Dealing with Side Effects of Cancer

Chemotherapy is used to kill the rapidly-growing cancer cells in the body. But these powerful drugs that destroy cancer can also wipe out the fast-dividing healthy cells. Especially those in the bone marrow, hair follicles, mouth, and digestive tract. This damage can lead to side effects like fatigue, nausea, hair loss, mouth sores, and loss of appetite.

The chemotherapy cost in Mumbai as well as the side effects you experience and their severity may vary depending on the drugs included in your regimen and how your body reacts to them, shares Dr. Suresh Advani, the best chemotherapy doctor in Mumbai.

       1. Take Medications for Nausea and Vomiting:

One of the most common and dreaded side-effects of chemo is vomiting. You can take anti-nausea medicines to tackle that problem. In addition to medicines, to avoid these symptoms you can try taking smaller meals instead of three large meals. Avoid eating greasy or spicy foods and try to keep your head elevated for an hour after the meals. Chemotherapy sessions can leave you with a metallic taste in your mouth so keeping a few hard candies of mints and lemon drops handy is always a good idea. Acupuncture and relaxation techniques like deep breathing and listening to music are also helpful.

       2. Minimize hair loss with a cooling cap:

Some chemo drugs kill the hair follicles resulting in thin and weak hair and in some cases complete fallout. You can talk to your team and consider wearing a cool cap during the treatment to lower the risk. The cooling cap tightens and constricts the hair follicles minimizing the amount of chemo drug that reaches the cells in the hair follicles. You can take certain measures on your level to take better care of your hair like switching to a wide-tooth comb instead of a brush and avoiding too much pulling or styling.

       3. Wash your hands often to avoid the risk of infections:

The bone marrow produces white blood cells that strengthen your immunity. Chemotherapy can suppress your immunity by killing the WBC’s. These cells are responsible for killing the virus or bacterias that may have entered your body. To reduce your risk of catching any viral infections it is better to wash your hands frequently. Ensure to properly clean them with soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizer before eating or touching your eyes, mouth, and ears. If you, however, notice any signs of viral-like fever, cough, diarrhea immediately consult your doctor for chemotherapy in Mumbai.

      4. Cure mouth sores with Ice Chips:

Chemo drugs can damage the mouth’s inner lining, giving small, sometimes painful sores in the mouth or on the lips. Teams that perform chemotherapy in Mumbai observed that patients who kept ice chips in their mouths during the session observed far fewer mouth-related problems than those who don’t. However, if you do develop sores you can rinse your mouth before and after meals and during bedtime with a solution of sea salt and baking soda 1 tsp each and some water. This will help to cure them and reduce the pain to some extent.

Fortunately, as the science of treating cancer has progressed, so has the science of managing and mitigating the unwanted side effects of chemotherapy. If the discomfort or pain gets unbearable talk to your doctor and takes some pain-relieving medications for instant relief.