Managing side effects of chemotherapy

sbvolmer

So, my brother was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 8th of this year and just started his chemotherapy this past week.  I have been with him for all of his appointments, all of his surgeries and his first chemo round and feel as though I have no answers to any of his questions (I am a nursing student but have no education on cancer and how to plan care for patients).  I have looked in my books, I have looked online and feel that there is a huge gap in the personal side of cancer and its treatment.  We both have so many questions that we don't know the answers to and can't seem to find.

He just told me that he is starting to really feeling the effects of the chemo, i.e.. extremely tired (expected), nausea (expected) and today he said that nothing tastes good (not even water) and we've tried the sour candy and sucking on limes but it doesn't seem to work.  Any other tricks we can try?

If there is anything that can help with any of his symptoms, I am all ears.  I welcome any input anyone may have to help now and in the future.

Thank you!

ElaineTherese

What is your brother's chemo regimen? Does he have anti-nausea meds?

My taste buds changed while I was doing twelve doses of Taxol-Herceptin (Perjeta). Lots of things tasted yucky during those three months. Apparently, sucking on ice chips preserves the cells of the tongue. Next infusion, your brother might want to try that.

Until then, your brother might experiment with some bland options. I ate a lot of chicken and rice, scrambled eggs, and chicken-based soups. I grew to hate water, and became a fan of low calorie lemonade, fruit punch, and the like.

It's important for your brother to stay hydrated; if he can't manage that, he may have to request fluid infusions from his chemo center.

Best wishes!

Amie0215

Water tasted metallic to me. I drank Sprite, Gatoraide, and water sweetened with oranges slices or cherry juice. The metallic taste will fade after chemo. Juicy Fruit gum helped. As far as food, red meat made me sick, but I could eat chicken. It was a bland diet, but I was able to keep down mashed potatoes, jello, Ensure drinks, smoothies, and Yoplait orange creme yogurt. Boost drinks will also help provide missing nutrients. Best of luck!

MinusTwo

sbvolmer: Can you post your brother's diagnosis and his treatment regime under My Profile? That would make it easier for us to offer relevant tips. I'll post a link to a general chemo tips link in a minute.

You might also check in on the link below with Traveltext about Male Breast Cancer. While many of our experiences may be similar, it's got to be a major emotional trauma too.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/51/topics...

MinusTwo

Below is the link to tips & tricks for getting through chemo that was compiled by many brains. There are of course differences depending on which drugs he's getting.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...

Moderators

Hi sbvolmer and welcome to Breastcancer.org!

We hope the answers above have been helpful to you and your brother. In addition, you may want to check out the main Breastcancer.org site's pages on Taste and Smell Changes, Nausea, and Fatigue for some good tips to help with these side effects. In addition, the page on Eating When You Have Changes in Your Sense of Taste or Smell.

We hope this helps and we look forward to hearing more from you soon!

--The Mods