How sick does chemo make you?!
Question: How sick does chemo make you!?
My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer - she had a lumpectomy about a month and a half ago, and has no cancer elsewhere in her body!. My understanding is that she will have 4 treatments of chemo (they are putting in some sort of port into her chest where they would inject the chemo rather than giving her a needle every time - i've never heard of this), and then I believe several weeks of radiation!.
I was curious how sick this will make her!? Will she definitely lose her hair having only 4 treatments!? She's 78, and other than this, extremely healthy - she's very active (you'd never think she was 78 looking at her)!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I was curious how sick this will make her!? Will she definitely lose her hair having only 4 treatments!? She's 78, and other than this, extremely healthy - she's very active (you'd never think she was 78 looking at her)!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Depending on what type of chemo drugs she is getting will determine if she's going to lose her hair!. Before I started my chemo I met with the nurse in the chemo room and she went through everything with me as to what to expect!.
I also have a port and it has made treatments so much easier!.
I had 6 rounds of Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin!. I lost all my hair, eye lashes and eyebrows!. They have medications for naseau!. I was on three of them!. I still had some naseau that lasted a few days each time!. There is also a shot they give the day after chemo to help boost your white blood cells called Neulesta!. If your count drops below 10 (which mine always did) you get the shot!. It can cause mild to severe bone pain!. I happened to get the severe bone pain so was on pain medication for that!. I did find that after each round of chemotherapy it took a little longer to "bounce" back from it!.
Make sure your grandmother speaks up if she is in pain or if a medication for naseau is not working!. Sometimes it's trial and error with finding the right medication for each person!. And with radiation she will most likely be tired!. I got very tired midway through my treatments!. My best to your grandmother!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I also have a port and it has made treatments so much easier!.
I had 6 rounds of Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin!. I lost all my hair, eye lashes and eyebrows!. They have medications for naseau!. I was on three of them!. I still had some naseau that lasted a few days each time!. There is also a shot they give the day after chemo to help boost your white blood cells called Neulesta!. If your count drops below 10 (which mine always did) you get the shot!. It can cause mild to severe bone pain!. I happened to get the severe bone pain so was on pain medication for that!. I did find that after each round of chemotherapy it took a little longer to "bounce" back from it!.
Make sure your grandmother speaks up if she is in pain or if a medication for naseau is not working!. Sometimes it's trial and error with finding the right medication for each person!. And with radiation she will most likely be tired!. I got very tired midway through my treatments!. My best to your grandmother!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
She will feel sick on the days of treatment but it shouldn't last more than 1 to 2 days after!. With only four treatments it is highly unlikely that she will lose her hair!.
Good luck!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Good luck!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Many, if not most treatments for early stage breast cancer, cause hair loss!. So yes, even after 1 treatment it starts!.
It's very common to have a catheter port inserted for chemo!. This is especially helpful for an older patient, who may not have the greatest veins to start with!. She will likely have weekly bloodwork performed, the chemo, and additional diagnostic procedures!. I'm "only" 51 and have 1, possibly 2 vein collapses from all the vein punctures!. And this is WITH a port in my chest!.
It's a fairly simple procedure to insert the port, done on an outpatient procedure under "twilight" anesthesia!. She'll be back home in a couple of hours!.
The side effects of the chemo can be very much lessened with prescription drugs such as Emend, Aloxi, Compazine, Zofran, etc!. These are powerful anti-emitic/anti-nausea drugs!. I completed 5 months of chemo and didn't get sick once!. To be sure, there were days that I didn't feel so hot, and many days when I had no appetite, but I didn't get sick!.
Best of luck to your Granny!. It sounds like she has a good shot at beating this one, as it seems to have been detected early!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
It's very common to have a catheter port inserted for chemo!. This is especially helpful for an older patient, who may not have the greatest veins to start with!. She will likely have weekly bloodwork performed, the chemo, and additional diagnostic procedures!. I'm "only" 51 and have 1, possibly 2 vein collapses from all the vein punctures!. And this is WITH a port in my chest!.
It's a fairly simple procedure to insert the port, done on an outpatient procedure under "twilight" anesthesia!. She'll be back home in a couple of hours!.
The side effects of the chemo can be very much lessened with prescription drugs such as Emend, Aloxi, Compazine, Zofran, etc!. These are powerful anti-emitic/anti-nausea drugs!. I completed 5 months of chemo and didn't get sick once!. To be sure, there were days that I didn't feel so hot, and many days when I had no appetite, but I didn't get sick!.
Best of luck to your Granny!. It sounds like she has a good shot at beating this one, as it seems to have been detected early!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Glad to hear your grand mother is going all the way with her treatment I have had 25 treatments of chemo and 30 of radiation !. How sick will she be!? I felt nausea and a bad taste in my mouth my saliva got really thick and my sense of smell was off I ate my oatmeal every morning and tried to keep my fluid intake up they tell you to rinse you mouth with salt water after meals and at least 3x a day to prevent mouth sores drink has much has you can and eat what ever she wants I of course didn't listen and got mouth sores and lost weight but i never did like food before chemo but i experience a bad taste that was constant in my mouth so the salt water help with that and i was very weak and tired and some days just laid still !. Your grandmother only having 4 treatments may not experience all this my hair fell out after my 3 treatment my treatment were every week so she might not lose her hair with only 4 treatments The thing in the chest a meda port makes it easy to give the chemo rather than getting stuck in you arm My port is still in after a year it doesn't hurt they draw my blood work from my port also tell her to stay active and keep going grandma god bless you from one survivor to another -- oh the radiation didn't hurt but i got very fatiged and got a skin burn which healed but its been 6 month and the skin on my chest is still dark but survivored and i feel blessedWww@Answer-Health@Com
Everyone reacts to the treatments differently!.
I'm sure you know upset stomach is one of the most common symptoms!. Not everyone loses their hair, just like not everyone suffers all that much!.
Check out the source I listed for a general list of possible problems!.
She will definetely need your support!. Does she like music!? Try getting her a cd player (or something nicer if she will understand the technology) and find out who her favorite artists are/ genre of music she likes best!.
Does she like to crochet or knit!. Something to relax her and take her mind off of things is nice!. Maybe she would like you to read her a book!. Chances are she won't have much energy!. She might just sleep all the time!. Or she might be stuck in bed and bored!.
good luck and if I think of anything else, I'll add it!.!.!.!.
You should put together a scrap book of family pictures for her to look at!. Try and put funny photos and really special pictures in there!. Depression is common with any illness/ physical struggle!. Add some funny jokes on some pages!. Find inspirational stories for her to read or be read!. Remember Chicken Soup for the Soul Book series!? Try looking through a book store to see if they have one she can relate to (for the grandmothers soul!?!?!?)Www@Answer-Health@Com
I'm sure you know upset stomach is one of the most common symptoms!. Not everyone loses their hair, just like not everyone suffers all that much!.
Check out the source I listed for a general list of possible problems!.
She will definetely need your support!. Does she like music!? Try getting her a cd player (or something nicer if she will understand the technology) and find out who her favorite artists are/ genre of music she likes best!.
Does she like to crochet or knit!. Something to relax her and take her mind off of things is nice!. Maybe she would like you to read her a book!. Chances are she won't have much energy!. She might just sleep all the time!. Or she might be stuck in bed and bored!.
good luck and if I think of anything else, I'll add it!.!.!.!.
You should put together a scrap book of family pictures for her to look at!. Try and put funny photos and really special pictures in there!. Depression is common with any illness/ physical struggle!. Add some funny jokes on some pages!. Find inspirational stories for her to read or be read!. Remember Chicken Soup for the Soul Book series!? Try looking through a book store to see if they have one she can relate to (for the grandmothers soul!?!?!?)Www@Answer-Health@Com
As a cancer patient, I have a port, it's inserted right under the collarbone!. It's wonderful for people who are a "hard stick" or when it's hard to find their veins!. It is a outpatient surgery, I had my port inserted and my first chemo treatment all in the same day!. I barely even remember it's there half the time!. I'm 34 and a lot younger then your grandmother, so I do not know how everything will affect her!. These are all questions that the doctors should be answering for your grandmother!. Be careful with radiation, I had radiation at 22 for Hodkin's an developed pancreatic cancer 12 years later due to the radiation!. I'm not sure what type of chemo your grandmother will be receiving but some forms only cause hair thinning not total hair loss!. The only way that I can describe a chemo treatment is that a or two afterwards, it feels like a really, really, bad hangover for about 4 or 5 days and takes about a week to fully recover from, only to start the treatment all over again!. Hope that this helps, your grandmother sounds healthy and strong, just tell her to have faith in her strength!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
With your grandmother being so healthy I think she won't have too much problem with the chemo!. There are many kinds of chemo so not sure which mix she will get!. I didn't have any trouble with it, the hair loss was pretty much my only real symptom!.
Many feel fatigue, this is due to all the good cells being destroyed as well as the cancerous ones!. She may feel deep flu like bone pain 2-3 days after chemo!. The cells in the marrow start rebuilding at this time and it always hits the largest bones first, ie:thighs, upper arms!. A good solution to this is a warm bath with Epsom salts!.
Approx!. 10 days after chemo her immune system will be at the lowest!. This is the time for her to stay away from anyone with a cold or any illness!. If she goes shopping, be sure she wipes the handles of the carts with a sanitizer!.
Not everyone loses their hair, some it only thins!. I started losing mine after the first treatment, shortly after the 3rd I lost all body hair including brows and lashes!.
Its important for her to drink LOTS of water to flush the toxins thru her kidneys and liver!.
A port is pretty standard these days, I didn't have one but many do!. She will also be given anti-nausea drugs and steroids to help her appetite!.
Good luck to your Grandmother!.!. she is in for the haul but since it hasn't spread her prognosis should look pretty good!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Many feel fatigue, this is due to all the good cells being destroyed as well as the cancerous ones!. She may feel deep flu like bone pain 2-3 days after chemo!. The cells in the marrow start rebuilding at this time and it always hits the largest bones first, ie:thighs, upper arms!. A good solution to this is a warm bath with Epsom salts!.
Approx!. 10 days after chemo her immune system will be at the lowest!. This is the time for her to stay away from anyone with a cold or any illness!. If she goes shopping, be sure she wipes the handles of the carts with a sanitizer!.
Not everyone loses their hair, some it only thins!. I started losing mine after the first treatment, shortly after the 3rd I lost all body hair including brows and lashes!.
Its important for her to drink LOTS of water to flush the toxins thru her kidneys and liver!.
A port is pretty standard these days, I didn't have one but many do!. She will also be given anti-nausea drugs and steroids to help her appetite!.
Good luck to your Grandmother!.!. she is in for the haul but since it hasn't spread her prognosis should look pretty good!Www@Answer-Health@Com