If you had cancer

[emetmama]

I've lived with someone going through Chemo and they didnt v* at all or feel n* at all until their body was giving up the fight. They were absolutely fine until the last few days of their life when they decided they didnt want to fight anymore.
One night they said to us "I'm done fighting I am ready to die" and the next day the v* started and the next day they were gone.

I would take chemo if I had to because I am a mother and I'm going to do my absolute darndest to be around for my kids to grow up.
________
Oregon marijuana dispensary

[cashcarstar]

I would do it but I would be terrified the whole way through.

[jkl81]

Chemo is a very general term, some chemo causes a lot of n* and v* like cisplatin for testicular cancer. Other drugs tend to be well tolerated my most people or have other side effects, tiredness, lethargy, lack of energy etc. I hope I never have to make any such decision or at least it will be years in the future when they will have perfected chemo even more and come up with better ways to fight the side effects. In the end it would have to come down to if I had a chance to survive or not and if foregoing chemo would put me at a much greater risk of dying, I guess.

[xmdslatx]

If I had cancer, I would not fight it to be honest.

I will try natural ways to help my body boost its natural defenses, but if I'm going to go, I don't want to be miserable my last few days/months/years.

[kyle1989]

i would definitley try chemo. if how ever i was told i was gonna pass on most likely, i would quiz how i would die, and i didnt think it would be a very nice exit... then i would rob a bank, or people, or do anything to get the money to pay a hitman to kill me in my sleep.


yes thats harsh, but i guess i have a near phobia of how i will die.

[sage]

Well, I had cancer 13 years ago and did go through chemo. I only vomited once, and it wasn't from the chemo per se, it was from getting such a terrible infection and the antibiotics made me sick because I had no proper cells left in my stomach. The vomiting was a big fat NOTHING and I can't believe I feared it so much for the previous 20 years or so!

The thing is, cancer itself can lead to vomiting even if you don't have chemo. So if chemo can save your life, then it makes sense to do it. They have great anti-nausea drugs now and honestly, if it hadn't been for that weird infection/pneumonia I would have been fine.

On an unrelated note, it's now been 13 years since I vomited, which goes to prove that being cured of the anxiety/phobia does not make you more likely to be sick!

[xmdslatx]

The thing is, cancer itself can lead to vomiting even if you don't have chemo.

You know what? I never even thought of that and it makes perfect sense! good think I take a lot of antioxidants and etc to help boost my immune system.

I would still take the natural route vs. chemo route but I wouldn't mind taking anti v* medications.

[twilightrose]

I would do chemo, but really only as a last resort. The fact that not everybody gets sick from it makes that slightly more encouraging. However, the anti-nauseant drugs would make it a bit easier.

[alpha1]

There are many types of cancer that ensure vomiting, the most common causes of vomiting come from stomach cancer and brain cancer, also from throat cancer. Liver cancer also has it as a common symptom.
Believe me, if I had cancer I wouldn't even think about living an hour more. I would end my life just to escape from this torment... I was tortured enough through depression and the recent trauma I had a year ago that started my emetophobia. But I keep trying not to believe that I will actually have cancer in the future. My grandparents never had it so I might be safe. I also avoid everything that's polluted and I gotta tell you the truth: I will NEVER work in a factory, construction, or transport!

[lilarchitect23]

i would, because i'd know that it wasn't because i had a SV, but because of the medicines that i was sick. however, i'd need a lot of support.

[meowkitty]

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few days ago and I'm really worried. :/ Worried about her of course and also worried about the chemo... which sounds so selfish.

[ankitchens]

Hey, this is totally off topic but I'm pretty sure related to my emetophobia is my fear of swallowing pills. I think I'm just afraid of gagging on them or something, but seriously it's ridiculous. Does anyone else have this? Tips anyone? Sorry this is off topic!

i also cant swallow pills :/ they make me gag everytime....i have to cut them into like 6 pieces!! im always scared of them getting caught in my throat and the only way to get them out would be to v*


as for the subject of this post....i deff wouldnt get chemo if i had cancer....there are other ways and i honestly dont want to v*
EVER!!!!!!

[alwaysafraid]

MXW.....I have trouble swallowing pills at times, but not always. I also have a fear of choking, not as much as emetophobia but still a problem. I'm sure the two are related. I feel like I'm choking when I v* as I'm sure many people do so the two intertwine. I actually choked on some food about 6 months ago pretty bad and I think that's what kind of put my emet back over the edge again. I still have problem eating many foods and I am obsessive about chewing it well....which is good to a certain point!

As for chemo, I would be terrified but I would probably get it because it saves many lives. It would depend on the situation. If it was palliative anyway I may consider living my remaining life with quality. It would also depend on the chemo drug....some are worse than others for causing v*, some don't at all. I would definitely incorporate some homeopathic treatment into my care and take all the antiemetics that I could. I hope it's something I never have to deal with for my loved ones and myself (or anyone else for that matter).

[virgo_witch]

I would most def. get chemo. They have some seriously powerful anti-emetics out there and they really DON'T want you to v*, because you need your energy!

[paulinek]

I always thought I wouldn't but the more people I've heard of or know who have had chemo over the years i think now I probably would go for it, because there are really good anti emets and I know when my Grandma had it she was never s* once. Hopefully none of us will ever be put in the position of having to make that decision though.

[andee]

The ONLY way I would do it is if they could GUARANTEE that I would not get sick and give me tons of anti-emetics...I know they can't do that so I would lean towards no...

[claire43]

Up until my sister was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and started on a long and aggresive course of chemo and radiotherapy I would have said no, not in a million years. Now however having seen how my sister has handled it I would seriously consider it if God forbid I ever had to make that decision. My sister v* once very badly but that was after her first dose and she hadnt taken the anti-emetics on time. After that she felt n* for a while but never v* again. The worst side effect she has is extreme tiredness. Unfortunatly it didnt work for her and she was told she has only 12 months to live back in april but she still opted to have further chemo cos without it they only gave her 8 months max

[olschesky]

i've often thought about that......i say "no" to chemo right now......but thinking that if i was in that situation i would probably take the chemo.

hope your sister if able to enjoy her life right now......i can only imagine how hard this is for her and your family.......make the best of your time together....hugs

[sage]

Claire - that's horrible about your sister. I'm so sorry! This must be such a difficult time for your whole family. I wish you and your sister the very best.

As for the chemo question...I never thought I would ever be able to go under anesthetic and have surgery, let alone chemo. But when I go that diagnosis of cancer my first thought was not "what if I'm sick" it was "what if I die?" and my second thought was "get this thing the hell out of me, then nuke it and poison the hell out of it so it NEVER comes back!" I imagine most emetophobes would feel the same, even if they don't think so now!

[asianeko]

I know quite a few people (sadly) who have gone through cancer treatment. Many who went through chemo did not vomit. Nobody enjoys it, so of course they do their best to prevent it!'

Edit: I forgot to answer the question! I would definitely go through Chemo! Though I had a period of time where I pondered this question and seriously thought I wouldn't. My boyfriend told me that he loved me too much to let me die just because I was too scared to get better. Good point to think about.

[JaneGoodallFan]

noo
id hate chemo

[Paisley]

I would rather die than vomit.

[stephenie]

Chemo, I'm not about to let my fear make me die. F**k that. I'm going to win in the long run whether I vomit and die from taking chemo or just suffer and die period. I would do it for my family, they would need me. That's not fair to them. So yes chemo.

Excuse the language.

[kellybeth]

I would rather die than vomit.

Thats sad to me. I have said this in the past to . I would rather die. And I meant it. But looking at it now, I would much rather vomit then die. I have to many people I love and still so much left to do with my life. So yes, I would get chemo. No doubt about it.

[KaydeeJayde]

Chemo, I'm not about to let my fear make me die. F**k that. I'm going to win in the long run whether I vomit and die from taking chemo or just suffer and die period. I would do it for my family, they would need me. That's not fair to them. So yes chemo.

Excuse the language.

YEAH! Nicely said, Stephenie!

Me, it would depend on the situation, the chances of the chemo working, whether I had a family that was going to need me, but if I needed it, and it would definitely have a good chance of working, hell yes, I'd do it!

[Orchid]

I too have thought about this and it terrifies me to ever be faced with that. I too feel that I'd want to do what I could to save my life. I would make sure it was a treatable cancer and what the survival rate was. I'd research every possible treatment. I'd express strongly to the doctors my fear of throwing up, I'd take the strongest anit-nausea pill there was. But I think I'd have to choose life, unless it wasn't very treatable. I actually know of someone who had cancer and although treatment would only prolong her life she chose chemo. I guess she had a really good experience with chemo. She never vomited, just felt tired. They gave her some anit-anxiety medicine before administering the chemo, which I thought was nice. How does one get through it without throwing up? Some people swear by healthy diets and they go on with their normal lives while getting chemo treatments. What a positive view.

[unaware27]

Yes, there is no question. I'd be having panic attacks out the door but I'd do it.

[wanted]

I often think about this and I think I wouldn't go through chemo :/
Vomiting in that period is hard for normal people, so I can't imagine myself in that situation.

[scaredsick]

If that's what I had to do to have a chance to live then heck yes I'd get chemo! I have too much to live for to give up for fear of v*ing!

[asianeko]

Just for reference for future posters, this thread started in 2008, then was revived a few times. If you reply to somebody specific, they may not see it as they may or may not be active here anymore