Things were going okay....third week out from the second out of 3 chemo treatments, and my husband, who has been battling nausea, was actually doing okay with it the last 3-4 days, and I was encouraged that we could build him up some before this Tuesday's chemo. Well, I shouldn't have gotten too optimistic. First thing this morning, vomiting, then more, then more, finally a trip to ER. Just being in ER is so exasperating. Everything takes so dang long! I was so frustrated that my husband got so sick again 2 days before his next chemo treatment. I don't know if I can take another sick sound, another hiccup, gagging, or coughing up phlegm. Here I am, thinking about myself again. And he feels so utterly miserable today. Yesterday he was so different, not that he felt great, but at least he wasn't vomiting for a change. I just needed to let it out, so thanks to anyone who is listening.
Michele

Michele,

I'm listening and hoping today is a better day. Although I have no personal experience with the side effects from chemo, from what I've read this is not uncommon. Sure doesn't help you or Jesse, but at least you know that others have been there too.

Keep the faith, it WILL get better.

Jerry

Michele --

Be sure to take your husband's temperature every morning and evening -- my husband had the same sort of very sudden (overnight) change for the worse in his last week of treatment -- suddenly a LOT more phlegm, coughing, gagging, and nausea. He was going through a box of tissues in a few hours! I took his temp and he had a fever -- not high but over the 100.5F the oncologists set as a threshhold for calling in. It was a Friday and he had treatment, so we went in and the RO nurse and our RO jumped all over this and had blood taken for culture, chest xray etc. He went home as it would be 24 hours for the blood test to come back. They called next day and said COME IN NOW! -- you have a penicillin-resistant staph (MRSA) blood infection -- of course being Saturday this meant the ER -- luckily it was a quiet night (for inner city Baltimore) and he was shortly transferred over to the Kimmel CCC. The ER already had him on IV vancomycin and some other antibiotics -- he actually (except for the coughing and phlegm) was feeling not too bad by then -- they gave him a suction tube to help with the phlegm, also Mucinex every 6 hours. By the next morning the phlegm was essentially back to "background", and the nausea was gone, so this sudden downturn was apparently primarily in response to the infection. Anyway, 3 more days in hospital, two of them going downstairs for last two days of radiation treatment, and they sent him home. No other problems except he had lost 8-9 pounds! (despite eating pretty well) -- much later, in an article on MRSA infections we read that vancomycin interfers with digestion and folks with MRSA often lose a great deal of weight during treatment. However considering how serious these infections can be, he was very lucky.

Our RO nurse constantly alerted her patients to possibility of infection -- what with the chemo everyone is much more susceptible and what better place to be exposed to something than a hospital! Thus the admonition to take temperatures regularly and not take any pain-killers that might suspress this indicator.

Gail

Thanks guys. Today is better. No vomiting today, but also no nutrition going in - he is scared to take anything into his stomach. They took blood tests and did x-rays in ER last night and everything checked out okay, so they are saying it is/was probably the flu.

Is Mucinex available by liquid? If not, do you know if it can be crushed to be put into PEG?

Michele

Marijuana-Weed-Hemp- Rope- maryjane, it goes by many names. But IT IS EFFECTIVE in stimulating the appetite, suspressing nausea and other side effects of radiation and chemotherapy in the treatment of Cancer of any kind or type. There are no negatives regarding this natural substance.
Why is it still illegal?
I am a law abing man, always have been. But this law is wrong and should be corrected.
I have written my congressional intities many times to no avail and forget about writting the President.
We, as Cancer patients in treatment should band together go to Washington and vomit on every Senator and Congressman we encounter.
Maybe that's a little radical....
Join me in a letter writing campaign to, not only your congressional representatives on a national level but a state level as well.
I am down from my soapbox....
Darrell

My husband had nausea I think the best thing we found was eMend. This pill is taken on chemo day and then 2 days after chemo. It is costly but it thou

oops, I hit enter by mistake above. I was saying it is costly but it worked. I know it is a horrible helpless feeling to watch someone you love go through this,but hang it there and keep coming here for support and advice. I check in here everyday, it has been a great help.

Yes, my husband takes Emend on day of chemo and the 2nd and 3rd day after. He gets hiccups from it, ongoing. I know it sounds as if he has a problem with everything, but for some reason, he seems resistent to anti-nausea meds. Funny thing is, the very first chemo treatment he had, he went home that evening and was fine, no nausea, ate dinner even! The day following that, he tried Amifostine, became severely ill, and that was the end of trying Amifostine, but it seems that he has been "jaded" ever since. I don't know if there is anything to that or not.

As far as marijuana, it is not legal for medical purposes in our state and therefore I guess not available in pill form, as I believe it could be, if legal - I really don't know. To take it otherwise (illegally), he would have to smoke it, correct? As much as I want to help him, I don't see that happening. I appreciate the suggestion just the same.

I believe the doctor may change from Cisplatin to another chemo med tomorrow due to the results of his recent urine test. I believe it was Carboplatin? Perhaps the nausea will be lessened with that. I hope.

Thanks all.
Michele

Michele --

My husband Barry was given carboplatin as it is less toxic than cisplatin and his oncologist wanted to avoid causing more damage to his high-end hearing (he already has some hearing loss at this range) and avoid peripheral neuropathy. He tells everyone the chemo was practically a "non-event" -- no serious side-effects and the Anzemet given with the infusion controlled any nausea. He had it in 7 small doses, once a week, which was even easier to tolerate. On the other hand, almost all the people getting cisplatin were having a much harder time dealing with nausea. To Barry, taking the amifostine was the most difficult part of his treatment.

Our oncologist said that the chemo is a radio-sensitizer, to boost the effectiveness of the radiation, which "is the workhorse in this treatment" (her exact words).

My husband is now 6 months out of treatment, has had two PET/CT follow-ups and any number of physical examinations and there is no sign of residual or recurrent cancer, so the carboplatin worked as well as anything could.

We asked our RO today about Erbitux -- if Barry had been starting treatment this month instead of last August, they would have given him Erbitux plus carbo.

Gail

I had fair to horrific days during and several weeks post Tx. A lot of it is to be expected. You must experiment a lot with different anti nausea drugs, timing of feeding, foods, constipation remedies, anti-acids, effects of pain meds and many other things.

It is hard to watch a loved one puking up their guts everyday. My wife had a nervous breakdown over it and then I watched her go through the same thing and got a taste of the helplessness of it all. But being sick a lot is part of the cancer adventure, at least for a while. Just make sure that those nutrients and fluids are replaced.

Darrell, being a former pot head myself I would take issue with your statement "...no negatives regarding this natural substance.". Some studies have indicated that smoking a single joint is equal to 20 cigarettes -not to mention the extremely high temperatures. Marinol is a legal substitute with less risk.

Medical Marijuana is legal in California and several other states. I personally believe that all drugs should be legalized but that is way beyond the scope of what OCF is about and radically off topic.

Gail made a good point about the temperature thing. You should be taking it several times a day and it's a good idea to keep a log or diary of it and all the other things like food and fluid intakes, meds, adverse effects, pain levels, etc.

Gary, What is Marinol? Amy

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html

Here's a second link

http://www.druglibrary.org/Schaffer/hemp/medical/marinol1.htm

Thanks, Gary. 1st link did not work. 2nd one did. Interesting. Amy

Just do a Google on "DEA" and it will take you to the home page. Be sure to check the "drug scheduling" section as well Fentanyl is AKA "China White" which is the purest form or Heroin. (DEA #9813, 9833) At that's what they used to call it.

Michele,
I can relate to all the noises that seemed to bother you. Please do not feel like you are being critical. I stood by my husband's side for ten long months as he suffered with stage 4 tongue cancer and I can tell you about every sound imaginable from snoring that sounded like a loud freight train to my husband waving and talking to strangers in his sleep (side effect from pain meds) to him waking up with severe rapid heart palpatations. You as a caregiver may experience more than you know but you will come through it and not even know how you did it.
I was stressed with two young kids and taking care of my husband that I wanted to close the door and scream. I told the social worker that I felt like getting in the car and driving straight across the country by myself. That doesn't mean I despised my husband or blamed him for being sick but caregivers will feel like they are about to lose it on occasion. Welbutrin (an anti-depressant) may help take the edge off if you are feeling down.

You mentioned something about nausea and chemo and the oncologist told us that usually the first or second day after treatment, the patient is OK, it's by the third or fourth day that nausea sets in.

Also about mucinex, I have bad sinus problems and the pharmacist said that all mucinex is is a higher does of Robitussin so it isn't as much as a miracle drug as we thought. My husband was able to put Robitussin in his peg tube at the time so I don't see what harm Mucinex would be, except for the strength of it. That I would ask your doctor first because I don't know what other meds your husband is taking.

OK, I hope I could help in some way. As a caregiver, try to take an hour or two for yourself once and a while. This may refresh you and make you more of a help to your husband.
Lisa

Michelle- My fiancee had horrible mucus. Mucinix can not be crushed because it is time released, I found that Rubbitussin is the best thing- they make one especially for congestion.

I saw that news report about fentenyl. It was scary because Charlie is one 150mgs.

This might be something that isnt plesant, but
when the nausea is so bad that neither pills (even crushed) or liquids will work- they make supositories (I dont think I spelled it right) that you can stick right up your husband behind. Just make sure that they are nice and cold!

Love to all the caretakers!