Side Effects Cancer Patients Should Expect with Chemotherapy
No person ever wants to hear that he or she has cancer. However, doctors around the world are faced with the unpleasant task of diagnosing this disease everyday. Young and old people alike are facing with the hard truth that they have cancer. It is true that there are many treatment options for cancer patients. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, chances are, your doctor will recommend the most common cancer treatment, which is either chemotherapy or radiation. Both of these treatments do come with side effects and cancer patients will tell you that most of them are not very pleasant. If you have been told you have cancer, here are some side effects you should expect from your chemo treatments.
When you think about cancer, your automatic thought is probably undergoing intense treatments to help you. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are used to destroy the bad cancer cells in the body. Most of the time, these treatments are quite effective. However, it is important to remember that while the chemo and radiation gets rid of the bad cells, it also affects the good cells. The result is a whole host of not-so-pleasant side effects. When chemotherapy treatment is over, your body works hard to produce the good cell. This means that the side effects of chemotherapy are not permanent. When the treatments stop, your side effects will also decrease.
Hair loss: For many people, hair loss is the most disturbing part about chemo. Society notices your looks. When you don’t “look right”, people might ask questions, or take pity on you because they can “see” that you have cancer. Many cancer patients that loose hair will suffer from depression and problems with their self-esteem. Others will take matters in their own hands and go ahead and shave their hair off before it begins to fall out. It is important to remember that some chemo makes you lose all of your hair, while others types of cancer treatments thin the hair. Some cancer patients find that they do not have any problems with hair loss. The type of medication you get while on chemo will determine whether or not you will lose your hair. You can discuss this with your doctor. While taking treatments, there is no way you cannot prevent hair loss, but you can take comfort in knowing that when chemo stops, it will eventually grow back. Sometimes the hair that grows back will have a different texture or maybe even a different color, but it will grow. In the meantime, you can try wearing a wig or a hat, or just rejoice in the fact that you will not have to worry about bad hair days for a while.
Memory Loss: Some cancer patients find that they suffer from memory loss during chemo treatments. This should not be compared to a complete memory loss, but leaves one feeling as though they are in a fog or in a haze. For example, you may pay a bill and then forget you did it ten minutes later. Or, maybe you forget what time to pick your children up from school. When you are finished with chemo, this will improve, but you still may find that you have lapses in your memory. This is quite common for chemo patients. You can help this by taking vitamin supplements during your chemo treatments.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea: These are the most common side effects for those who are undergoing radiation and chemo treatment. Most of these side effects are controlled quite well using medications that are safe to take during chemo. While some people will feel sick, some people find that their side effects are less severe. Some patients report that they only feel queasy right after treatment, while others find they are vomiting every day while they are taking treatments. Other feel like they do not want to eat, but do not feel nauseated. How you feel will depend on you and your level of chemo. You can ask for a medication that you can take prior to treatment. For those who do suffer from an upset stomach, they can try prescription medications or alternative treatments such as the sea-bands that help prevent motion sickness. Many cancer patients report that sea bands work quite well.
Menopause: During menopause, women may find that your menstrual cycles stop completely. If you are young, the cycles will probably resume after the chemo treatments have stopped. However, if you are close to menopause age, your body may have entered menopause from the chemo and radiation. If you are child-bearing age, you may find it very difficult to get pregnant after chemo treatments. This is also a very common side effect for chemo patients.
Tiredness or fatigue: Most cancer patients that undergo chemo find that they are tired a lot of the time. It is hard on the body to fight cancer. You cells are dividing rapidly and this leave you feeling tired much of the time. While you will feel tired much of the time, you should try to get as much rest as you can. This can help you feel better.
You never want to hear your doctor tell you or a loved one that cancer is the diagnosis. Cancer is never a good diagnosis. However, you can be more prepared for your treatments if you know what to expect during chemo and radiation. You can also learn ways to help alleviate the side effects with the help of your doctor. If you are concerned about the side effects, then you should speak to your doctor.
