Ellen Campbell -Grizzle
CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY has been helping people to survive since the early 1950s. Many of these drugs are made to destroy fast growing cells within the body. However, certain normal growing cells also multiply quickly and may be affected. The fast growing, normal cells most likely to be affected are blood cells forming in the bone marrow, in the digestive tract, reproductive
system and hair follicles.
Unwanted effects related to blood clotting, skin, nails, mouth and throat, infections, depression, diarrhoea and constipation, sexuality can present challenges to patients on chemotherapy. If you are taking chemotherapy, the kinds of side effects you have and how severe they are, depend on the type and dose of medicine you get and how your body reacts. The number one question asked about cancer chemotherapy is, "How long will the adverse effects last?" The time it takes to get over side effects depends on many things, including your overall health and the kind of chemotherapy you have been taking. Normal cells usually recover when chemotherapy is over, so most side effects gradually go away as healthy cells begin to grow normally. Here are some questions to ask your health care providers about cancer chemotherapy:
How long will I be getting chemotherapy?
How will we know that it is working?
What are the usual side effects of the treatment?
Is there a way to make side effects less severe?
Will side effects be permanent?
How will chemotherapy affect my chances of cure or long term survival?
Will I be able to work or go to school during treatment?
What can I do to prepare for chemotherapy?
Always balance your concerns about chemotherapy against the immediate threat of your cancer!
FATIGUE AND PAIN
Fatigue is a common problem reported by many patients on chemotherapy. Such changes in energy level should be reported to your physician. Experts recommend that you:
Plan your day so that you have time for short naps or breaks.
Save your energy for the most important things.
Try easier or shorter versions of activities you enjoy.
Try activities such as meditation, prayer and yoga.
Eat as well as you can and drink plenty of fluids. Eat small amounts at a time, if that is helpful.
Join a support group. Sharing your feelings with others can ease the burden.
Limit the amount of caffeine and alcohol you drink.
Allow others to do some things for you that you would usually do.
Keep a diary of how you feel each day. This will help you plan your daily activities.
Pain caused by chemotherapy can be effectively managed. Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist where you feel pain, what it feels like, how long it lasts, what eases it or makes it worse. Clearly communicate your level of pain. It helps to devise your own pain scale using numbers from 0 to five or even 0 to 100. Be sure to let others know what pain scale you are using and use the same scale each time, for example, "My pain is 8 on a scale of 0 to 10."
PROGRESS AND HOPE
Early detection is still the best strategy to prevent the need for aggressive chemotherapy. However, great progress has been made in preventing and treating some of chemotherapy's common as well as rare serious side effects. There are many new drugs emerging with reduced side effect profiles. Get advice about the things that you can do to prevent or relieve adverse effects of your chemotherapy.
Ellen Campbell-Grizzle, president, Caribbean Association of Pharmacists; director, information and research, National Council on Drug Abuse; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
