Ask your provider if the chemotherapy has fatigue or drowsiness as a side effect. In most cases, your healthcare provider will ask you to get a ride home after your first session to see how you will tolerate the chemo. If you feel well the first time, they say that driving home for future sessions is okay.
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.
Chemotherapy drugs target cancer cells which stop or slow their growth. A person undergoing chemotherapy should avoid eating undercooked or raw food, interacting with actively infectious people, overexerting themselves, and consuming too much alcohol.
Yes. It will take some extra planning and working out who can support you but it's possible to continue living alone when you have cancer. Having cancer and going through treatment raises many challenges and emotions. These may be harder to deal with when you live alone.
Patricia Ramirez is an oncology nurse navigator at OSF HealthCare who specializes in breast cancer, for which most patients are treated with surgery, chemo or both. 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.
Nearly everyone who has chemotherapy has some tiredness. It can be due to the direct effect of chemotherapy on the body. But anaemia may also cause tiredness. This is because chemotherapy can stop your bone marrow from making red blood cells for a while.
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.
Housekeeping and Disinfecting
It is better to rest if you are tired or not feeling well, as this will help your body recover from chemotherapy. If you do want to do housekeeping, there are a couple of easy tips you can follow to keep your house clean and lower your chance of picking up germs.
It's OK to have normal contact with other people, including hugging and kissing. Ask your cancer treatment team if there are any special precautions you should take. And follow these general precautions to protect loved ones and even pets from chemo.
Chemo drugs can dry and irritate your skin. This can lead to small cuts and other openings, which makes it easier for infections to get in. To protect your skin and lower the risk of infection: Shower or bathe daily with mild soap and a soft washcloth.
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.
The guidelines recommend regular aerobic exercise – such as walking, jogging or cycling, and strength training – such as lifting weights or using resistance bands, for patients whose cancer has not spread beyond its initial site. Aerobic exercise helps strengthen the heart and lungs.
Water, water, water: we know it can be difficult, but please drink plenty of water before, during and after chemo treatment. Drinking lots of water will help to flush the chemo through your system, and can also help to keep your bladder from becoming irritated.
During a course of treatment, you usually have around 4 to 8 cycles of treatment.
The effects of chemo are cumulative. They get worse with each cycle. My doctors warned me: Each infusion will get harder. Each cycle, expect to feel weaker.
Good night's rest
A full night's sleep is vital for anyone who has had chemotherapy. Patients should get at least eight hours of sleep if possible.
Here are things you can do to help keep your family, visitors, and pets safe during this time: If possible, have children use a different toilet than the one you use. Flush the toilet twice after you use it.
If there are two toilets in the home, the chemotherapy patient should use one, and the caregiver should use the other for at least 48 hours after treatment ceases. If there is only one toilet, male patients should sit when urinating to avoid splashing. When finished, they need to lower the lid and flush twice.
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.
Some chemo drugs that irritate the mouth might also affect all mucous membranes in the body. This includes the lining of the vagina, which may become dry and inflamed.
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. You may feel most worn out for a few days after each chemo treatment. Your fatigue may get worse with each treatment. For some people, fatigue is worst about halfway through the full course of chemo.
Try to add strength training, such as lifting weights, a few times a week, too. Consider integrative medicine options. Some people with cancer find relief from fatigue through meditation, yoga and other mindfulness practices that encourage relaxation. Massage and acupuncture can be helpful, too.