what happens in chemotherapy and dialysis???

Question

what happens there??? i'm just curious... becoz i;m in junior high and i hear that but i don't know how that works..... does it hurt?? i'm so curious!!! :D

what does transfusion mean too?? does chemo hurt? I'M CURIOUS!!!! I REALLY AM!!!!

Answer 1

chemotherapy- in terms u will understand is giving medication to kill cancer cells, it can be given by mouth, through the vein or through the spine(intrathecal) now also through the intraperitoneal (abdominal cavity) chemotherapy doesnt hurt but it will if the the iv needle is not in the right place...also the discomfort comes because of the side effects of the medication used.
dialysis- it is the use of artificial kidney machine... the machine will function as the kidneys but outside the body... the machine uses a solution that helps purify the blood.....

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cells. Since cancer cells fit this description, it tend to kill them. Unfortunately, the cells lining the gut, and hair follicles also fit this description, which is why people undergoing chemo usually lose all their body hair and have ulcers in their mouth. Some chemotherapy is neurotoxic too, and can cause burning pain sensations in the hands and feet. Some chemo causes sloughing on the skin of the hands and feet (called hand-foot syndrome) Chemo can be painful, and it is not at all pleasant. At the very least, it makes you feel very tired all the time you are getting it, even when it's not causing any of the things i've described.
Dialysis is mechanical cleaning of the blood, replacing the function of kidneys. A needle or two is stuck in an artery and a vein, the blood is routed by the dialysis machine through a special filter called an ultrafiltrate, then returned to your body. It can take a couple hours per dialysis session and if you have no functioning kidneys, then you need to go three times a week or more to get rid of the metabolic poisons your body creates just by your living (urea, nitrogen compound, ammonias, etc.)
Some types of dialysis is performed by infusing special flluid, called dialysate, into the abdomen. This is called peritoneal dialysis, and it is used in people who are in mild renal failure, but haven't gotten to full blown kidney failure.

Answer 4

I cannot comment on the process of dialysis, but I do know about chemotherapy as my son has undergone chemo for over 18 months.

I think that you are just curious about how it feels and what it is like for the person. From what I understand chemotherapy reactions can vary from person to person. Some people experience mouth sores (my son never did), some people feel very nauseous, some people become constipated, some people have diarrehea, some feel very tired, some symptoms are flu like. Keep in mind also that there are many, many different kinds of chemotherapy treatments, as well as many combinations of chemotherapy. All these combinations and chemos can result in a variety of reactions from different people. It is not pleasant, but than again, cancer isn't pleasant either. So, if you need chemotherapy for a chance at survival . . than you just do it. That's what being 'strong' is all about and why people with cancer are among the most courageous I've ever met.

My son underwent chemotherapy as an inpatient. He had two different combinations of chemo that were 'cycled' every 21 days. In other words he was an inpatient for five days, came home waited for 21 days, and returned to the hospital for a three day 'cycle' of different chemos, and returned home to wait another 21 days. If he 'made' his blood counts than he started the 'cycle' all over again.

The first combination included doxirubicin, cytoxan, and vincrisitine over a five day cycle. He usually started feeling lousy the second day of chemo. We learned that there are various medications, hydration, and timing that helped stop and slow down the nausea. He was kept on around the clock anti-nausea medication consisting of Zophran, Ativan, and Benedryl. He lost his hair about three months into treatment, but he just chose to wear a baseball cap after that. It wasn't that big a deal for him. Not all chemotherapy results in hair loss and once the chemo treatment stops the hair grows back.

The second combination of drugs was Etoposide and Ifsomide. This was done by IV drip over a three day period in the hospital. He always felt pretty sick during this time period. But you must understand that the periods of being sick were in waves. The worst times were during and right after the chemo drip started and stopped. He also had times that he felt just fine and would just go about his normal business of the day. He played alot of video games and went on his laptop during this time. He also watched tv, movies, or visited with family and friends.

After awhile we knew exactly when he would not feel that well and just planned around it. It also helped to have an IV for hydration going before he started chemo.

Unfortunately he is not done with chemo and faces an even bigger challenge in a few weeks when he has a stem cell rescue. :-(

Answer 5

i don't know about chemo, but I have real experience with dyalysis... as a patient. My kidneys are close to destroyed. I have 2 tubes in my chest. 1 tube the blood leaves my body and gets filtered through an artificial kidney machine. all extra fluid, toxins, and all neutrition is cleaned out of the blood. it then gets pumped back in my body. The entire process takes 4 hours per day every other day. It's a horrible process that leaves you very miserable.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Um no but you get really sick cheam=docter just wanna make money!!!!!! , Lol herbal much better the cheamo is stupid but it helps tho but it makes u lose you hair and stuff