One of the oddest and sometimes most annoying side-effects of certain chemotherapy drugs is an awareness of bad smells, or consciousness of foul-smelling odours in various locations, particularly around the house.
Two out of three patients undergoing chemotherapy are affected by changes in the sense of smell or taste. Changes in sense of smell and taste are often temporary, and can last a few weeks to months after treatment. Changes in the sense of taste occur more frequently than changes in the sense of smell.
Often, cancer treatment can cause increased sensitivity to smells and odors from foods and other things in the environment. This can make eating harder since many of our favorite foods are often served warm and have some level of smell associated with them.
Radiation therapy – Radiation to the head or neck area can damage tastebuds and salivary glands. This damage can change the way you taste, smell or feel food. Surgery – Surgery to the mouth and nose area may affect parts of the tongue, nose or salivary glands, changing the way you taste, smell or feel food.
The impact of cancer and treatment
Treatment can also affect the senses and damage nerves that send signals to the brain, causing changes during and after treatment. Chemotherapy – may damage healthy cells such as tastebuds, and affect nerve endings, changing the way you feel hot and cold foods in your mouth.
The main areas of your body that may be affected by chemotherapy are areas where new cells are quickly made and replaced. This includes: bone marrow – where blood cells are made. hair follicles – where hair grows.
Most people have ups and downs during treatment, but support is available. Some people find they can lead an almost normal life during chemotherapy. But others find everyday life more difficult. You may feel unwell during and shortly after each treatment but recover quickly between treatments.
Many people going through chemotherapy discuss an unpleasant body odor as a side effect. And yes, the culprit is indeed the chemotherapy drugs that affect both the body and bodily fluids. The positive news is that the smell typically disappears after the last treatment.
Unpasteurized fruit juice or cider. Raw sprouts like alfalfa sprouts. Raw or undercooked beef (especially ground beef) or other raw or undercooked meat and poultry. Raw or undercooked shellfish, like oysters—These items may carry the hepatitis A virus and should be cooked thoroughly to destroy the virus.
A return to normalcy is typical, but it takes a while – usually six months or so. “All who have done chemo do finally get back to normal,” Patricia said. “Treatment for breast cancer can take a whole year, but six months after it ends, life comes back – incisions heal, hair grows back, chemo brain fog lifts.”
Awareness of bad smells and bad taste does not mean that the chemotherapy drugs are still circulating in the body. It simply means that these delicate nerve endings have been temporarily affected. The good news is that the problem is always reversible, and quite rapidly so, once the chemotherapy is completed.
Hyperosmia is an overwhelming sensitivity to smells. There are many reasons behind this change in smell. Some include genetics, hormone changes, and migraines.
Chemosensitivity is a feature of cancer cells that describes the strength of the tumor's reaction to a given anti-cancer-drug. It describes whether a tumor reacts to this chemical, e. g. how strongly its growth is inhibited and / or if its cells are killed as a result of treatment.
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.
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.
Chemotherapy leaves the body through urine, vomit, blood, stool, sweat, mucus and sexual fluids.
“The tissue becomes discolored, there is fluid and exudative material present, and it becomes fodder for bacterial colonization.” Gastman said some additional traits of necrotic tissue are: Color: Can range from brown to grey to black. Malodorous: Typically has a purulent smell.
Sometimes treatment-related diarrhea can last up to several weeks or months after treatment ends. After stomach or bowel surgery, some people may have diarrhea.
If you develop side effects, they can happen any time during, immediately after or a few days or weeks after chemotherapy. Sometimes late side effects develop months or years after chemotherapy. Most side effects go away on their own or can be treated, but some side effects may last a long time or become permanent.
Is there any risk to family and friends? You may worry about the safety of family and friends while you are having chemotherapy. There is little risk to visitors (including children, babies and pregnant women) because they aren't likely to come into contact with any chemotherapy drugs or body fluids.
Each chemo experience is unique. Don't plan your chemo response until you've gone through your first infusion. The effects of chemo are cumulative. They get worse with each cycle.