealry.
I know I'm harping on you but when your body moves into starvation mode the pain in your stomach is extreme. He's got to get food down or get a feeding tube or he's going to wind up in the hospital with them feeding him IV. I know, I've been there.
Joe Cortney
Dallas, TX
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keep trying
Jama,
Rather than “learning to live with it” try to figure this out. Keep telling the doctors and nurses everything that is going on. You might stumble on something which works. Usually, after the body adjusts to treatments things will get better, but keep on trying,
Best,
Matt
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Jamajcortney said:He has to get calories and fluids
I know I'm harping on you but when your body moves into starvation mode the pain in your stomach is extreme. He's got to get food down or get a feeding tube or he's going to wind up in the hospital with them feeding him IV. I know, I've been there.
Joe Cortney
Dallas, TX
The ER doc is right, vicodin is really hard on the stomach. There are many other pain meds. He could try a low dose of fentanyl patch. There is nothing to injest and digest as it's a patch. It can however make him pretty loopy so start low on the dosage.
For nausea, I forgot to mention that at one point zofran and compazine wasn't working for me any longer so my onc gave me Ativan and it really worked well for me!
Just thought I'd mention that to you.
Billie0 -
Billie brought up a good thought....Billie67 said:Jama
The ER doc is right, vicodin is really hard on the stomach. There are many other pain meds. He could try a low dose of fentanyl patch. There is nothing to injest and digest as it's a patch. It can however make him pretty loopy so start low on the dosage.
For nausea, I forgot to mention that at one point zofran and compazine wasn't working for me any longer so my onc gave me Ativan and it really worked well for me!
Just thought I'd mention that to you.
Billie....oh how easily we forget
.....Ativan was a huge part of my treatment, I took 1/2 tab every single day right before radiation....not to calm me for the radiation, but to keep nausea at bay because I was getting Amifostene everyday. My Oncologist put me on a strick anti-nausea schedule for after chemo...the first three days included Emend.....it was like 7:00 am Zophran; 9:00 am Emend; 11:00 am Compazine; 1:00 pm Atavan; 3:00 pm Zophran; 5:00 pm Compazin; and another Ativan before I went to bed. I was instructed to stick to this schedule until I was sure I was ok (the Emend only being the first three days, but stick to everything else until I was sure)....I quit too early the first time, after maybe four days.....and went back on the schedule immediately for another 3 days. I'd get chemo on Tues. and was ready to go without nausea meds by the next Sunday.p
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