Finding Relief From Nausea During Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Scientists don't know exactly why chemotherapy makes some people feel sick to their stomach, and sometimes throw up. One possible reason is that the treatment triggers a pathway from the brain to the digestive tract that creates the feeling of nausea. Anti-nausea drugs actually work by blocking this pathway.

Cancer treatments like chemotherapy, which travel throughout the body, are more likely to cause nausea than treatments like radiation, which are directed at only one area of the body. The higher the dose of chemo you get and the more often you receive the drug, the more likely you are to feel nauseated. Getting chemotherapy through an IV is also more likely to cause this side effect than getting it as a pill, because your body absorbs the medicine faster through an IV.

The type of drug you get also matters. "Different chemotherapy drugs have different potentials to make you nauseated," Dr. Reese says. "Unfortunately, the more serious culprit is carboplatin. Carboplatin tends to be in kind of the moderate to high range as far as its potential to cause nausea."

Treating nausea is important, and not just to make you feel better. When you’re sick to your stomach, it's harder to eat well-balanced meals. And when you can't eat enough, you don't get the nutrients your body needs to heal during your treatment. That's where your doctor can help.

Treatments to Combat Nausea

When it comes to avoiding nausea, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Dr. Reese says. "We want to prevent nausea rather than just dealing with it after the fact."

Before your chemotherapy drugs even go into your IV, your health care provider will give you a strong anti-nausea medication (which is sometimes called an antiemetic). Then, your doctor will likely send you home with one or more anti-nausea pills that you can take when you need them to keep your symptoms at bay.

Here are a few other ways to help yourself feel better at home:

• Eat small meals or snacks
• Stick to bland foods like crackers and dry toast, which may be easier to tolerate
• Avoid foods that are greasy, spicy, or heavy
• Eat only what appeals to you, and stay away from any foods that make you feel sick
• Sip liquids throughout the day, or suck on a popsicle to avoid dehydration
• Rest quietly after eating a meal to give your food a chance to digest
• Watch TV or listen to music to distract you from the nausea

Though nausea can be an uncomfortable feeling, it usually is short-lived. Most people get chemotherapy treatments once every three weeks, but nausea shouldn't last for that entire time. It will typically subside within a few days after you have the treatment. "That means that, a majority of the time during the chemotherapy treatments, you’re not going to feel nauseated," Dr. Reese says.

If you have nausea or any other bothersome symptoms after your treatment, and the medication your doctor gave you doesn't seem to be helping, then it’s time to call the office. You may need to try other methods to find one that finally calms your stomach.

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