Stomach Issues

Nausea

 

Nausea is something most people associate with chemo, and I did have some. I don’t know if mine was less severe, or if I was able to handle it better because I had done research and controlled it.

 

The first couple of days after an infusion I was not concerned about feeling sick, as they gave me a pre-med that included a heavy-duty anti-nausea medication. 

 

As soon as I knew I would go through chemotherapy I bought a ReliefBand from the internet. I had heard stories from some who had been nauseous from chemo, as well as those who have motion sickness. They all said ReliefBand helped keep the nausea away.

 

It is a strange thing - looks like a watch, and you put it on your wrist with the watch part on the inside of the wrist. It comes with a gel that helps conduct the electricity through your skin. The gel is not cheap, so when it is gone you can use aloe vera gel instead.

 

You rub a small amount of the gel on the inside of your wrist where you will put the watch part, then secure the band so it will stay. It has ten different settings depending on your need. I usually kept mine at 3. When you turn it on it starts ticking, the higher the number, the stronger the ticking becomes. You can feel the electrical surge move down the fingers to the tips. It’s a strange sensation, but it worked for me. I usually wore it the first week after each infusion, mostly at night.

 

Before I went to bed during the first week, after the pre-meds had worn off, I took a Compazine, an anti-nausea medication. It makes you drowsy, so it not only helped with the nausea, but aided my sleep. It’s safe to take even if you have sleep apnea according to the pharmacist. I took the sublingual Zofran during the day if I felt I needed it. I was fortunate and did not need the Zofran very often. That pill was helpful during MRIs, as the intravenous blue dye made me nauseous. 

 

Foods are a major factor in feeling nauseous. Many tell us what we should eat to stay healthy, but we are not always able to eat these foods. The medical professionals who helped me suggested I eat whatever my body would let me. For me this was a lot of toast, but we are all different.

 

Chemo Belly (bloated and gassy)

 

If you have ever been bloated and gassy you understand how frustrating and painful it can be. The four months of chemotherapy, as well as a couple of months afterwards, I wore nothing but large and soft sweatpants and sweatshirts. My regular clothing did not fit as my stomach was distended and her. TUMS and Gas-X helped but did not take care of all of it. I am glad I did not have to dress to look good. A blessing of not having to go to an office.

 

Constipation

 

Many women get diarrhea, but my digestive system tends to be sluggish to begin with, so it was no surprise when I had major constipation issues. It is painful, makes you look pregnant, and water goes straight through, so you need to urinate frequently. That is very frustrating, as drinking a lot of water helps your system function better. My friends became electrolytes to keep the water in my body. This is still an issue, so I continue to drink one Liquid IV each day. 

 

Heart Burn (GERD)

 

There are signs of heartburn that I did not know. I thought it was just a burning pain in your chest. It turns out that is just one of the symptoms. Other symptoms are a feeling that food is coming back into the mouth, an acidic or bitter taste at the back of the throat, pain after meals and / or when lying down. Some of these are also signs of a heart attack, so it is important to let your doctor know what you are experiencing. 

 

Acid controllers work well. I started with TUMS and Famotidine, but ended up with the stronger Omeprazole, and still take one each day. Heart burn has not only been a problem during the day, but also prevents me from sleeping, and the medication helps.

 

 

The best and easiest way to keep all these issues as minimal as possible is drinking as much water as your body can handle, not trying to eat foods that you feel you *should* eat even though just thinking about them makes you feel sick to your stomach, and moving, even if you are only able to go for short walks.