Chemo how long does nausea last

If nausea or vomiting continues after using the prescribed medicine, let your nurse or doctor know early so that another medicine can be tried. Steroids may also be used to manage nausea. Being unable to keep liquids down because of vomiting can cause you to become dehydrated. Signs of dehydration include a dry mouth and skin, dark urine, dizziness and confusion. It is not safe to be left alone if you are vomiting a lot, as the confusion may make it difficult to realise you have become seriously dehydrated.

For more on this, see Nutrition and cancer , and listen to our podcast on Appetite Loss and Nausea. Once I started chemotherapy, I went off my food. My mouth felt very dry, which made food taste unappetising.

Adding extra sauce helped. Download PDF kB. View all publications or call 13 11 20 for free printed copies. Coping with cancer? Refractory vomiting may happen after a few or even after several chemo treatments. Nausea and vomiting can be caused by radiation therapy based on:. The part of the body being treated. Total body irradiation used in stem cell transplants is linked to a high risk of nausea and vomiting if treatment is not given to prevent it. Patients may also get high doses of chemo to prepare for transplant, which further raises the chance of nausea and vomiting.

The dose of radiation given. And I do mean lucky. Before the introduction of this and other powerful antiemetics, going through chemo was incredibly rough. Or wanted to, at least. My little Zofran pills — and other drugs like steroids and Ativan that amplify the anti-nausea effect — made it possible for me to get through chemo and radiation without throwing up once. Yes, I was queasy and yes, there were close calls, but I never once lost my cookies. Instead, I was able to eat cookies.

And chocolate chip banana bread, pancakes and sausage, homemade chicken pot pie, and a host of other comfort foods. I realize nausea and vomiting is a weird thing to … uh … bring up. I was certainly clueless about this; ditto for many others who told me they feared the worst, thanks to Hollywood. Now, with new guidelines just released by a national oncology panel, cancer patients have even more tools to stem the sickness that can come with treatment.

Gary Lyman was a member of the panel that produced the new guidelines. A longtime oncologist, public health researcher and national thought leader in patient care, Lyman said he remembers only too well what it was like treating cancer patients before effective anti-nausea meds came on the scene. Elaine Meddock, a year-old former state patrol officer from the Oklahoma City area, experienced both sides of the side effect spectrum after she was diagnosed in with non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the tender age of Meddock said she struggled through with what was available — Benadryl, Compazine and Zantac — but finally reached her breaking point.

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Not a member yet? Register now. Search for discussions or people. Good luck - it will end eventually Dave. I ended up in hospital with diviticulitis after the first session.

Had very bad side effects. The second session I almost went into anaphylacus which really terrified. Am now on tablets only but they give me gripping pains in my tummy.

Sometimes diarrhoea sometimes bloating and constipation. No fun. Have five sessions to go. So how long to return to normal depends on so many things. I send my love to everybody going through this. Hope this helps. Show per page: New to forum. Melanoma and hearing loss.