Download Nausea and vomiting

Some approaches you can take to help prevent or control
nausea and vomiting include:
• take antiemetics 30 minutes prior to meals
• minimise the use of products with strong smells such
as perfumes or certain cleaning products
• avoid eating or preparing food when feeling sick. If
possible have someone else do the cooking or try to
prepare and freeze meals in advance for those days
when you do not feel like cooking
• eat small amounts of food more frequently – commonly
called grazing
• eat bland food rather than strong smelling or spicy food
• avoid high fat, greasy and fried food
• drink plenty of fluids throughout the day (small
amounts regularly)
• avoid drinking too much before a meal
• avoid alcohol and high volumes of coffee
• ginger may help with nausea; try biscuits, tea or ginger
beer
• peppermints or peppermint tea may help
When should I seek help from a health
professional?
If vomiting becomes severe or occurs frequently within the
first 24 to 48 hours, please contact your health care team.
Always seek medical advice if you:
• have nausea that lasts for more than a few days, or
if the nausea keeps you from doing things that are
important to you
• vomit more than once or twice a day for two days
• cannot keep any liquids or food down for more than 24
hours
• show signs of dehydration:
• reduced urine output
• rapid heart rate
• headaches
• flushed, dry skin
• coated tongue
• irritability
• confusion
• dizziness
iconcancercare.com.au
Nausea and
vomiting
What is it?
Cancer and the effects of treatments can increase the risk
of infection. Neutropenia is when white blood cells, called
neutrophils, are low. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell
that helps fight infection. The lower your neutrophil count
drops the greater the risk of you developing an infection and
the harder it is for your body to deal with the infection on its
own.
What causes it?
Chemotherapy affects the rapidly dividing cells in bone
marrow where new blood cells are formed. Diseases such as
leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma directly affect the bone
marrow and interfere with the formation of infection fighting
cells.
What are the signs and symptoms?
You may have blood tests at different times throughout your
treatment to check on your neutrophil count. The signs and
symptoms of an infection may include:
• a temperature of 38oC or above
• chills or shakes, unusual sweating
• cough with yellow or green coloured sputum, shortness
of breath
• sore throat, sores in your mouth
• redness or swelling on your skin (particularly around a
central line)
• loose or liquid bowel motions
• passing more urine than normal or a burning feeling
when is
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• blood or discharge in your urine
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Neutrophils are commonly at their lowest point 7-14 days
What are the signs and symptoms?
After chemotherapy, some people develop nausea and
vomiting within minutes or hours while others may develop
symptoms two to three days later. The nausea and vomiting
may last for up to 24 hours or in some cases can last up to
seven days. Some people feel sick before their treatment or
when a circumstance such as a smell or sight reminds them
of their treatment. This is known as anticipatory nausea and
vomiting. Associated with nausea and vomiting, you may look
pale and experience sweating and excess saliva.
How do we prevent and/or manage it?
There are a number of medications available to treat,
prevent or control nausea and vomiting. These medications,
called antiemetics, can be taken as a tablet, a wafer, given
by suppository or given into a vein through a drip. Often a
combination of different types of antiemetics will be given.
Antiemetics will be given before chemotherapy and then
you will be given some tablets or wafers to take home. It is
important that you take the medication regularly, as directed
by your doctor. If the medications you are given don’t seem to
be working well for you, you should speak to your health care
team as a different medication might work better for you.
• hypnosis may be effective for anticipatory nausea and
vomiting
• progressive muscle relaxation in combination with
guided imagery is likely to be effective
• progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a technique
of alternately tensing and relaxing muscle groups in
sequence throughout the body
• guided imagery involves the use of mental
visualisation and imagination to enhance relaxation
and alter specific experiences
Strategies such as aromatherapy, massage, exercise,
acupressure and acupuncture may help but their effectiveness
remains unproven. Talk to your health care team if you are
interested in more information about any of these techniques.
Every patient is different, please discuss your own
personal situation with your treating doctor.