Page 121 - LIVESTRONG Digital Guidebook
P. 121
Chemotherapy When you talk with your health care
Chemotherapy medicines interfere with the provider, ask him or her:
rapidly growing cells of the body. These cells
can include those related to hair, skin, finger- • What are the best resources for information
nails or the stomach lining. This is why che- about late effects for my type of cancer?
motherapy can cause temporary side effects.
These include mouth sores, upset stomach, • What are the possible aftereffects of the
hair loss or skin rashes. Side effects usually medications I have been taking?
improve as the normal (or non-cancer) tissues
repair themselves. • What is the best way to manage aftereffects?
Not all chemotherapy medicines have the • Will you provide me with a treatment plan summary
same late effects. A lot depends on the kind
of medicines used. The dosage and whether now that I have completed cancer treatment?
chemotherapy was done with another type • Which provider should I see if symptoms or
of treatment are also important. If an organ
is damaged, a lot depends on whether it can problems develop?
repair itself. Before starting treatment, ask your • Which provider should I contact with
health care provider about the possible after-
effects of all the medications you will receive. other medical needs?
Aftereffects of chemotherapy could include: • What is the best way to explain after-
• Fatigue effects to my employer?
• Difficulty with focused thinking
(sometimes called chemo brain) • Dry mouth
• Early menopause • Permanent hair loss
• Heart problems • Problems with thyroid or adrenal glands
• Reduced lung capacity • Infertility
• Kidney and urinary problems • Slowed or halted bone growth
• Nerve problems such as numbness in children
and tingling • Decreased range of motion in the
• Bone and joint problems treated area
• Muscle weakness • Skin sensitivity to sun exposure
• Secondary cancers • Problems with memory or ability to learn
• Secondary cancers such as skin cancer
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is applied to the areas of the Cancer treatment and fatigue
body that are affected by cancer. Aftereffects Fatigue or feeling physically exhausted is a very
occur only in the area that was treated. In some common aftereffect of cancer and treatment.
cases, treatment may also include healthy tis- Fatigue can affect you mentally and emotion-
sue. This is to make certain that all of the cancer ally. You may have no energy to do things that
is treated. are important to you. Yet fatigue can usually be
Newer methods of radiation therapy help successfully managed medically.
minimize damage to normal tissue. Treatment is The causes of fatigue can include physical
directed to the same area each time. Yet, radia- problems such as pain, stress, anemia or the
tion rays sometimes scatter. Tissues and organs side effects of treatment. Sometimes the cause
near the cancer site might receive small doses is emotional such as depression. Other times,
of radiation if this happens. the cause might not be clear.
Aftereffects of radiation could include: Be certain to talk with your health care
team if you are fatigued. Describe your level
• Cataracts of fatigue by using terms like mild, moderate
• Fatigue or severe. Your team will try to find out what is
causing the fatigue so they can provide the
best treatment.
www.LIVESTRONG.org/WeCanHelp A F T E R T R E AT M E N T 121
