Common Side Effects of Lymphoma Treatments
The most commonly used treatments for lymphoma are chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the administration or application of drugs infused into the veins of the patients. Chemotherapy could also be taken in the form of oral pills. Radiotherapy uses high-energy light rays that are specially and strategically directed at the cancer cells targeted. This form of therapy could be delivered even over small body areas (involved field radiation) or over large areas (extended field radiation).
Such lymphoma treatments are quite toxic. They are designed to strategically kill targeted cancer cells. It is not impossible that during the process, several normal cells are also being damaged. Thus, there are inevitable side effects. However, rest assured that most side effects of lymphoma treatments are only temporary. Such unlikely effects are resolved soon following completion of the treatments. Here are some of the commonly identified side effects of treatments used to cure lymphoma.
Feeling sick. There are chemotherapy drugs that could certainly make you feel nauseous or sick. There could even be several episodes of vomiting especially when chemotherapy comes with radiotherapy for the abdomen. Nausea is often prevented through administration of anti-emetics drugs prior to every cycle of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy. These days, there are even medicines that help control nausea and vomiting.
Hair loss. Chemotherapy usually leads to excessive loss of hair. The extent of alopecia could depend on the drug used in the session. There are other effective drugs that could lead to this problem. However, there is no need to worry because hair is almost always beginning to grow back a few months after completion of the treatment. In some cases, it may take more than a year before hair growth restarts.
Falling blood count and infection. During the course of the radiotherapy or chemotherapy, your blood count could fall below optimal or normal levels. Needless to say, your white blood cells are the most affected. You know that when white cell counts dip, the body could develop several forms of infections, often accompanied by fever. Contact your doctor at once when fever appears. You might need special treatment to boost your white cell count and take care of the infection. Any drop in red blood cells could easily be remedied through blood transfusions.
Loss of appetite. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy could alter your sense of taste especially during the duration of the treatment. However, like in hair loss, the sense of taste may return to normal following completion of the lymphoma treatment. Meanwhile, you should strive to take even small meals and drink plenty of water and fluids more frequently. Remember the importance of maintaining your overall nutrition during the treatment.
Sore mouth and sore skin. Lymphoma treatments could lead to sore mouth several weeks after the start of the program. Thus, you could feel difficulty or even pain in drinking and swallowing food. In most cases, doctors recommend temporarily switching to mashed foods that are much easier to swallow. Radiotherapy could cause soreness on the skin. However, such a problem is of no concern as skin sores easily go away immediately after radiation treatment.
Tags: Abdomen, alopecia, Blood Count, blood transfusions, Body Areas, Cancer Cells, cancer;, Chemotherapy, Chemotherapy Drugs, Control Nausea, Emetics Drugs, Fever, food;, Hair Growth, Hair Loss, Help Control, High Energy, high-energy light rays, infection, infections, Light Rays, Loss Of Hair, Lymphoma, Lymphoma Treatment, lymphoma treatments, Medicines, Nausea, Nausea And Vomiting, pain;, Pills, Radiation, radiation treatment, Radiation Treatments, radiotherapy, Such lymphoma treatments, targeted cancer, Veins, vomiting —
Commit Before Taking Weight Loss Medicine
There are many different types of weight loss medicine available today. Some pills are hyped as medicine thats prescription strength and as effective as a prescription but you can order them off the television, online or through the mail. Dont. Unlike prescription medication, these pills arent regulated by the FDA.
Over-the-counter or mail order diet pills dont have claims that can be proven or backed up, because theres no evidence that has to be presented anywhere for them to make that claim. They can claim to make your hair grow, make you lose weight, make you taller or anything else, and get away with it.
At worse, this kind of weight loss medicine is dangerous and even deadly. Pills that expand and fill you up so youll eat less as well as pills designed to rev up your metabolism or keep you from being hungry have all made people ill. Deaths have been reported that were linked to each of those kinds of easily purchased pills. Dont risk your health on a bottle of snake oil that can potentially make you sick.
Any weight loss medicine you do decide to take should come directly from your doctor. And even then, you should ask lots of questions about the medication. Ask how youll feel on it, because sometimes there are side effects, especially in the beginning. Some medicines can make you feel slightly nauseous. You wont want to eat because of that, but thats no way to have to lose weight! Usually such side effects go away fairly quickly, but you should ask to make sure. You dont want any surprises after youre on the weight loss medicine.
An important factor in deciding to take medicine is to decide how committed you really are to losing weight. Since youre even thinking about pills, youve probably already tried many times with little progress. But you should think back and try to figure out why you didnt lose weight, or why you lost weight only to gain it back later. Be honest with yourself before you start taking the pills. Its best to be completely honest with yourself even before your doctor writes the prescription.
If you still feel weight loss medicine is the best thing for you, then you need to make a commitment right now to the other aspects of your weight loss plan. Youll want to commit to making cheating on your diet a very rare thing. Commit to not skipping that workout because youve had a long day.
Dont make the mistake so many other people make in thinking that prescription diet pills will work some kind of magic on them. The pills wont do all the work of losing weight for you. And they certainly cant undo anything you d wrong. Some diabetics eat all the sweets they want, figuring that since theyre on insulin, itll be ok. Dieters do the same thing. Dont make the mistake of thinking you can eat what you want while on weight loss medicine.
Tags: Deaths, Diet Pills, FDA;, Health, Healthy Diet, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Mail Order, Many Different Types, Medication, Medicine, Medicines, Metabolism, Prescription Medication, Prescription Strength, Snake Oil, Surprises, Taking The Pills, Television, Weight Gain, Weight Loss Medicine —