Side-effects of chemotherapy
Chemotherapies often have side effects. Mostly they can be
managed and may not have a great an impact on your life. Some
treatments have more significant side effects, and you should
discuss the likelihood of this happening to you with your hospital
team. Do ask how likely it is that you will be affected if there is
a side effect which is particularly worrying for you. There are
lots of things that you and the chemo nurse can do to lessen side
effects -do let them know. It is important that you are honest with
your health team, they want your treatment to go as smoothly as
possible, but it's difficult for them to get rid of side effects
unless they know you are suffering from them. Remember that not
everyone suffers all the side effects that are listed or given.
Major side effects
- Nausea and vomiting. This is caused by some
chemotherapy drugs. If necessary you will be given drugs to reduce
the sickness. Do tell your doctor or nurses if the sickness is
still a problem as alternative anti-sickness drugs can be
used.
- Hair loss may occur with some chemotherapy
drugs. If you have been told that your hair will fall out then it
will happen three to six weeks after you treatment starts. Your
hair will re-grow, but it will take about six months from the end
of chemotherapy before you have a reasonable head of hair again. Do
ask if you would like to have a wig provided before you leave
hospital.
- Pain. Chemotherapy is not painful. If you are
experiencing aches and pains as a result of your condition, you
should initially use paracetamol as a pain-killer. Drugs containing
aspirin should be avoided since these can increase the likelihood
of bruising and bleeding.
- Constipation. Your doctor can give you advice
on how to treat this.
Your doctor will chose one or more anti-sickness treatments
which will be appropriate for your chemotherapy. They are used when
a chemotherapy drug has a high chance of causing nausea or
sickness. Some commonly prescribed anti-sickness medications are
listed below.
- Granisetron (otherwise known as Kytril)
- Ondansetron (otherwise known as Zofran)
- Tropisetron (otherwise known as Novoban)
Your doctors will advise you about the appropriate dose.
Sometimes a single dose is given by injection with the chemotherapy
and no further treatment with this group of drugs is needed. This
group of drugs has a tendency to cause constipation.
Effects on the Blood
When you are having chemotherapy, your blood count may be
affected. This is why you need a blood test before each treatment.
You are less able to fight infections during the two or three weeks
after each chemotherapy treatment due to an effect on the white
blood cells. This means that you must not ignore even a mild
infection, and if you become feverish during this period you must
let you doctor know.
Severe tiredness, breathlessness and a pale appearance might be
due to anaemia, which can be dealt with easily with a blood
transfusion.
Your doctor also needs to be told if you have any bleeding or
unusually severe bruising. This could be due to an effect of
chemotherapy on the blood cells called platelets which help the
blood to clot.
Make a note of any questions you want to ask, and bring it with
you to the clinic to remind you to ask the doctor. Many problems
can be dealt with by contacting the nursing staff of the
chemotherapy unit. If you need urgent advice outside normal working
hours ask your doctor for a number to ring locally.