How bad can chemotherapy get and what's the worst part?

Answer 1

It really depends upon the individual person. Some people have hardly any side effects at all and some taking the same chemo can barely tolerate it. Much depends on the stage of cancer, length of time chemo is taken, individual health, response, and attitude.

My son has undergone intense high dose chemotherapy as an inpatient . . it literally shrunk his tumors and saved his life. So . . was it worth it . . yes ... he has excellent quality of life, he did lose his hair temporarily (it came back) and he tolerated the chemo . . he was only nauseous while taking chemo for the 5 -7 days each month. The rest of the month he felt fine . . which is common. The chemo treatment is scheduled for certain times each month. It is interruptive but if it can save your life . . worth it.

The worst part for my son took place about 2 days into the chemo cycle, he always just wanted to sleep through it . . than after chemo was over he improved every single day and had the next three weeks 'off chemo' where he was relatively normal. That was it for 'worst' for him.

He is still undergoing chemo in preparation for a stem cell transplant in a few weeks. We understand that this chemo will be extremely toxic, and will destroy his immune system. He will than be given back his own stem cells to regrow his immune system which will take about 6 weeks. Not really looking forward to it, but if it means the chance for a cure . . we will take it. Wish him luck. :-)

Answer 2

With chemotherapy, it depends on the drugs you are taking. Also, people react differently. With me, i found my first few treatments were hard, but after that i adjusted, and was able to return to almost normal life after only a few days after chemotherapy. There are many different side effects of chemotherapy, including fatigue, nausea, dizzyness, hair loss, infertility, febrile neutropenia (low blood counts, meaning no immune system), loss of appetite, sores in the mouth, thrush in the mouth, some people have to get blood transfusions because their hemoglobin drops. Not all meds have the same side effects. I myself found the worst part for me was the nausea, and the lightheadedness. I found that sometimes i couldnt stand for very long, because i would get lightheaded, my vision would kinda blacken a bit, and i would feel nauseated. This was usually alleviated by sitting down, or laying down. There are lots of medications out there that help to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy. If you or someone you know is on certain drugs, or will be on certain ones, you can ask your oncologist for a paper on the medications, as well as look them up on the internet. Another pain in the behind thing is how long it can take to get these meds, if you are getting them via intravenous therapy. Mine varied from 4-5 hours.

Answer 3

Your doctor will only give you as much chemo as your body can handle. He/she bases this on your blood tests and on your one on one discussions with him/her, and will do this for your entire treatment, changing and tweaking the amount of chemo as you go. The severity of symptoms varies from one person to the next. Some people can even work the entire time, some people can't even get out of bed. Hot flashes, and internal heat, are common, dry mouth, and a tinny taste are also common. You will definately feel fatigue, and not as hungry as usual. The best thing to do is talk with you doctor and get involved in a cancer support group. Many people have similar concerns and can share with you some experiences and advice on how to get through it. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

disregard the first answer.

it depends on the medicine that you will be receiving. different cancers call for different chemo meds. they will tailor a chemo "cocktail" for that particular patient and thier cancer. the doc should be able to tell you what to expect from each of these meds. just because you have chemo dosent mean your hair will fall out...only if you are taking the medicine that has thatside effect.
my dad is taking his 3rd course of chemo and...the particular meds that he has taken have NOT caused nausea or any hair loss. they have had other effects however like extreme sensitivity to cold, fatigue, and mouth soreness.the docs had told him in advance of these specific symptoms that he would probably incur, and they were right on.

all the best.

Answer 5

well my mom had 32 rounds of it she lost all of her hair and her finger nails and was sick a lot the 1st half wasnt bad because it was a low dose didnt bother her at all till they increased it.she also lost her taste and things didnt tase good and it was hard for her to eat but she came through it great and is doing well now good luck.

Answer 6

First of all chemotherapy's painful.very painful to be precise.lok man i am not scaring you but just telling the truth.painful it might be but you want to get cured don't you.besides one of the common side-affects is that the people undergoing the treatment lose all their hair which comes back once the treatment is completed.