Stories From the Community

This is your page. This is where the community can come together. Stories From the Community is a resource where patients, survivors, caregivers, and healthcare providers can learn from and support each other.

So, if you have something to share or something to learn, you're in the right place. Click here to share your experiences, or read on for the feature story. And make sure you stop back, because new stories will be popping up periodically.

Feature Story

Advocate for Your Health
Suzanne Holley, RN, OCN^®
Nursing Supervisor, McLeod Cancer and Blood Center
Johnson City, TN
Breast-Cancer Survivor since 2002

If only your healthcare providers were mind readers!

We know that most chemo-related side effects happen when you are “home alone,” not when you are in the chemo center with us. In my 30 years of being an oncology nurse, I’ve found that many patients think that their oncology care team MUST know how they are feeling at home after chemotherapy. The truth is—we don’t know what side effects you are experiencing, nor the intensity, unless you tell us!

Until I became a patient, I didn’t realize how intense side effects like nausea and vomiting could be after chemotherapy. My care team measured my blood counts, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and weight during my weekly visits, but measuring the degree of nausea and vomiting that I experienced after chemotherapy was not so easy! I had to TELL my oncologist that nausea and vomiting were disrupting my life for days after each treatment. Otherwise, he would never have known.

When I finished with my chemotherapy and recovered enough to return to my nursing role, I was determined to take my experience and turn it into a positive for my patients. When I returned to work, my colleagues and I decided to change the kinds and combinations of medicines that we use to help prevent nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. Our practice now uses a combination of medicines to help prevent nausea and vomiting from the very first treatment. Doing anything less is considered unacceptable to my team.

Just as I was able to make a change in my practice, you too can have a voice as you prepare for chemotherapy. Talk with your care team about preventive medicine for nausea and vomiting BEFORE your treatment begins. Make sure that you understand the dosage, schedule, and combination of anti–nausea and vomiting medicines that your doctor has prescribed for you.

If only patients were mind readers! That way they would know how much their oncology care team wants to help them be as comfortable as possible during chemotherapy.

Communication is key!

Be well,
Suzanne

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