Managing Nausea & Vomiting

Use these hints to help prevent or manage nausea and vomiting that may develop as a result of your cancer therapy.

Share experience … gain knowledge.

• Speak freely with others.
• Try tricks that others have discovered.
• Ask questions about side effects that you may experience.
• Find out when side effects occur and how long they last.
• Prepare yourself as best you can.
• Always remember that you are not alone.

Make meals work for you.

• Identify foods that you can eat even while nauseated.
• For ideas, think of foods that you enjoyed as a child.
• Keep these foods on hand.
• Cook foods before your nausea usually begins.
• Jello, tea, colas, broth, ginger ale, and crackers may be easy to keep down.
• If your appetite has decreased, switch from three large meals a day to six small ones.

It’s all in the presentation.

• Make mealtime pleasant for yourself.
• Set the table with your best dinnerware.
• Add candles or flowers to set the right mood.

Prevention is your best bet.

• Take your antinausea medication as advised.
• Your medication is scheduled to prevent nausea from occurring.
• Remember, nausea is easier to prevent than to treat.

 During treatment …

• Bring sugarless mints or lemon drops to chew.
• Listen to relaxation tapes just before and during your treatment.

After treatment …

• Plan to rest when you return home from treatment.
• Sleeping through nausea is often effective.
• If you are anxious, use prerecorded relaxation tapes of the sound of waves, thunderstorms, streams, or waterfalls.
• Consider creating your own tapes by combining existing tapes with your favorite music and instructions for progressive muscle relaxation.

Having trouble?

• Whatever you do, don’t become discouraged.
• Many measures are available; you only need to find the ones that are right for you.
• Work with your nurse to develop a plan that will work.
• Don’t be afraid to mention that you are still getting nauseous.

At all times …

• Focus on feeling healthy, being well, and getting better.
• Think about the time when your therapy will be over.
• Imagine getting well with your side effects behind you.

The don’ts

• Don’t assume that you are alone in this.  Support groups can help. Redmond offers a variety of support groups and welcome you to join us. <link to support groups page>
• Try to have someone else prepare your meals.  You may have a better tolerance to food if you don’t have to smell it beforehand.
• Avoid stress while you eat.
• Don’t eat before therapy, or only eat a light meal.

Cautions

• If your medication makes you drowsy, have someone bring you to the clinic and then take you home.
• If you become ill after your treatment, bring the necessary equipment to manage this on the way home.