Managing Side Effects of Cancer Treatment--Part II

In continuation with the last post, let us talk about managing the side effects of the cancer treatment.

1. Loss of appetite----Many cancer patients receiving chemotherapy experience a loss of appetite and also a perceptible change in their taste and aroma of food making it unappetising. Some foods may taste or smell too stong, bitter and other foods may tase very medicinal and therefore unappealing to most patients.

This is a significant problem while patients are receiving the treatment as it further adds to the already challenging situation wherein the patient is fighting with other emotional aspects like depression etc. The other very important factor is that loss of appetite may result in inadequate nutrition and thereby compromising the immune function leading to enhanced risk of infection and a general feeling of weakness and lethargy.

The way to deal with these issues is to try and eat smaller portions at more frequent intervals going upto 6 to 7 times a day ensuring proper nutritional balance with adequate calories and protein at each serving. Fresh juices, soy milk, fruits like peaches, melon, plum etc, milk shakes, yoghurt etc. are good additions to the diet. In general do not try to go for foods with very strong smell, flavors. Go with your instincts and eat what looks appetising to you.

Your oncologist / nutritionist may be able to also recommend some appetite stimulants as well. Do share your diet plans with your doctor and make sure you are taking enough nutrition.

2.Nausea / Vomiting-----It is by far the most common and dreaded side effect of chemotherapy and created widespread angst and discomfort amongst patients. Many of the chemo drugs so far caused varying degree of damage to the gastrointestinal tract resulting in a nauseated and unpleasant feeling at the back of the throat and creating a vomiting sensation and many a times actual vomiting. The intensity and frequency of nausea and vomiting varies from patient to patient for the same drug.

The good news is many of the new generation chemo drugs have significantly reduced the nausea and vomiting side effect of chemotherapy. However, some drugs still cause it and many patients still respond differently.

Discuss your specific nausea/ vomiting pattern with your oncologist.Your doctor will also be able to prescribe some medicines that reduce the nausea and vomiting sensation. Drink plenty of juices like watermelon, sweet lime etc. Stay hydrated with energy / sports drinks and water.

Avoid pungent foods and also foods that could cause acidity like fried and spicy food, chips and similar snacks.Ginger has been found to be quite helpful in reducing the effect of nausea and vomiting amongst patients and therefore should be used in different forms in the food.


3. Hair Loss----Hair loss or alopecia is a common side effect wherein chemo drugs damage the hair follicles and cause partial to total hair loss. Though the hair loss is temporary, it still has very significant psychological impact on patients particularly in women patients.The extent of hair loss varies from patient to patient and so does the re-growth time frame though 6-8 weeks after the treatment is the general average.

Radiation therapy also causes hair loss in the targetted area.


How does one deal with the hair loss and the resulting image / appearance problem?

A hairpiece or a wig is certainly an option for many patients but should be ordered before the hair loss starts and could be designed to match one's hair style and color.

Hats/ caps/scarves and other traditional or commonly used headgear is another category of recommended options.


Overall, I think that some side effects are inevitable even with the rapid progress that has been made by the researchers in minimizing the toxic side effects of various drugs and other treatment options. Above mentioned suggestions will certainly help to a certain extent.

Once again, Good Luck and all the very best.
"Every Life Matters"

Pradeep K Jaisingh
http://outcancer.blogspot.com/
www.internationaloncology.com

Side Effects of Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatments invariably lead to some side effects or the other and that is a very major concern area for most patients. The treatments ( both chemotherapy regimens as well as radiation therapy) basically aim to destroy fast growing and multuplying cancer cells but in the process they also end up affecting healthy cells as well.

Minimizing side effects of the chemotherapy drugs ( while increasing their efficacy againgst the tumours) is a constant challenge for the researchers and medical oncologists and there has been significant progress on both counts. Many of the new chemo drugs have much lower toxicity and also result in fewer side effects.
On the radiation oncology front also, there has been an ongoing pursuit of maximizing the radiation doses to the tumour and minimizing the radiation exposure to the surrounding healthy tissues. The current technology like IGRT ( Image guided radiation therapy) aims to precisely attain just that objective through on-board imaging facilities while delivering the radiation. Cyberknife is another invention that has great capabilities of delivering precise radiation even to brain tumours.

Side effects are quite different for different types of cancers and different patients receiving same treatments respond very differently and develop highly varying degree of side effects ranging from substantial to none whatsoever. Patient's overall health, their living habits and related factors also play a part.

It is, therefore, very important to discuss in detail with your oncologist regarding your specific situation and what possible side effects are expected and what are his / her recommendations for minimizing the same and also what possible precautions could be taken to manage the resulting side effects as some of them are inevitable.

Amongst the most common side effects are nausea, hair loss, weight gain or weight loss, lower blood counts, appetite loss, dry mouth, physical abilities deterioration/ stamina loss , swelling in the limbs and sexual dysfunction etc. Each one of these side effects can cause significant distress to the patients and affect their self-image leading to psychological and emotional issues impacting their and their family members' lives in a substantial manner.

In the next issue of my blog, I will cover how to manage some of these issues so that the overall impact on you and yours is minimized.

Good luck and God bless. My thoughts and prayers are always there for each one of you whether you are directly or indirectly affected by this dreaded disease.
Remember " Every Life Matters"

Pradeep K Jaisingh