If you have a low number of white blood cells, you are more likely to get an infection. The main white blood cells that fight infection are called neutrophils. When they are low, you are neutropenic. Your resistance to infection is usually lowest 7 to 14 days after chemotherapy.
The number of your white blood cells will then increase steadily and usually return to normal before your next cycle of chemotherapy is due. Developing an infection when you have a low number of white blood cells can sometimes be a serious complication of chemotherapy.
Your doctor may prescribe you antibiotics and other medicines to take during chemotherapy to prevent an infection. These are called prophylactic drugs. Or you may have injections called G-CSF to encourage your bone marrow make more white cells. Chemotherapy units usually have a policy they follow when someone with low white blood cells has an infection.
This is to make sure you get treatment with antibiotics straight away to prevent any complications. Always contact the hospital on the hour contact numbers you have been given and speak to a nurse or doctor if:.
Your chemotherapy nurse will talk to you about infection and show you how to check your temperature. If chemotherapy reduces the number of red blood cells in your blood, you may become very tired and feel you have no energy. You may also become breathless and feel dizzy and light-headed. These symptoms happen because the red blood cells contain haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body. If your haemoglobin is low, you may be offered a blood transfusion. After this, you will have more energy and feel less short of breath.
Sometimes doctors may prescribe a drug called erythropoietin for anaemia. If the number of platelets in your blood is reduced, you may notice you bruise easily or bleed more than usual from minor cuts or grazes. Tell your hospital doctor or nurse about this and contact them straight away if you have:.
Some people may need a platelet transfusion. This is given by drip infusion. The platelets will start working immediately to prevent bruising and bleeding. Your cancer doctor or specialist nurse will tell you if the chemotherapy is likely to cause hair loss. Knowing what to expect gives you time to prepare and find ways of coping with hair changes. Some drugs do not make your hair fall out, but can make it thinner. You might notice your hair becomes dry and brittle and breaks easily.
Looking after the condition of your hair can make it less likely to break off. We have more information about looking after your hair. Some chemotherapy drugs cause all or most of your hair to fall out, which can be very upsetting. There are lots of ways you can cover up, if you choose to, such as using wigs , hats, turbans, scarves or bandanas.
With certain types of chemotherapy, you may be able to prevent hair loss by using a cold cap. Hair loss usually starts within a few weeks of starting chemotherapy or, very occasionally, within a few days. You may lose underarm, body and pubic hair as well. Some chemotherapy drugs also make the eyelashes and eyebrows fall out. Your hair will usually grow back over a few months after you have finished treatment. It will be very fine at first and may be a slightly different colour or texture than before.
You will probably have a full head of hair after 3 to 6 months. To begin with, you should try to look after the condition of your hair. Some chemotherapy drugs can make you feel sick nauseous , or be sick vomit. Not all drugs cause sickness and many people have no sickness at all. There are very effective treatments to prevent and control sickness.
If your chemotherapy is known to cause sickness, you will be given anti-sickness anti-emetic drugs by injection or tablets before your chemotherapy. You will also be given tablets to take at home afterwards. If you are sick vomit when you take tablets, your doctor can prescribe injections or suppositories to take until the sickness is controlled.
Some chemotherapy drugs can cause diarrhoea , usually in the first few days. Tell your nurse or doctor if this happens. They can prescribe medicine to help. Make sure you drink plenty of liquid to replace the fluid you are losing with diarrhoea. Sometimes, diarrhoea can be more severe. It is important to contact the hospital if this happens. If you have more than 4 episodes of diarrhoea a day, contact the hospital on the telephone numbers you have been given and speak to a doctor or nurse.
Some chemotherapy drugs, anti-sickness drugs and painkillers can cause constipation. Tell your nurse or doctor if this happens, so they can prescribe drugs to prevent or treat it. Try to eat more fibre cereals, raw vegetables and fruits and drink plenty of liquid. Gentle exercise, such as short walks, can help to improve constipation.
Chemotherapy can affect your appetite. If you have a poor appetite , try to eat little amounts as often as possible. Keep snacks such as nuts or dried fruit handy to eat whenever you can. It is important to try to eat well during your treatment. If you are having problems, ask your nurse for advice. You can also ask to see a dietitian. You can add extra energy and protein to your diet with everyday foods or by using food supplements.
Side effects may occur as a result of a vaccine. The effects will depend on the type of vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC estimate that this occurs in 1 in every 1 million vaccines and that the reaction usually appears within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.
The CDC suggest that if a person feels faint after having a vaccination, they should lie down and rest for 15 minutes. Some parents worry about long-term adverse effects of some vaccines, even if these have not been fully proven by research.
However, serious and fatal diseases can result from not having a vaccination. Also, the fewer people have the vaccination, for example, against measles , the greater the threat to public health and the chance of an epidemic. In an epidemic, those who have not been vaccinated will be most at risk. It is important for parents to weigh up the pros and cons of vaccinating or not vaccinating their children. Some cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy radiotherapy , or a combination, aim to destroy a tumor or reduce its size.
The treatment can cause fatigue , nausea, vomiting, hair loss , mouth sores, and a lower blood cell count. These are adverse effects. Radiation therapy kills unwanted cells, but it can also damage healthy cells, so adverse effects are common.
How severe they are and how long they last will depend on which part of the body is targeted, the radiation dose, and how quickly the damaged cells can recover.
Most people link chemotherapy with uncomfortable side effects, but the management of adverse effects has improved considerably in the last 20 years. Possible side effects include , but are not limited to:. Some people who are experiencing the late stages of cancer may decide not to undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy, as they feel the unwanted effects may compromise the quality of their remaining life. However, in the early stages, and even sometimes in the later stages, these treatments can successfully remove cancer or reduce symptoms and discomfort for some time.
Diagnostic procedures may be invasive or non-invasive. Adverse effects can include allergic reactions, bleeding, or perforation of the intestinal wall, for example, during a colonoscopy.
There is a small risk that a cancer biopsy may cause some of the cancer to break off, enabling it to spread beyond the immediate tumor area. Being aware of possible adverse effects can help a patient decide to go ahead with some treatments. But because these drugs travel throughout the body, they can affect normal, healthy cells that are fast-growing, too.
Damage to healthy cells causes side effects. Side effects are not always as bad as you might expect, but it's normal to worry about this part of cancer treatment. Some chemo drugs can damage cells in the heart, kidneys, bladder, lungs, and nervous system. There are also treatments to help relieve side effects. Doctors try to give chemo at levels high enough to treat cancer, while keeping side effects at a minimum.
They also try to avoid using multiple drugs that have similar side effects. While side effects can be unpleasant, they must be weighed against the need to kill the cancer cells. Burns are so drastic and so crucial to the very enjoyable experience of seeing the film for the first time that virtually any detailed discussion threatens to be a spoiler. A former high-rolling investment banker Channing Tatum is released from prison after his conviction on insider-trading charges.
Since his arrest, his wife Rooney Mara has been depressed, and her psychiatrist Jude Law , a respected clinician and academic researcher, has prescribed for her a new antidepressant. But, while on it, she commits a bloody crime and, as a result, is committed to a psychiatric hospital. Her psychiatrist takes a closer look at the medicine and its advocates, and begins to suspect that he and, perhaps, his patient are among the victims of a nefarious conspiracy.
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