Nausea and Vomiting with Cancer
What causes nausea and vomiting?
Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of many of the cancer treatment drugs you child may be receiving. Radiation therapy, especially when the abdomen or head is the area being treated, may cause nausea and vomiting in your child.
How do I care for nausea and vomiting?
You can do the following to help your child with nausea and vomiting:
- Give the medication prescribed by your doctor at its scheduled time.
- Try to provide a quiet and relaxed atmosphere for your child to eat or drink. Dim the lights and provide soft music if helpful.
- Allow your child to choose some of his favorite foods or drinks to encourage adequate nutrition.
- Offer smaller, more frequent meals. You might try six snack-size meals rather than three large meals.
- After your child vomits, allow your child to brush his teeth and rinse his mouth out before eating again.
- Avoid serving foods that have strong odors.
- Encourage fluids, but avoid those which may upset your child's stomach such as citrus fruit juices. After your chid vomits, broth, tea, non-citrus fruit juices, and Jell-O" are usually easy for your child to eat without vomiting again. Solid foods your child may be able to eat without vomiting include toast, bland foods such as mashed potatoes and foods which are easy to digest such as chicken or green beans. You should avoid fatty or greasy foods.
- Continue to encourage mouth care during this time.
When to call the doctor
After monitoring how much and how often your child vomits, and if it continues for more than 24 hours, call your oncologist.
Call your physician immediately if you see blood in your child's vomit.
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Rev. 3/07
