For 48 hours after receiving chemotherapy, patients and caregivers should follow these precautions: Flush toilets twice each time they are used. If possible, patients should use a separate toilet from others in the home. Always wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet.
Safe Handling of Chemotherapy Waste Material. After chemotherapy treatment, the chemotherapy drug usually remains in the body for either 3 days or 7 days, depending upon the properties of the drug. The drug is excreted in the urine, stool, vomit, semen, and vaginal secretions during this time.
Q: Is it safe to be around someone getting chemo? A: It usually takes a few days for the body to get rid of the drugs after a round of chemo is given. During this time, wear disposable gloves when cleaning up any body fluids, including urine, stool, tears, and vomit, and then wash your hands with soap and water.
Having Sex During Your Cancer Treatment
We recommend using a barrier device (condom or dental dam) during treatment and for a week after each treatment during oral, vaginal, or anal sex to prevent your partner from being exposed to any medication that may be in your bodily fluids.
Flush the toilet two times when you use the bathroom the first 2-3 days after treatment. While wearing gloves, clean the toilet seat if you get pee on it. Do the same thing if you vomit. Chemo drugs can come out in your body fluids.
It is safe to touch other people while on chemotherapy. You can hug and kiss. But you do need to protect others from coming into contact with your medicine.
Additionally, the patient must flush the toilet twice after each use and the bathroom to help dilute the chemo in the wastewater system.
It is generally safe to kiss others after chemotherapy as long as no active infection is present. However, it is crucial to practice proper hygiene and avoid close contact with people who are ill, to reduce the risk of infection.
So you need to make sure caregivers and others close to you are not exposed to your body fluids during chemo and for a few days after treatment. It's OK to have normal contact with other people, including hugging and kissing.
Safety concerns for partners
Be assured that it is not possible for your partner to transmit cancer through intimate activities such as kissing or intercourse. Sexual activity will not make cancer spread, nor will it make the cancer come back. Chemotherapy drugs may stay in your partner's body fluids for some days.
There's usually no medical reason to stop having sex during chemo. The drugs won't have any long term physical effects on your performance or enjoyment of sex. Cancer can't be passed on to your partner during sex.
Chemotherapy can be found in saliva and vaginal secretions for 48-72 hours after treatment. During this time, do not do open-mouth kissing and use a condom or dental dam for oral sex or intercourse (vaginal or anal) so that your partner is not exposed.
Short, planned delays in chemotherapy for good-risk GCT patients (less than or equal to 7 days per cycle) appear to be acceptable since they may prevent serious toxicity in this curable patient population. Delays of longer than 7 days are strongly discouraged except in extraordinary life-threatening circumstances.
If possible, you may want to use a separate toilet during this time. If this is not possible, wear gloves to clean the toilet seat after each use. Sit on the toilet when you use it to cut down on splashing. Keep the toilet lid down when you're not using it to keep pets from drinking the water.
While providing many benefits, chemotherapy is strong, cytotoxic (toxic to cells) medicine, so it is safest for people without cancer to avoid direct contact with the drugs. Cancer (oncology) nurses and doctors often wear gloves, goggles, gowns or masks because they are exposed to chemotherapy drugs every day.
If your loved one is receiving chemotherapy or other similar medications, wash their laundry -- including sheets and towels -- separately from the rest of your household's laundry.
Take a walk together when you can to help ease their sleep problems, mood, fatigue, and other side effects. If they need to stay in bed, help them do exercises that their health team suggests. Show them deep-breathing exercises and other ways to relax that can help them deal with the stress and anxiety of cancer.
Give them a friendly hand squeeze or hug – it can go a long way. Ring them up, send a card, note or text to say you're thinking of them. Let them know that if they want to talk you'll be there to listen - then make sure you are available. Respect their need for privacy.
"WOW, did they remove your breasts?" “I know so & so who had the same type of cancer and they were just fine!” ...or any variation of cancer stories. "You need to get chemo and surgery but not radiation." You're not my doctor. “You don't have it as bad as ____.” Please do not compare stories.
For most people the side effects were worst in the first few days after treatment, then they gradually felt better until the next treatment. Some said the effects were worse with each successive treatment. Most side effects don't persist and disappear within a few weeks after the end of treatment.
Some chemotherapy drugs break down into substances that irritate the lining of the bladder when they are passed in the urine. The irritation can cause inflammation and bleeding. In rare cases, it can become severe and lead to permanent damage.
Some chemo can cause constipation or hard, dry stools that you have less often. Stool may also be difficult to pass.
The length of time for chemotherapy regimens can range from 5 minutes to 8 or more hours. It all depends on the chemotherapy. Throughout the chemotherapy, your nurse will come in and check your vitals and make sure you aren't reacting to the medications.