During the Chemo treatment at 1pm, I was given an anti-sickness tablet, (Ondansetron) and a steroid tablet (Dexamethasone) to help manage any nausea that may occur. However, I started to feel nauseated about 4pm. I wasn't due to have my anti-sickness tablets again until 10pm. I thought if I went to bed and tried to sleep it might settle.
That didn't work, the metallic taste in my mouth wasn't going away. I tried sipping water and eating a polo mint. The feeling was just becoming intolerable. It eventually peaked about 5pm and I began to retch.... I ran to the bathroom and was violently sick.
Poor Craig was holding my hair back as I vomited. What a way to spend our first year of marriage!!
I was sick about five times in that one episode....I was kneeling in front of the toilet literally hugging it tightly!!! I was clammy and sweating and after I was sick for the fifth time I crumpled onto the cold tiled floor leaning my back against the bath for support. Craig and my sister Claire were putting cold flannels onto my forehead and onto the back of my neck to try to cool me down.
I managed to walk back to the bed with Craig and Claire to lean on. They checked my temperature which was 37.4c. We had been advised by the Chemo unit to monitor my temperature closely. We were to contact them by telephone if my temperature went below 36c or above 38c. Craig and Claire opened the bedroom windows to cool the room down and removed the cosy duvet giving me just a sheet!! After I was sick there was a period of relief and the nausea briefly subsided. During this period I managed to get to sleep for a little while.
The war cabinet were meeting downstairs!! Craig, Claire, mum, dad and my step daughter India had all rallied round. Whilst I was asleep they were having dinner, they had takeaway to save anyone having to cook. I know they tried to contain the smell, but every so often there would be a waft of fish and chips rising from the kitchen. Part of me was extremely jealous and the other part of me was trying to stop retching at the aroma!!
My dad came upstairs to check how I was. He stood at the bedroom door to avoid wakening me, however I was already awake. I managed to say a couple of words to him before retching again. I leapt out of bed to dash to the toilet. I bulldozed him out of the way as I desperately ran past to be sick again.
I think I scared him. He said afterwards that he hasn't seen me be sick since I was a child. It was incredibly shocking for him to see me so pathetic and vulnerable. The nausea and vomiting continued unabated until about 10pm. I was still clinging to the toilet like a limpet! More vomiting, more sweats and more cold flannels. I was exhausted and rapidly becoming dehydrated.
Craig and the others were shocked and worried by how badly I had reacted to the treatment. I knew they were anxious, but I literally couldn’t focus on anything other than trying not to be sick.
I was due to take my anti-sickness tablet at 10pm but it was going to prove tough to keep this down. The Chemo unit provide an emergency contact number for such a situation. Craig made the call and explained what had happened........ temperature, tablets taken, and amount of times I was sick.
They advised us that I should take the anti-sickness tablet (Ondansetron). If I could keep it down for 45 mins then I should try taking the additional anti-sickness tablet I had been given (cyclizine).
I took the first tablet and it took every ounce of concentration for me to focus on not being sick……I managed to keep it down for 45 mins. Give this girl a medal!! I took the additional anti-sickness tablet (Cyclizine) and hoped I wouldn’t be sick. We had been warned that I would have to go into hospital if I was sick again. The good thing at this point was that a side-effect of Cyclizine is drowsiness, so I managed to sleep a little.
My sleep was very disturbed, I kept wakening with the combination of the sweats and nausea. The Chemo drugs were certainly having a significant impact on my body.
The next morning I was still very drowsy, but feeling less nauseated and able to take the anti-emetic tablets plus the additional cyclizine. I slept a lot that day.
My diet that day consisted of a couple of rice cakes and some water. I lived on the wild side in the evening and managed a slice of toast!! My appetite was still poor. But I was making progress rather than going backwards.
Over the next few days progress was gradual and slow......
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