Hello. I’m posting on behalf of my 78 year old mother who has recently completed 15 sessions of radiotherapy following chemotherapy and a mastectomy for TNBC. For the past week (she had her last session 7 days ago) my mum has been feeling incredibly nauseous as well as fatigued. We expected the fatigue but is it normal to feel so sick? She has tried two medications for the nausea (Metoclopramide and Ondansetron), neither seem to have made much difference. She is forcing herself to eat dry toast and crackers and is taking small sips of water but as she is already very small, we are concerned about her losing more weight. Any reassurance or advice would be very welcome! Thank you.
Nausea can start weeks after completion of radiotherapy & can go on for a few weeks. Always worth a word with someone to feel reassured.
Thank you. I think we will contact the doctor to try a different anti nausea medication.
1 Like
Hi lainey2,
Thanks for posting.
It is understandable to feel concerned about the side effects your mother is experiencing following completion of her radiotherapy treatment.
As @balchik says, side effects from radiotherapy can be delayed. Some people do experience nausea following radiotherapy. It is not a common side effect following radiotherapy to the chest area, but can vary depending on the location and size of the area that has been treated. As you mention in your post, speaking again to the doctor would be helpful. It’s important to rule out any other cause for the nausea and to make sure she is not getting dehydrated. Your mother should have been given an alert card with the details of who to contact should she experience difficult side effects.
As your mother is losing weight, we would always suggest speaking to her breast care nurse or GP, as they may be able to be refer your mum to a dietician. You may find our information on diet and breast cancer helpful. World cancer research fund also have a cancer and nutrition helpline which may be able to offer some guidance.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000, (Relay UK -prefix 18001).
If you would prefer one of our nurses to call you. To do this complete this form ticking the box agreeing to a call back.
Our usual opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm and 9am -1pm on Saturday.
Out of hours you can leave a message and we will call you back when we next open.
Best wishes
Katie
Breast Care Nurse
Please read the Ask Our Nurses disclaimer Full details on how we collect and use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy
As we are unable to monitor for further replies, this thread will now be closed. If you have any additional questions or would like to provide feedback, please start a new thread, call our helpline, email us or request a call back.