Five Side Effects of Chemotherapy and How to Deal with them

Chemotherapy side effects

Chemotherapy affects the cells that grow fast in your body like those that line the intestines and mouth. In addition, it also affects your hair follicles and bone marrow cells. Chemotherapy mainly targets cancer by shrinking and curing it. This is how it prevents the spread of cancer and relieves its symptoms.

5 Side Effects of Chemotherapy

  • Vomiting and nausea
  • Changes in taste
  • Loss of hair
  • Fatigue
  • Mouth sores

How to deal with the Side Effects of Chemotherapy

  • You can ease your vomiting and nausea by changing the patterns of eating. For instance, you can eat 5 to 6 small meals instead of 3 large meals. Drinking apple juice, flat ginger, and apple juice after and before an hour your meals will be helpful.
  • After chemotherapy, you may develop certain changes in your taste like in the case of red meat. In this case, you can try dairy products, fish of mild flavor, and poultry. If you get a metallic taste from different kinds of foods, you can eat these foods with the help of plastic utensils. You can even use sweet marinades for enhancing the flavor of the main dish.
  • For loss of hair, use a brush that comes with soft bristles. Do not use hair products that have harsh chemicals like permanents and hair dyes. Cutting the hair up will further give it a fuller and thicker look.
  • You can overcome fatigue by visiting the gym and exercising. At the same time, you can even try going out for a walk. This will lower your feeling of tiredness.
  • If you want to avoid getting mouth sores after chemotherapy, then you can suck on ice chips.

Conclusion

In case you need to know what else you have to do for preventing the side effects of chemotherapy, you can contact Dr. Ashish Pokharkar, Pune.