Nausea!

sponge · New User Joined: 25 May 2008 Posts: 2

First post although I'm a lurker and have been reading quite a bit. My wife, who just turned 33, was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer in late February and she's had a resection of her colon (about a foot) and has had 35 radiation treatments along with a 5FU pump. Two polyps in her colon, one was cancerous and had spread to 10 lymph nodes.

We're now into our third chemo treatment, the standard stuff minus Avastin (they screwed up her chances for the clinical trial by starting radiation) which is every other week. Her biggest issue right now is nausea. None of the pill medications have worked (compazine/atavan) and have actually made it worse. Whether this is a mental thing, we're not sure but it doesn't solve her nausea problems.

Internet research led us to glutamine to help with the neuropathy caused by Oxaliplatin. We called the doctor today to get "approval" for the glutamine but never heard back from them. Nice, huh? I have glutamine from weight lifting (nothing serious I assure you) so we're going to start that asap.

But the nausea is really causing her issues as it's fairly constant. Doesn't matter what she eats. She feels like food is just passing right through her body. She'll eat and will be hungry less than an hour later.

With her treatment being every other week, she usually has the "bad" week where she receives treatment on Monday and by Saturday, you can't keep her down. Back to her old self and bouncing off the walls. With this last treatment, however, it's now Monday and she's still feeling really poorly and she's vomited several times today due to the nausea.

Are the affects of the chemo accumulative? Do they get worse with every treatment? Has anyone found a way to get rid of the nausea besides more medication? Is this normal?

Thanks for any and all advice! We're hanging in there as best we can!
Michel and Colory

Rotorhead · Regular Joined: 04 Jun 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Hawaii

If compazine isn't working, ask your oncologist to switch you to another antinausea med. I went from compazine to zofran, although it was because I was getting freakish muscle spasms in my face from the compazine (do some research...that stuff is weird). If you are not getting answers from your onc, then go to another one. Seriously, you are paying them (extremely well) to take care of you, and if they aren't providing satisfaction, take action. If you are not that type of person, get an advocate - a friend, relative, someone you know - who is a bit of a harda$$ - and take them with you. Keep checking this and other forums (google "colon talk") as there is someone out there who went through the same thing as you have.

Good luck and much aloha,
RH
_________________
Diagnosed Stage 3 rectal cancer Nov 07
6 weeks chemo/rad Dec 07/Jan 08
Surgery (TME) 11 Feb 08
6 months FOLFOX started March 08
My blog: http://rotorheadsblog.blogspot.com/

sponge · New User Joined: 25 May 2008 Posts: 2

I'm the advocate Smile

We've been battling with this particular oncology group since the start and unfortunately, they're the only real game in town (Cancer Specialists of Southwest Florida). While the care has been ok for the most part, they do nickel and dime you. Every time my wife sets foot in the office, it's an office visit charge (you guessed it) not fully covered by insurance. So she's making a $50 co-pay, sometimes twice a week. Add it up over the course of a year and it gets pricey.

Sometimes they're just not responsive unless you do start yelling. Triple bookings for every doctor has that effect.

Anyhoo, I guess I'll get on the horn today and insist someone calls me back with a solution to her nausea. She's used to having it for the first week but not the second. It usually starts to go away after they take the pump off of her on Wednesday. IV drip for four hours on Monday, and she's sent home with 5FU pump which runs out on Wednesday. By Thursday she's feeling a bit better and by the weekend, she's pretty normal. This round, she's still sick come Monday.

Rotorhead · Regular Joined: 04 Jun 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Hawaii

Sounds like we're on the same regimen. I just got back from my 10th treatment (of 12) and am on the 5-FU pump until Thursday. Fortunately I have experienced very little nausea and no vomiting.

Good luck to you and I hope you get some results.
Aloha, RH
_________________
Diagnosed Stage 3 rectal cancer Nov 07
6 weeks chemo/rad Dec 07/Jan 08
Surgery (TME) 11 Feb 08
6 months FOLFOX started March 08
My blog: http://rotorheadsblog.blogspot.com/

DulcimerGal · Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: Nausea!

Hi Michel and Colory

Drop down to a thread called "29 yr F, SIGMOID Mass found about to face surgery-advice?"

MistyW talks in that thread about a new anti-nausea drug called "Emend" that she is thrilled with - sounded expensive but certainly effective - you may want to check it out and see what she had to say.

It will at least give you an option to dicuss with your oncologist.

Cheers and good luck
DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th 2008
Colostomy Reversal August 20th 2008
Five rounds of Xeloda (chemo) to ZAP anything left!

cptmac · Experienced user Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 53

although people kept telling me I'd get sicker with more chemo, I felt better.

None of the nausea meds really worked for me. What did work? Drinking Coca Cola. I've not stopped drinking it since.

was dx with Stage IV on July 22, 2004 and have been NED since Sept of 2004. I have been off of all treatments since June of 04

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