What side effects might I experience during chemotherapy?
There are many side effects from chemotherapy which run the gamut from annoying to completely debilitating. Oncologists have learned a lot about how to deal with them, and new medicines have been found that help combat the side effects. Each medication is different, and each patient is different.
Nausea and vomiting are very common. There are excellent medications to prevent or treat this. Patients can also experience diarrhea, constipation, and a change in appetite.
Patients can have chills during the treatment, which again can be helped by medication.
Many patients do experience hair loss from chemotherapy.
It is possible to be allergic to a chemotherapy agent. After a treatment you might experience everything from a rash and itching, to trouble breathing and swelling. Your doctor will be prepared to treat this problem.
Fatigue is common, from the cancer, the chemotherapy, and sometimes because of a decrease in red blood cells (see below). Any of the cells in the blood can decrease because the chemotherapy is affecting the bone marrow.
There are other less common side effects which can include burning and tingling in the extremities (called a neuropathy), change in taste, and others.
If the medication is damaging your liver or kidneys, you might experience other symptoms. Damage of this kind might be discovered from a blood test before you experience symptoms (see below).