what percentage of people V on chemotherapy

[hairyfairy]

I have read stories & seen movies about people having chemotherapy for cancer, & they always seem to include loads of references to Vting, if not actual scenes in these movies. I`ve often wondered if these stories are exagerating the effects, or does chemo really have such terrible side-effects? I have always dreaded being diagnosed with cancer, not just because It can be fatal, but I think my worst fear would be the Vting that`s supposed to result from chemo. I have had several anasthetics in my time, & have never gotten sick from them, I don`t know if that means I`d tolerate chemo better, but I think that I would seriously consider refusing to have the medication if I thought that it would make me get sick. I`ve heard that doctors don`t bother to give anti-emetics to chemo patients because they don`t work in this case.

[JustLacey]

I think eveyone does. But I won't know, because I know NO-ONE who has had it (but even the people i do know, they were kind enough NOT to tell me ) Cancer is awful....O_o

[Andrilla]

I've heard that almost everyone does, at least at first. That is a huge amount of chemicals that they are just pouring into your body. I only know one person who went through it, and he got sick from it a LOT. He was only 2 years old and it was a struggle for his family to get him to eat because he felt sick all the time. Since he was so little, I can't say with 100% certainty that it works the same for adults, but I know that chemo takes a lot out of you. Good news, that was years ago and he is fully healthy now and has few, if any, memories of being so sick!!!

[Andrilla]

oh, but I have also heard that a lot of anti-emetics are designed for cancer patients. I don't think that they help right after chemo (again, a LOT of chemicals pumped into the body, that has to be a shock to the system.), but that they are supposed to help out with the sick feelings between chemo sessions.

[Lorni]

Sometimes actually being sick when having Chemo is good. My boyfriends nan has to be sick, they wont give her no anti emetics, its one way the body flushes out some of the Chemo & cancer. My boyfriends mum is a nurse so i think this is right. Unfortunatly her Chemo wasnt working shes now having bone marrow transplants.
Almost every patient having Chemo will be sick, some more than others & depending on where the cancer is and where the Chemo is pumped into.

Cancer is terrible, the poor patients would probably rather have a bug once than have all this Chemo and not know weither its working. Thats one way i think to help me when i have a moment. How lucky we actually are. Hope this helps a little

[paulinek]

My grandma had it and didn't vomite (although she was on anti-emetics) but my friend fromwork who is having chemo at the moment vomited terribly ater the first one, but hasn't been sick on the 2nd and 3rd - although she has felt very sick the nurse has told her that it's just like morning sickness and to keep nibbling and not let her stomach get empty as that is when it tends to strike so she's got crackers by the bed etc and hasn't been sick again, just nausea.

Another lasy here had chemo last year and was very sick the first two times but they changed her drugs for the rest of the course and they didn't make her sick at all.

The things is there are a like a hundred+ drugs that are used for chemo and each person is given an individual "cocktail" to suit their needs, and some of those drugs are more likely to make you sick than others so i think it just depends what an individual is given as to whether it makes them sick or not.

[sage]

All this is rubbish, actually. I've had cancer and worked with hundreds of cancer patients. Most do not vomit. I didn't vomit from the chemo because the drugs were amazing. During my last treatment I got a serious infection, and when I took the first antibiotic I barfed it up. That was the "big fat nothing" that I refer to in my story - the first time I'd vomited in well over 20 years and couldn't believe how easy it was and how much of my life I'd spent worrying about something so trivial.

Lorni - that story sounds a little off, imho. How could vomiting get rid of drugs given intravenously, and how could it possibly get rid of cancer? That just makes no medical sense.

Anyway, the movies love to portray chemo as a vomit-fest for the sake of drama but the drugs are so good now that people just don't vomit anymore, especially if they really don't want to. Certain cancers themselves can lead to a lot of vomiting such as those blocking the intestines, stomach cancer, and liver cancer. Apparently marijuana is best for the latter!

[olschesky]

my mom had colon cancer and received 96 straight hours of chemo........then 10 weeks radiation.....then another 96 hours. she did not v....had anit emets in her iv. she is fine today

i lost a friend to colon cancer at the age of 34......she went through tons of treatments, chemo being the first and she was very very sick.......v constantly......

so , i'm guessing it depends on the person and maybe the doctor?

i've often thought about whether or not i could go through the chemo.......i'm still thinking not......but that could change if i ever got the cancer diagnosis.....

[beccabubba]

My partners mother sadly lost her life 2 years ago after a constant battle with cancer (starting with breast then spreading throughout) she literally vomited all the time and had to take bags in the car with her and everywhere she went. She lost tons of weight through not being able to eat.
Then sadly her husband found he couldnt swallow over christmas and after the festivites he went to hospital where they found he had severe throat cancer. They operated but it never worked. He had lost his wife by then (my sons grandma) and I think he just gave up. He was so sick of being sick and not feeling well and we lost him just six months after his wife.
All very sad, but I do know they suffered terribly with vomiting and nausea.
In my case....well I think I would commit suicide if I found I had terminal cancer.

[asianeko]

We actually had a few threads on this in the past, though I can't seem to find them. Sage is right, nowadays most people can get through chemo without V at all. There were two or three threads, some written by people who had gone through chemo and been completely fine. Stay positive!

[sage]

It is true that some people vomit easily - often cancer patients can vomit from tumours in the brain or as I said in the stomach or intestines. They can also vomit from anxiety. BUT many people don't like to vomit and of course there's us who are afraid to. For all of them and us, there are great chemo anti-emetic drugs.

[runner1998]

Hi there. I just joined the forum and wanted to share my experience with you.

I developed emetophobia after a severe episode of v when I was 6. My emetophobia is not as severe as many of yours, but I experience severe anxiety when someone in my family gets a sv, I avoid certain foods, I am obsessive about hand washing, etc. (In fact my brother coming down with a sudden fit of V is actually why I joined this forum tonight...)

In early 2007 at 26, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. Hodgkin's is treated with chemotherapy. I will freely admit: the thing I was worried the most about wasn't dying even though my Hodgkin's was at an extremely advanced stage, it was the N&V that chemo can cause.

Chemo drugs actually vary A LOT in terms of how much N&V they can produce. Some drugs have a very low likelihood of causing N&V, whereas others cause it upwards of 90% of the time. Of the four chemo drugs used in combination to treat Hodgkin's, one drug causes N&V in about 60% of people and another drug causes N&V in about 90% of people. In other words: The Hodgkin's chemo regimen is a real problem for anyone like us.

That said: I never v'ed while doing chemotherapy. I will be entirely honest with you -- I did have episodes of N and some of these episodes were fairly severe. However, with a combination of anti-N drugs, I avoided ANY V during the course of eight months of chemotherapy.

I just wanted to post this to try and help in case another person finds themselves in my shoes. There are several very, very good drugs for N and cancer doctors ROUTINELY give them via IV before they give chemo. These include Zofran and Kytril. There is a pill called Emend as well that is extremely expensive but works very, very well in preventing nausea. One other thing I will add: Cancer doctors do NOT want their patients suffering through N&V for a variety of reasons, so they work hard at preventing this side effect. Basically my doctor gave me any and every anti-N drug I asked for. I had an arsenal of drugs at my disposal ranging from compazine up to Emend.

As I said, I really do hope this helps someone.

[sage]

runner1998 - thank you so much for your story. I'm sure it will help everyone on here to see that they don't have to vomit with any medical condition. And that the doctors are there to help.

I hope and pray that you are cancer-free for the rest of your very long life!

[runner1998]

runner1998 - thank you so much for your story. I'm sure it will help everyone on here to see that they don't have to vomit with any medical condition. And that the doctors are there to help.

I hope and pray that you are cancer-free for the rest of your very long life!

Thank you, Sage!

I just want people to know there have been huge, huge strides made towards treating N&V in chemo patients. And doctors really, really don't want to see patients miserable. They go out of their way to help avoid this side effect where possible. One key thing I learned that might help future patients: You have to take anti-nausea drugs around the clock, because they work best to PREVENT N&V as opposed to stop it once it starts.

Bests,
J.

[Belle24]

I am 17 years old and in January, 2010, i was diagnosed with a very aggressive liver cancer. I went through three rounds of some of the toughest chemo available, and I never vomited once. I have an extreme fear of vomiting, and my doctors at Comer Children's Hospital worked with me by providing me with Zofan (I swear this stuff is heaven-sent), Ativan, Benadryl, Phenerghan, Compazine, and Nexium. I will admit, I spent a lot of time in long panic attacks, thinking I was going to throw up, but I never did. I still used these medications during my two surgeries and recoveries. Sometimes I still use Zofran when I need it, but I'm able to cut back. If youre an emetaphobic that may have cancer, don't worry. Just because you may undergo treatment doesn't mean there aren't wonderful drugs out there that can help keep you from being sick.
I am currently receiving therapy to help with my phobia, and it seems to be going well. Ill let you know if it works!
Erin

[Belle24]

Oh, and by the way.. I'M FINALLY CANCER FREE! )

[Jan3_Do3]

I couldn't tell you the exact percentage, but I'm quite sure it depends on the type of cancer being treated and the type of chemo being used.

My grandfather has been on chemo once a week for his colon cancer for almost two years now and has never vomited once. I don't know if they give him antiemetics through an iv before they give him his chemo or not, but I do know that he has anti nausea pills that were prescribed to him and he hasn't had to use them once. His biggest complaint about the chemo is that it gives him some acne on his face and dries out his hands and feet. He also naps a lot the day of and after his chemo.