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Management of the treatment side effects

Chemotherapy side effects

There are many different drugs used in chemotherapy. These drugs have different side effects. At the same time, different people react differently. Most people experience some form of side effect after chemotherapy. It is a good idea to ask your doctor exactly what drug you will be getting. Sometimes your doctor may give you the information about your treatment.

Nausea/vomiting, hair loss and bone marrow depression (affecting your blood and immune system) are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment. However, remember that you may not get every side effect that is listed.

If you experience nausea/vomiting, there are available drugs to control it. You should ask your doctor if you experience severe nausea.

Don’t panic, if you lose your hair. It will come back after the treatment has finished. Bone marrow depression have a more serious side effect. Your doctor may consider giving you vaccination (immunization) to boost your immune system after treatment.

Radiotherapy side effects

People experience different side effects after radiation treatment.

Common side effects are nausea, hair loss, fatigue and low blood count.

If you experience nausea, ask for an anti-nausea medication from your doctor. A low blood count is a very common side effects in many people. This drop in blood count, is clinically significant; your treatment may be stopped for a few days, enough to allow recovery. The treatment will then resume again after your blood count gets back to normal.

Pain management

Remember that having cancer does not always mean having pain. If you experience pain, there are many medications available to control it.

Pain does not always come with cancer. Therefore, you should never accept pain as a part of having cancer. Most pain can be controlled. Reliving pain will help to improve your quality of life. You can sleep better, eat better and continue leading a normal life.