Sickness and vomiting

Feeling sick (also called nausea) is an unpleasant feeling in the back of your throat or in your stomach that may or may not lead to actually being sick. Being sick (vomiting) is when your stomach muscles tense up and force the contents of your stomach out through your mouth. Usually, it’s caused by your body trying to get rid of something that shouldn’t be there.

Feeling sick and vomiting is controlled by part of the brain called the vomiting centre. Your vomiting centre is triggered if it receives signals from:

• another part of the brain
• the stomach
• the inner ear, in response to body movements or dizziness (vertigo).

It can also be triggered by senses such as taste and smell, and emotions such as fear and anxiety.

Feeling and being sick is very common in people with cancer. About half of people with cancer are affected, either because of the cancer itself, or because of the treatment.

Sickness and vomiting can make everyday life difficult to cope with and can cause:

• loss of interest in food (poor appetite)
• weight and muscle loss
• changes to the balance of water, salts and sugar in your body (dehydration)
• low mood
• feeling tired and weak.

But there are anti-sickness treatments which can help you manage sickness and lessen its effects significantly.