Frequently Asked Questions
Do you take anything for physical fatigue?
I take Max-Carnitine by Douglas Laboratories (500mg of L-Carnitine) early afternoon as I begin to loose energy. It sure helps give me some energy!
What do you do to reduce Nausea?
Nausea Prescription: You should not be feeling nauseous! If you do, you’re not on a good anti-nausea med. One of the best is Kytril. If you feel sick, ask the doc to try a different anti-nausea med until you find one that works for you!
Don’t get Dehydrated: If you get dehydrated at all any negative effects from the Temodar gets worse! Mostly nausea. So make sure you drink lots of water during the day! I put a large pitcher of water on my kitchen counter and made sure I drank a lot of it throughout the day.
Temodar Timing: I took the Temodar right before I went to sleep at night. I sat in bed, took the pills, turned the light off, and sleep it off! I would never take it in the morning like some people do! Why be awake during the worst of it!
Eating Dinner: I ate smaller early dinners (like no later than 6:00pm) then ate nothing after dinner. I had no late night snacks! If I ate smaller meals through the day, and no big dinner, I felt much better.
What do you do when your stomach hurts?
Often my stomach felt uncomfortable and hurt some. It was like my digestion was not working well at all. We naturally need enzymes to help digest protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Our whole system gets messed up while on chemo. I began taking Mega-Zyme by Enzymatic Therapy (Protease, Amylase, Lipase) and it help so much. My stomach did not hurt, no gas, no grumbling of my tummy! To digest well, our body also needs the Pro-Biotics. I’ve taken many different brands over time. Recently I have been taking PB8 by Nutrition Now, 14 Billion CFUs a day. Helps so much!
What do you do to help heartburn?
I had heartburn SO bad. I ended up going to the doc about it. The thing that seemed to help me best was Prilosec. But also making sure I did not eat big meals, but small amounts through the day. Also I made sure I did not eat in the evening after dinner. The later I ate the worse it got sleeping at night. I also got a special pillow that was a “wedge” that got me sleeping in an upward position. So the heartburn bile would not burn my throat. I would definitely try to get the heartburn under control. I had it bad enough that I think it caused damage in my throat, and now I have been diagnosed with “sleep apnea” because I can’t breathe well at night. I think it was caused by the GIRD and heartburn damaging my throat.
What do you do for constipation?
I tried many things in hopes to help constipation. The ONLY thing that seriously helped me was taking magnesium (only in the Ionic Magnesium Citrate form works for me). I take: Natural Calm, a relaxing magnesium supplement by Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality. It is a powder you put in a cup then add hot water. It bubbles then settles down. Drink it and it tastes kind of lemon like. It works VERY well in softening #2 and keeps you regular. And it does help calm you too!
What do you do to help with bad chemo side effects?
Answer to come!
