Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
aversions because of association of certain foods with the memory
of treatment-induced nausea or vomiting can also contribute to
anorexia and weight loss. Many of the patients described how they
had developed an aversion to peppermint tea and ginger because of
the association of these foods with their chemotherapy treatment.
This suggests that it may be possible to develop a conditioned
response to these foods as it correlates with Pavlov’s theory of
classical conditioning (Siegel and Kreutzer 1997)
Berteretche et al (2004, p575) suggest that
‘In order to prevent the risk of anorexia and the
enhanced morbidity relating to this deficit, treatment
should include relevant information to the subject for
anticipating objective taste modifications and a
psychological follow-up during the actual change of
taste quality perceptions in everyday life’
In theory, this may work, but the reality is that there are not
enough people trained in psychological interventions to this level
who could provide such support. Health care professionals are
striving to ensure that patients’ information needs are met at every
stage of their disease trajectory and this has greatly improved over
the past few years. However, without the appropriate levels of
psychological intervention and support, prevention of anorexia and
reduction of morbidity relating to sensory changes are still a long
way off.
Indigestion was rated as a very troublesome symptom for many of
the patients in this study. Indeed, it was reported by half of the
participants as being problematic at some stage of their treatment.
It was described by all patients in terms of ‘acid indigestion’.
Patients avoided certain foods such as fruit and vegetables as they
felt these foods contributed to their ‘acid indigestion’. This is a side
effect which is not reported in the literature as having any great
impact on patients’ quality of life while undergoing chemotherapy.
However, the findings from this study suggest that patients see it as
significant. Almost all of them are prescribed steroids as prophylaxis
against nausea and vomiting and it is well documented that steroids
can cause upset to the gastrointestinal tract. Perhaps if all patients
were prescribed an antacid alongside the steroids this might help to
reduce or even prevent this troublesome symptom.
Many of the female patients reported gaining weight as they
progressed through their chemotherapy. This is not new and it has
been demonstrated that a high percentage of women treated for
breast cancer with chemotherapy gain weight (Rafferty 1995;
Hoskin et al 1992). Part of the explanation may be that patients are
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