Q: My mother is going to start chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her doctor is very good, and has her convinced that there is no way she will die from this cancer, so she feels good about that. However, she is worried about the side effects of the chemotherapy, and keeping up with her busy life. Between work, and my brothers and sisters, she is busy. We told her we would help, but she wants to continue to do everything she usually does, if possible. What should we tell her?
A: Your mother sounds like a very strong woman. You are doing the right thing. Support her, and tell her you can help. The treatments for the side effects of chemotherapy have become very specialized, and we are now very good at eliminating most of the side effects. The most common are nausea and fatigue (the feeling of being tired throughout the day). We now have great medications that can mitigate the nausea, and it is very infrequent that chemo patients even vomit and longer. As far as the fatigue, she needs to eat a health diet, and get plenty of sleep. She will be fine.
To learn more about chemotherapy, watch this video on VideoMD.com.
Tweet This Post