Chemo when do side effects start

Eating a healthy diet and keeping your mouth and teeth clean can lower your risk of mouth sores. Mouth sores usually go away completely when treatment ends. Learn more about managing mucositis and oral health during cancer treatment. Some chemotherapy causes loose or watery bowel movements. Preventing diarrhea or treating it early helps keep you from getting dehydrated losing too much body fluid. It also helps prevent other health problems.

Learn more about managing diarrhea. Nausea and vomiting. Chemotherapy can cause nausea feeling sick to your stomach and vomiting throwing up. Whether you have these side effects, and how much, depends on the specific drugs and dose.

The right medications given before and after each dose of chemotherapy can usually prevent nausea and vomiting. Learn more about nausea and vomiting. Chemotherapy can cause constipation. This means not having a bowel movement often enough or having difficult bowel movements. Other medicines, such as pain medication, can also cause constipation. You can lower your risk of constipation by drinking enough fluids, eating balanced meals, and getting enough exercise.

Learn more about managing constipation. Blood disorders. Your bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside your bones. It makes new blood cells. Chemotherapy affects this process, so you might have side effects from having too few blood cells. Usually the number of blood cells return to normal after chemotherapy is complete.

But during treatment, low numbers of blood cells can cause problems and must be watched closely. Complete blood count CBC. A CBC test shows the levels of red blood cells and white blood cells in your blood.

Not enough red blood cells causes a condition called anemia. Symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath. Not enough white blood cells causes a condition called leukopenia.

This raises your risk of getting infections. When your white blood cells are low, getting an infection can be serious. If this happens, you need antibiotics as soon as possible. Platelet count. This test measures the number of platelets in your blood. Platelets are cells that stop bleeding. They do this by plugging damaged blood vessels and helping blood form clots. Not having enough platelets causes a condition called thrombocytopenia. You can bleed and bruise more easily than normal.

The doses of chemotherapy can often be adjusted to prevent low blood counts. There is bound to be one that will work for you. Keep on trying until you are successful. Sadly the care received is non existent given ten hours Chemotherapy then left to deal with horrific side effects,cancer nurse not interested consultant not interested. Cancer treatment is it worth it no quality of life no back up.

I have seen the same at the hospital, with staff and patients paying little attention to infection control. With regards to masks in my Oncology dept last week the Dr was walking round with no mask whilst patients were having their treatment.

Skip to main content. Post to forum. Search Search forum. Do you have a cancer chat password? Yes, I have a password. Remember me. Sign in. I would be happy to receive news and updates from Cancer Chat. Create new account. Leave this field blank. Already a member? Sign in now. Tell your healthcare team if you have these side effects or others you think might be from chemotherapy. The sooner you tell them of any problems, the sooner they can suggest ways to help you deal with them.

Blood cell counts often reach their lowest level about 7 to 14 days after chemotherapy. Low blood cell counts is the most common and most serious side effect of chemotherapy. When it happens, the dose of chemotherapy is adjusted right away or chemotherapy may have to be stopped temporarily. A low white blood cell count neutropenia or leukopenia increases the risk for infection. A low platelet count thrombocytopenia increases the risk for bruising and bleeding.

A low red blood cell count anemia causes fatigue , paleness, dizziness, shortness of breath and malaise. Fatigue makes a person feel more tired than usual and can interfere with daily activities and sleep.

Fatigue may be caused by anemia, specific chemotherapy drugs, poor appetite or depression. It may also be related to toxic substances that are made in the body when cancer cells break down and die. Fatigue can happen within days after a chemotherapy treatment and can last long after treatment ends. It also tends to be worse when you are having other treatments, such as radiation therapy. Fatigue usually gets better over time. Nausea and vomiting can start within the first few hours after chemotherapy drugs are given and usually last about 24 hours.

However, nausea and vomiting may start more than 24 hours after treatment and last several days called delayed nausea and vomiting. Some people may have anticipatory nausea after having a few treatments, where they feel nauseated even before treatment is given because they expect to be sick.

The healthcare team can help you manage nausea and vomiting by prescribing antinausea drugs. Not all chemotherapy drugs cause nausea and vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are more likely when combinations of chemotherapy drugs are given. Nausea and vomiting, fatigue or a buildup of waste products as cancer cells die can cause a loss of appetite. Some chemotherapy drugs can cause temporary changes in taste and smell, which can make food less appetizing.

Some people may not feel like eating at all, even though they know they need to. This can lead to weight loss and malnutrition. Having good nutrition during and after chemotherapy is important to help you recover from treatment. Hair loss alopecia is a common side effect of many, but not all, chemotherapy drugs. Hair follicles are damaged by chemotherapy because the drugs affect cells that are growing quickly.

Hair loss can happen on any part of the body, not just your head. You may begin to lose hair within a few days or 2 to 3 weeks after chemotherapy starts. Hair usually grows back once you finish chemotherapy. Diarrhea is the frequent passing of loose, watery stools. It happens because chemotherapy drugs often affect the cells that line the gastrointestinal GI tract. Many factors increase the risk of diarrhea, including the type and dose of chemotherapy. Diarrhea is often worse when combinations of chemotherapy drugs are given.

Diarrhea can happen soon after chemotherapy starts and may continue for up to 2 weeks after treatment has ended. Constipation is when stools become hard, dry and difficult to pass. Constipation can happen for a number of reasons including the type of chemotherapy drug used, medicines given with chemotherapy to relieve nausea and vomiting, and drinking less fluids. Learn more about the different kinds of chemotherapy. During your first IV chemotherapy appointment, you should bring a friend or family member.

They can support you and help you remember information. Sometimes you will be given medication before your chemotherapy treatment that can make you tired, so you may need someone who can drive you home. You may also bring items that make your treatment time easier. For instance, considering bringing your phone, a tablet, books, or a blanket. Some people receive chemotherapy through a port.

Instead of putting the IV directly into your arm, the catheter will go into a round metal or plastic disk. With a port, your nurse does not need to find a vein to put the IV in for each treatment. If you need a port, you will need a minor surgery before your first chemotherapy appointment to put the port in. Learn more about catheters and ports.

The length of your treatment session will depend on many factors. Some chemotherapy treatments take minutes or hours. Others are given over several days or weeks.

This is called continuous infusion chemotherapy. You do not need to stay at the hospital or clinic for continuous infusion. Instead, drugs are delivered through a small pump you wear or carry.

To get the full benefit of chemotherapy, it is important to follow the schedule of treatments recommended by your doctor and manage other medications you're taking. After your treatment session ends, the nurse or another health care team member will take out your IV. If you have a port, it will stay in until you finish all of your treatments.

The nurse will check your blood pressure, pulse, breathing, and temperature again. Your oncologist or nurse will talk with you about what to expect with side effects. They will give you medication, tell you how to manage common side effects, and offer information such as:. Avoid people with colds or other infections. Chemotherapy weakens your body's immune system. Your immune system helps fight infections. Drink lots of fluids for 48 hours after chemotherapy.

This helps move the drugs through your body. Before you leave your first treatment, be sure to ask who you should call with any questions or concerns and how to contact them, including after hours or weekends. Physical, Emotional, and Social Effects of Cancer. These printable PDFs provide an introduction to chemotherapy, answers to common questions, terms to know, and questions to ask the doctor. Who is on my chemotherapy team? Your team may include these health care professionals: Medical oncologist.

Their responsibilities can include: Giving physical examinations Ordering and interpreting laboratory and diagnostic test results Prescribing and administering medications and other therapies, including chemotherapy Providing education and counseling for patients and families Oncology nurse.

Oncology nurses can also: Answer questions about treatment Monitor your health during treatment Help you manage side effects of treatment Other health care professionals.

These professionals include: Pharmacists Social workers Registered dietitian nutritionists Physical therapists Dentists Learn more about the oncology team.