Your doctor will likely prescribe medication to manage nausea. However, other tricks you may consider are ginger or peppermint tea, ginger chews, anti-nausea wristbands, ice chips, and sipping on cold water.
Nausea
Dry Skin/Lips/Nostrils
It is important to keep your skin hydrated during your chemotherapy journey. Goat milk lotion and castor oil are a couple recommendations for this. If you find castor oil to be too thick, try applying to wet skin to help evenly apply. Rosemary oil may be added to castor oil for additional skin benefits. Be sure to discontinue use of anything that may become irritating to your skin, as your skin is very sensitive during this time. If you have dry lips and chapstick does not seem to be helping, you may try Vaseline. Try applying at night before bed for best results. Vaseline can also be used for the inside of your nostrils if they become irritated from the loss of nose hair.
Headaches
Your doctor may prescribe medication for headaches. Other tricks you may consider are smelling frankincense oil or applying a cold/warm washcloth to your forehead. Staying hydrated may help prevent the onset of headaches.
Brittle Nails
Cancer can take a toll not only on your body, but also on your mental health. It is important to stay positive during this time. It is very understandable how hard this can be, but staying positive can help speed up your journey and recovery. There are scientific studies showing that a positive mindset directly improves physical health by reducing stress hormones like cortisol, lowering blood pressure, decreasing inflammation, and strengthening the immune system.
It is also important to keep your hands and nails hydrated during chemotherapy. You may consider using a nail strengthener/hardener polish during this time. As recommended by our founder, OPI Nail Envy is a very good product for this.
Mental & Emotional Stress
References:
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2015/08/positive-emotions-your-health
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6124958/
Proverbs 16:24 (NASB) “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”