Radiation and nausea
Comments
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I'm wondering if anybody has experienced nausea and or fatigue at the beginning of Radiation therapy? I have had 4 treatments so far and I have been nauseated and have fatigue. Of course my rad/onc says there is no way this could start this soon but I know what my body feels. I have been off my chemo since January but he insists it is an effect from chemo. I tried to explain to him I haven't had nausea until I started radiation therapy. He then proceeded to tell me that in 25 years he's never had a case that started radiation side effects this early. I responded by letting him know, well I'm your first. I am 42 years old and was diagnosed with breast cancer on September 19. Up until now I had a team that listened to my concerns. Off track, sorry but has anyone ever experienced nausea with radiation?
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Hello misslisa88, and welcome to Breastcancer.org.
Until you hear from other members who have shared your experience, the article on Nausea from the main Breastcancer.org site can give you more information on the causes of nausea, and some strategies for managing it.
Since you're not getting support from your radiation oncologist, could you talk with your family doctor or another member of your team about treatment for nausea?
• The Mods
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Hi MissLisa!
I'm sorry you're feeling uncomfortable...
One of the things I've learned during this process was to take with a grain of salt the opinions of others (including health care professionals), about an experience that is so varied and personal. And yes, there is a first for everything. The statement made regarding your experience was simply invalidating, even if it was just a drive-by comment. Those kind of remarks bother me the most.
I, too, have had a sense of nausea after radiation and although it is not real overwhelming, it does make me feel off. I actually feel the radiation seeping in...
Take good care of yourself. And as the mods said, seek out support from someone that will listen to your situation instead of telling you theirs...xo Lisa
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Hi Misslisa88,
A good friend of mine had the same experience of nausea that you have, after 6 RADS treatments for her DCIS. Everyone also told her that wasn't possible. However, it bothered her so much that she actually had to quit RADS. So no matter what your oncologist says, you aren't crazy. What you are feeling is very real.
Sandie
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I have been nauseated from the very first treatment and I have had only 8/28. So far it has not gotten better or worse. What it reminds me of is the nausea of early pregnancy where you are just queasy all the time and you eat not because you are hungry but because you know that you need the nutrition and it gets worse when you don't eat. I did not have chemo so it isn't a reaction from that. I think that the radiation people will only admit to the fatigue and skin problems and they tend to blame every other SE on something else. Every person's body reacts differently and while in one sense their denial may serve a purpose in helping us to think positively about the likelihood of occurance of SEs on the other hand it is not helpful to make you think that you are nuts and it is all in your head. BC messes with our emotions so much anyway that being treated like we are crazy is way over the top.
I find that putting a little bit of fresh lemon juice in my water makes it easier to get it down and smaller more frequent feedings helps. I haven't carried crackers around with me for 40 years but I do now. If there is a plus to it for the first time in my life I don't have to watch my calories.
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yes I have experience nuasa with my radiation treatments. I am very tired after treatment as well. I thought I was the only one to experiecne this.
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I'm so excited to have found this thread as well as an older one on the topic of nausea. I'm about 2/3 through and have been slightly nauseous for over a week. RO dismissed the idea of it being a rads se so I was being hard on myself and guessing that I was imagining trouble and should just get over it. Now that I'm looking into it I see that others are describing the same feeling. Why is this something the doctors won't consider more? It's not like we're describing something that will require a lot of expensive treatments or testing to verify!
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I experienced nausea during radiation, almost from the first week. My RO did not say it wasn't from radiation, and I'm not his only patient to have this SE. He suggested that I eat considerably more protein, in small amounts, throughout the day. He said our bodies are working overtime during radiation to repair/ replace cells that are being damaged during radiation, it takes a lot of energy, so fatigue and nausea are common.
I too felt like it was "morning sickness" all day....try eating a bit more, and snacking frequently. He stressed healthy proteins, like turkey, or crackers and peanut butter, handful of almonds.... Also, I was drinking WAY too much water, and I think my electrolytes were flushed out, so he had me switch from water to Gatorade (yuck) for a few weeks. -
I have now finished 18/28 and the nausea is better but the fatigue is worse. Win a few lose a few. Will be very glad when it is all over and meanwhile I am VERY grateful for Fridays and the break that the weekend provides.
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Hi MissLisa88
I too am having an issue with radiation and nausea. I am in my sixth and final week. Last week was the first week I noticed the nausea and this morning , it is really bad. I hope is just lasts through the treatments and does not linger afterwards. I will speak to my RAD ONC and see what he says. Maybe I should eat something first before the treatmnets> Not sure if it makes a difference.
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Hi everyone. I am wonderiong if any of you experience or have been very tired after rads. I finished 3 weeks of them on May 14th. I still get so tired that I feel like my whole body just won't move without a nap in the afternoon. If I am active one day I pay the next by feeling extra tired. Am wondering how long to expect to feel this way. So many of you seem to work through treatment but I am wondering if I could do that if I had to. Am also taking aromasin and wonder if it could be that, a combination of the two, or mostly rads. Oddly enough I have trouble falling asleep at night and /or staying asleep for more than 3 hours since premenopause. I take leunesta for that at night. But the tired during the day and sleeping later in the morning is new.
On another note I also had some nausea during rads. It wasn't bad, just slight feelings of it. Since ending treatment I haven't had this. My RO (who I love) also said it shouldn't be from the rads because they didn't "hit" the stomach area with radiation and maybe I should check out other factors. Well I didn't and have been fine ever since.
Hope you all had a nice Fourth!!
beachwalker54 (marlene)
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I'm going to ask my RO about this today. I had one day last week where I was heaving after brushing my teeth. Each day I gag or worse trying to brush them. Last night I threw up one of my pills as I was trying to get it down. Just wondering if there's something I can take to help this.
Kind of inconvenient to not be able to get a good tooth brushing in.
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GWTF, I am so sorry you are having these awful problems. I hope they get cleared up very, very soon.
Today is my 19/33 rad treatment (incl 5 boosts). Periodically, for the last several days, I have felt a wee bit of queasiness here and there, usually around meal time. A few times I have just ordered a beverage instead of a meal at the restaurant. But it seems to go away quickly so I usually take home a to-go order rather than shuffle through the freezers or the pantry cupboard in the middle of the night desperate for something to eat that's worthy of my suffering.
Carol
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My RO told me to try one of the meds I have left over from chemo. I will take one in the morning before brushing my teeth, and one at night before brushing my teeth and taking my meds.
Those are the only parts of the day that I have trouble.
Thanks Carol
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I had bad nausea about halfway through rads. It was caused by my stomach being in the field. Ask your doc if that is the reason for your nausea.
I got a prescription for ondansetron. It got me through.
If the rads are hitting your stomach you could get anemic, and low white count too. That's a big factor in feeling tired and miserable. I nearly had to stop because it was so bad. I was also told the rib that was getting the rads would probably break some day.
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I have had stomach issues on and off through out radiation treatment for breast cancer too. I am on treatment 15 and have pretty much lost my appetite and am queasy a lot.
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I experienced nausea a day after my second treatment. That Sat., I was at an all-day-and-evening anniversary celebration for and at the suburban church coffeehouse I've often played, and had hosted a 2-hr. songwriters' round, then performed in a song circle and was waiting my turn to play the open mic. The open mic was taking far longer than expected, because most performers were amateurs who gave rambling song intros and ignored the “2-songs-per" rule. About 3 slots before mine (when the rule began to be more strictly enforced), I began feeling very dizzy and queasy. I told the MC I'd “take one for the team" and relinquish my slot, saying as my excuse the fact that I've performed there professionally anyway, and also wanted to make sure the open mic ended in time to set up for the next event. The manager & staff knew I was going through active bc treatment so they told me it was ok to go home and get some rest, and the manager handed me a bottle of water as “one for the road."
Got in my car, took a couple of swigs, and headed to the tollway, stopping to gas up (more cheaply than here in the city). Halfway through pumping I realized I was feeling much better. It suddenly hit me that I'd been dehydrated all day, with hypoglycemia from having had nothing but one soft-boiled egg and a cup of black coffee much earlier in the morning. By the time I got home, I was fine to go out to dinner with my husband.
My treatments resumed on Mon. and I saw the RO on Tues. I reported what happened on Sat. and he said that while dehydration & hypoglycemia can strike anyone, their effects (especially nausea and lightheadedness) are magnified when going through radiation and for a couple of weeks after treatments end. He said that I needed to eat even more protein and hydrate more than I normally do, and to space it out evenly during the day--he said not to go wild on carbs & junk, but to forget about calories for the 3 weeks I was being treated. For those getting the 6-week 33-dose protocol, the fatigue (which I never did get) can be cumulative, and so can the nausea. Treat the nausea like you did morning sickness--eat & drink whatever works best for you.
Rads are deceiving because unlike chemo (where you have an I.V. or an uncomfortable initial connection to your port) you don't feel the treatments while they're being administered. And just the stress of having to drive up & back daily to get the treatments can add to whatever symptoms you normally feel from being stressed. Any time your tissues are being injured or destroyed (even in a beneficial way such as surgery, chemo and radiation), you need extra protein and water to heal--because, after all, that's pretty much what we're made of. So before throwing in the towel, chow down on some extra poultry, fish, eggs, beans, cheese or tofu, and chug at least an extra pint of water (or no-caffeine nonalcoholic beverages).
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wow, this is so interesting! I haven't started yet, but simulation is done...just waiting for the phone call as to when I start. My RO told me I shouldn't feel any fatigue since I am only 51, just watch my skin. But thanks to these amazing boards I am learning so much. Thank you all for sharing your experiences...it helps us newbes who are anxious about our next step
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I am almost done with rads but had nausea from the beginning. I too describe it like during pregnancy. Mine has gotten better as time has gone on. I hydrate really well before and after and try and eat before. My RO was surprised as my stomach was not in the field. He did give me a script but I didn't take it due to driving and potential dizziness.
It helps to see others who have this reassuring to know we are not alone! Good luck!
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I am so glad to have found this thread!
I have had 12 out of 33 treatments of RADS so far. No chemo. I've had nausea since I started. My doc said it was NOT the RADS, but went ahead and gave me an anti-nausea medication. Well, the meds don't work. My nausea was so awful last night that I almost went to the ER to see if they could do something. I hate this. I feel a bit better just after I eat something, but then it just comes right back. I will be so glad when RADS is over!!
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I am glad to have found it too. Have been feeling queasy since I started RAD too
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I was nauseous last night and had my very first one yesterday. Not sure if it was related or not. Guess I will know better as the days go on
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So glad to have found this thread. Nauseaus and lack of appetite. 8/33. Yuck
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I have also been experiencing nausea for the last week. Talked to the radiation techs today and they all agreed not from my type of radiation which does make sense since it isn't near my stomach. I suspect it is more exhaustion and stress related, built up from the last few weeks of treatments. I ended up leaving work early, home now and took a Dramamine with some ginger ale. Tomorrow is Doctor day, so I will ask more questions
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Due to an unavoidable scattering effect and the fact that a very large area of the torso is irradiate (not just a breast, but also the adjacent areas up to the clavicle bone, ribs and auxiliary lymph nodes under the armpit) scattered radiation can reach areas of the body that are not intended to be irradiated. Nausea is a classic symptom of radiation exposure. If you are interested in more detailed analysis of the radiation treatment, please see my thread "my take on rads":
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/70/topics/845654?page=1#idx_6
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I finished on Friday and last night was so nauseated and sore I wanted to cry. It was worse than my worst day of Chemo! I am making saline solution now and go back for Herceptin on Tiesday so will follow up if it is still this bad, which I think it will be as thyr warned me at least a week of it getting worse. I wish they had prepared me with other creams I could use but they are very cautious here and only allow us to use a few
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Well, good to see it's not just me. I started radiation yesterday after my lumpectomy, And now today I've been feeling nauseous, and it does feel a lot like morning sickness. And I have not had and hopefully won't need chemo.While I am sorry any of us is here, its nice to know I'm not the only one. The RO dr and nurse told me how easier radiation is then chemo, so I was wondering what gives? But then I figured i'd come here and get it from others who have been in the trenches.
I will take the advice here and also forsee myself eating rice pudding (it was a favorite of mine when I had morning sickness)
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I had nausea my first week, but it went away.
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I've been having nausea last week and started up again this week, I am 24/30. I am beginning to think it is related to the fatigue. I feel sick (nauseous), craving carbs and just want to sleep. Plus side, tomorrow is my last whole breast, so less radiation with boosters I think! Maybe I just need to slow down
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I have just started hypofractionated radiation therapy 19 sessions. I am so nauseated. I keep throwing up and having the other end problems too. I still have pain in lumpectomy site. All is ok- I know but I am losing weight and just exhausted. Anyone else doing this hypofractionated radiation therapy? Or am I just another Guinea pig?
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