All went fine yesterday, chemo was all through by 11.30am and after some paperwork and stuff was out by midday. Had a couple of things to do Asda for a couple of bits and then stuff to post so finally got home around 3pm. By 4pm I was really ill, tried to take the anti-sickness tablets as advised but boy oh boy what a time I had. Between 4 & 8.30pm when the paramedic arrived I had been sick 7 times and was really ill. The District Nurse who had been sent the paperwork advising she needed to call us early evening to see if an anti-sickness injection was required did not…seems the District Nurses for this area were off sick!!! So paramedic came and administered the injection (after I was sick in front of him how awful is that!!!) and I finally got to sleep until midnight. OH woke me then to take another sickness pill I had to take and I sleep through to 6am. Have managed a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits this morning but no appetite at all but also no sickness yet!!!
Was told that many foods and things I like will taste different on chemo and I have found the first one I cannot stand…COFFEE…yes my most favourite thing in the world so looks like its fruit tea or normal tea for me now then.
So all in all not a great start but here’s hoping it will improve as the days go on. Oh and my face is really hot today almost burning, cheeks very red, temp is 36.4 so not temp…any suggestions?
I had FEC and like you I was sick…usually about 7ish on the first evening but after that I was fine. I tried various pills and potions but non eof them worked so I just accepted it.
Re the red cheeks…I was told that was due to the steriods. I found after a day or so it subsided.
Hang on in there…one day at a time
hi Tracy, sorry to hear you have been suffering with sickness. I did as well after FEC1, I was sick every half an hour for 12 hours, I went to the drs the following day in the end for an antisickness injection which stopped me throwing up. I mentioned to my oncologist at the next visit and they did up my antisickness before my chemo and changed my tablets which helped but was sick a few times after FEC2 then none after FEC3. I would definately mention it to your onc when you next see him. With regards to your cheeks, could be the steroids,phone the number they give you for the chemo unit if you are unwell and keep taking your temperature, i have often phoned them to check. I felt awful after FEC1 and was so dreading the next one beacuse of the sickness but it wasnt as bad so make sure you get them to review your antisickness drugs. Ness xxx
I was never sick on FEC but felt dreadful. I used to get home from hospital straight away as I felt instantly woozy. You don’t have to put up with the sickness as there seems to be a wonderful (expensive) drug called emend. I’ve heard many a story how good it is so get on that phone to your unit and cry, beg, do what you have to so you don’t feel like this again.Don’t take no for an answer because we are worth every penny and need help! I went off favourite things too but by week 3 could drink tea, coffee etc again so hopefully your taste changes will be just temporary. Red cheeks are definitely steroids! I’m 2 days post TAX and my face is as bright pink as my teashirt today. OH says I have a healthy glow. Be really kind to yourself and look forward to the good days at the end of the cycle when you will feel normal again. x
Sorry to hear you have had such a bad time on FEC1.
I am now two weeks post FEC2 and am feeling back to normal.
Do try and get Emend if you can. I have been lucky enough to have it from the start and have not been sick at all although have had some nausea.
Try to catch up with your fluids. Drink little and often throughout the day. I know even water may taste foul but keep going!
I had the facial and neck flushing too but that only lasted for a couple of days.
If you are like me you will probably feel yucky physically and emotionally for up to a week and think that you will never feel better but it is amazing how the body gets back to normal.
So sorry, Tracy–yes, make a fuss until you get more suitable anti-sickness, which often seems to be emend. Tiny meals, small snacks in between and sip, sip, sip. Sorry about the coffee, but you may be ok in a day or so. I was sometimes better with a coffee/chocolate mix, which sat better and tasted better, sometimes had to stick with tea or water. I find things like nibbling grapes help to keep my blood sugar level, which seems to help nausea, though it won’t do much for vomiting, of course.
Lots of us turn bright red at various stages of steroids, but mention it anyhow. (Shakiness and hyperactivity seem to be other common reactions, plus either not sleeping or crashing out.) I usually get my sense of taste back by the end of a treatment period, but it has got worse over the whole period. It may be partly sense of smell going. Use your mouthwash if you were given it; that seemed to help my sense of taste as well as keeping mouth well.
(I’m at the shaky hands and not sleeping at night stage, so this may not be very clear–sorry.)
I was just like you I’m afraid. It started exactly 4 hours after the FEC and I had two treatments like that. My GP administered injection and said if I was sick again I’d have to go into hospital - really horrible.
My face went very red and hot after each FEC too. Not much advice except a nice cool flannel.
I finally got some decent anti sickness meds for the 3rd and 4th FEC. I would strongly suggest that you ring the chemo team asap and tell them what’s happened. That way you can ensure you get better meds next time. My trust wouldn’t fork out for Emend which I gather is the best. I had something called levomepromazine (also called nozinan) which knocked me out but at least I wasn’t sick. I also had domperidone in suppository form.
After about day 2 I went onto oral domperidone which I had before meals so I could try and eat something. I had nausea for all but a couple of days through the cycle but the domperidone did really help.
The other thing that helped was when the chemo nurses gave me an extra bag of fluid after administering the chemo. That way I wasn’t so dehydrated.
I couldn’t drink coffee or tea during FEC but really craved sparkling water for some reason.
I managed to get through 4 X FEC like that so hang in there! I hope things improve quickly for you. Be clear with the team about how sick you were and that you need more anti sickness meds.
Elinda x
So sorry you have had a bad time on your first FEC. I had my first FEC on 15 April and thank god i had the anti sickness drug emend. I really think this saved me from terrible sickness even though i still had horrendous nausea for about 9 days but no actual vomitting. I too had the really fetching red face look but that went as soon as i finished the steroids.
Hang on in there and look after yourself
Lv Melx
There’s some good studies showing that you can halve the chances of bad sickness by taking 1000mg of ginger for a few days before chemo. Can get it from healthfood shops. I’m doing so and it’s worked well for me so far (though I’m only one person so that’s no proof one way or the other!) but worth a thought. And I use those sea bands wrist strap things you can get from chemists too, which they also reckon helps a bit. Plus lots of sipping of ginger beer seems to help too.
Tracey it might just be the first one - I was very sick for one night after the first FEC, but never again after that. I gather this is quite common, so I hope it will be the case for you too. Hope you feel better today. finty x
I also felt quite sick during FEC, and lost 12 lbs in weight. I found that it was better to take the anti-sickness in a preventive way, rather than waiting till I actually felt sick.
Emend. Beg, plead, cry, lay it on with a trowel. It might be expensive but the cost of you having to call out various medics to administer drugs must surely be more expensive than giving something to control the nausea?
I too was just like you with FEC. Nothing I tried (ginger, taking meds before I felt sick etc) made me feel any better and I was sick, sick, sick.
Agree with chocciemuffin, beg for EMEND. I found out about Emend on this website (noone mentioned it at the hospital) and the chemo nurse was very reluctant to give it to me (in fact she said I couldn’t have it at first until I cried and she rang me when I got home to say she had thought about it and felt really sorry for me and had got Emend signed off by the oncologist!)
It is worth insisting on it as it did stop the sickness (not the nausea I’m afraid) but it made FEC managable for me. On a good note - week 2 and 3 I felt fine.
You could also ask about cyclizine which is a very good anti-emetic. I was told it was the most expensive (about £7.50 per tablet they said), and it did do the trick.
By the way, did they give you anti-sickness stuff before giving you the chemo. I just wonder because it seems very early for the sickness to kick in.
Ginger helps a lot of people, drinking extra the day before, don’t wait to feel sick before taking meds. On the other hand I mostly had morning chemo finishing around lunchtime and then the first scheduled tablet was 12 hours later. But the first chemo nurse said I could take 2 others sooner if needed–I was lucky and didn’t. I didn’t get the rush some do, so I rested when I got home. My first two were afternoon, finishing at tea time, so I went to bed not long after supper and had first meds in the morning.
I got intravenous anti-sickness before the chemo went in, and some people start taking theirs the day before, I think. The nurses always let the saline solution run a bit after the chemo, as well, leaving me desperate for the loo!
I was exactly the same after my first FEC. Can only say it improved! Awful at the time though. A friend who’s a nurse asked all her patients who’d had chemo what helped when the mouth tastes foul, and top came lemon lucozade. Not available in all supermarkets, but my OH went and got some, and it’s good for me. Doesn’t stop the sickness (ginger beer helped, some recoommend slices of root ginger steeped in boiling water with some honey), but the lemon luc does hit the spot for the foul mouth after the sickness…
Hi Tracy,
I just wanted to say I sympathise. I found, like Lemongrove, keeping on top on the anti sickness meds, painkillers etc and taking it easy helped. I found, on FEC, I was in bed an hour after getting home and would sleep round til morning. I did find FEC2 and 3 a bit easier. My father in law bought me some travel sickness bands as well and these seemed to help. Drink plenty and rest as much as you can.
I hope you are feeling better soon.
Sue
Sorry to hear you have had a rough time. I was similar to you. I started throwing up about 6 hours after the first FEC. My husband took me to out of hours docs and was given an anti-sickness jab, but that didn’t work. I was sick all night. The next day we called the GP, who gave me another jab. Again this didn’t work, so after many phone calls from my daughter and GP I was taken to A & E and admitted to a ward on oncology. I was on a drip for 24hrs.
After FEC 2 I was sick again, but not as bad. And again for FEC 3. Each time my onc reviewed my anti-sickness tablets. With FEC 3 onwards I was given an injection of andonsatron before the chemo was administered, and this seemed to help.
For FEC 4 I was given Emend and I wasn’t sick again. However this did knock me out completely for about a week, though that could have been the build up of drugs.
All I could eat in the first week (in fact for most of the time) was mashed potato and I drank a lot of apple juice.
carnt add to wot the others have said cos i aint been there but i want to send you a big cyber hug and lots of well whishes that you feel better soon hang in there hun
maz xx