While chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, they can also damage normal cells. Damage to normal cells leads to side effects. Side effects after chemotherapy will depend mainly on the type of drug, the dose, how it’s administered, and your overall health. They can happen with any type of treatment, but not everyone has them or experiences them in the same manners.
In case you develop side effects after chemotherapy, you should keep in mind that they will go away on their own or can be treated, but sometimes they can last longer or become permanent. Many types of chemotherapy administered today are easier to tolerate than they were in the past. Supportive drugs are given to protect certain cells or grown organs. This lessens the harmful side effects of some chemotherapy drugs.
Having said that, the following are some of the side effects that people experience with other chemotherapy.
Low Blood Cell Counts
Chemotherapy is well known to reduce the production of blood cells made in the bone marrow. This, in turn, leads to low blood cell counts, which are the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Among the most common types of low blood cell counts you may have to contend with include a low white blood cell count, which increases the risk for infection, a low platelet count, which increases the risk for bruising and bleeding, and a low red blood cell count that causes fatigue, fullness, dizziness, shortness of breath, and malnourishment.
Low blood cell counts are a very serious side effect of chemotherapy. Your blood will be tested regularly during chemotherapy treatment to check your blood cell counts.
Fatigue
You can refer to fatigue as a general lack of energy, tiredness, tiredness, or exhaustion. A significant number of people tend to meet fatigue during cancer treatment, including chemotherapy. However, you should note that this is different from the tiredness a person usually feels at the end of the day.
Chemotherapy drugs can lead to fatigue as a result of anemia. Fatigue may also be related to toxic substances that are made in the body when cancer cells break down and die. The good news is that the fatigue will improve in a few days as your body starts to recover. For some people, fatigue lasts a long time after chemotherapy is finished.
Of course, there are other side effects after chemotherapy not mentioned in this quick blog post you should learn.
