Other Chemotherapy Side Effects
Nausea is among the most common side effects of chemotherapy treatment. Fortunately advances in therapy have reduced the number of patients reporting daily nausea attacks. Typically, patients undergoing therapy will experience an acute period of nausea accompanied with vomiting within hours of receiving the first chemotherapy treatment.
Some patients may not respond this way until a day after treatment. And others, despite doctor's best attempts at controlling nausea and vomiting, experience times when they simply become nauseous or vomit seemingly at random.
It is important patients with severe vomiting associated with chemotherapy treatment report this side effect to their doctor immediately. Some patients will need supplemental treatments including electrolyte therapy to help restore vital nutrients lost when vomiting occurs.
It helps to be aware of these symptoms before beginning treatment, so you can prepare yourself psychologically and mentally for chemotherapy sessions. Some patients find it helps to attend a support group session or talk with family members before receiving treatment, because side effects are often the worst during the first few days following treatment.
Support may prove especially helpful for women with a form of nausea doctors label "anticipatory nausea" or vomiting. This is nausea and/or vomiting occurring just before treatment. Usually this results from a learned response, the knowledge that chemotherapy will make you sick.
Certain forms of cognitive behavioral therapy and other psychological approaches may be helpful for women experiencing this type of side effect. The body acts instinctively to protect itself from anything that might make it feel unwell, including chemotherapy, even though chemotherapy may eventually kill off any remaining breast cancer cells.
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