Wife (29) just started chemo, wanting feedback

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KGB1985
KGB1985 Member Posts: 11
edited September 2014 in Caring for Someone with Breast cancer

In about 3 weeks time, my wife (29) has gone through diagnosis, lumpectomy, fertility shots, egg retrieval and her first round of chemo.  She had an IDC tumor (1.3mm).  It was removed with clear margins and negative nodes.  Here are drugs she was given on her first day of chemo:

Aloxi

Decadron

Emen

Adriamycin

Cytoxin

She received a Neulasta shot on the day after chemo to help boost her white blood cell count.  They told her to take something like Zyrtec or Claritin because that some how helps with the achiness caused by this shot.  She was prescribed Zofran and prochlorperazine to alternate and take as needed for nausea. 

Now my question:  She started feeling bad almost instantly from the chemo.  I thought that was weird because I read that in most people the actual infusion of the chemo is pretty much a non event and it's always a certain amount of days later they felt bad.  She was complaining of her heart rate being elevated, slight nausea and just felt weird (which I would expect).  They  told us the anti nausea medication they gave during the infusion should last several days and here we were on day 1-2 thinking about taking the prescribed nausea meds.  Is this common?

Also, she's having trouble sleeping, even after taking an OTC sleep aid.  The first night she says she didn't sleep a wink.  Last night she woke up once with nausea.  We ate some crackers and took a prochlorperazine about 1am.  She was able to get some sleep after that.  Is not being able to sleep a common side effect?  Could it be the zyrtec keeping her up?

Thanks

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  • wifessupport
    wifessupport Member Posts: 57
    edited September 2014

    Hi KGB1985,

    My wife could not sleep during the chemo phase in spite of sleep aids.  It was too much of an emotional toll and she was worried a lot too.  Trust me it will get better.  

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  • GraceB1
    GraceB1 Member Posts: 213
    edited September 2014

    The Decadron is a steroid to help relieve some side effects, mostly nausea. It also causes some side effects such as insomnia. Win some lose some. I felt nauseated before I could get home from the infusion but I was on the high side for feeling side effects. Give her what she needs when she needs it. Some of the other anti-nausea drugs can cause severe constipation. Try to stay ahead of the problem with senecot or mirilax.

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  • WinningSoFar
    WinningSoFar Member Posts: 951
    edited September 2014

    Emen (Emend?) is an antinausea drug.  It worked great for me, but everyone's nausea is different.  There are lots of other antinausea drugs that she should try until she finds what works for her.  Nausea is awful, I know. 

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  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 2,845
    edited September 2014

    My wife had the same chemo.  Her dictor told her to go home, take one of the anti-nausea pills, wait 4 hours take the other anti nausea pill, wait 4 hours and repeat the whole process...and don't stop the pills for 5 days.

    She was feeling rotten and had tons of energy the first 3 days after chemo..after the 3 days she felt rotten.

    The Clairiton (over the counter anti-histamine) worked for stopping the Neulasta caused achiness.

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  • placid44
    placid44 Member Posts: 497
    edited September 2014

    I had the same drugs, but the emend was something like a three days in a row schedule, I think starting the day before. My blog has the exact drugs and schedule. I had compazine to take at home if I developed nausea...only needed it a couple of times. I did have trouble sleeping, perhaps from the steroids and weird feeling AC gives you, combined with the sweating from chemo-induced menopause.

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  • Nancy2581
    Nancy2581 Member Posts: 1,234
    edited September 2014

    I have the same anti nausea meds and chemo drugs.  I didn't feel really icky until day 3.  I still have trouble sleeping and take Ativan at night.  Does your wife have any anti anxiety medication?  I never used ativan before but it has it's place when you're diagnosed with BC.  Sleep is so important to heal.  Sending good thoughts to your wife.  You are a good hubby.

    Nancy

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  • anotherNYCGirl
    anotherNYCGirl Member Posts: 1,033
    edited September 2014

    I had a very similar reaction to my first dose of adriamycin and cytoxin.   I followed the suggested dose of emend (that is WONDERFUL stuff!) but the decadron and another anti-nausea med caused me to have headaches, sleeplessness, etc.

    I also had rapid heartbeat.    My internist gave me a mild beta-blocker to help, and my oncologist gave me ativan which helped with the nausea, and also at night to sleep.   I now try to avoid the decadron and other anti nausea meds, but even 1/2 an ativan pill seems to help.

    I was able to break up the chemos after that, too.   I followed that first treatment with 3 rounds of cytoxin, and then 3 of adriamycin.   I am now on taxol.

    Make sure your wife tells her oncologist how she is feeling!!   They can make changes so that she doesn't feel so icky!!

    Also, - ginger is a help, - i have ginger root candies (from Trader Joe's and other stores)  as well as ginger Altoids (very strong, but they work!)

    I hope she is feeling better SOON!     

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  • anotherNYCGirl
    anotherNYCGirl Member Posts: 1,033
    edited September 2014

    PS    Claritin should help with the neulasta pain, - it is not known yet if Zyrtec does the same.  I was in a study to compare the 2, but I dont think it is complete yet.

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  • KGB1985
    KGB1985 Member Posts: 11
    edited September 2014

    Thanks for all the info.  This has been very helpful.  I'll look into the ginger stuff and Claritin for her next treatment.

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  • floaton
    floaton Member Posts: 181
    edited September 2014

    I used to feel gross while I was getting chemo too.  I could actually taste it when I was getting my second infusion (they always started with the red one).   I'd feel nauseous well before I was done.  They gave me the patches that they use for motion sickness to put on the night before, and Ativan pre-infusion to help with nausea because I'm allergic to emend.  I also took an h2 blocker to help with the reflux (and associated nauseous feeling) from the steroids.  It wasn't perfect but did help some.  Also this awesome ginger tea (called Commonweals most nourishing and healing tea) from a cookbook called the cancer fighting kitchen was good for for between -treatment nausea and stomach ickiness.  

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  • clarrn
    clarrn Member Posts: 557
    edited September 2014

    I always felt 'off' in the chair.  Dizzy,  headaches, etc but the real tough stuff hit me about 4 hours after.  And I could taste the Cychlophosphamide every time. I took everything and still felt terrible with unrelenting nausea for 10 days.   They gave me extra fluids every 3rd day and I was on every anti-nausea pill plus ginger.   BUT even though it was brutal,  I still did it.   My pharmacists and doctors were great trying different combinations all the time.   So make sure your doctor's know what she is going through.   And most of the time switching something will work.  It might be the longest weeks of her life, but you both will get through.   It seems younger women have harder times with nausea. 

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