Chemotherapy side effects

After your cancer treatment, you're eager to return to good health as a cancer survivor. And after your initial recovery, there are ways to improve your long-term health so that you can enjoy the years ahead. The recommendations for cancer survivors are no different from those for anyone who wants improved health: Exercise, eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, get good sleep, reduce stress, avoid tobacco and limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Regular exercise increases your sense of well-being after cancer treatment and can make your recovery faster. Cancer survivors who exercise may experience: • Increased strength and endurance • Fewer symptoms of depression • Less anxiety • Reduced fatigue • Improved mood • Higher self-esteem • Less pain • Improved sleep • Lower risk of the cancer coming back • A sense of well-being There are many other benefits of exercise. It's good for your heart, lungs and other body systems. For this reason, cancer survivors are encouraged to exercise on a regular basis. Adding physical activity to your daily routine doesn't take a lot of extra work. Focus on small steps to make your life more active. Take the stairs more often. Park farther from your destination and walk the rest of the way. Check with your health care provider before you begin any exercise program. You may look for a personal trainer or other fitness specialist to help you get started. With your provider's approval, start slowly and work your way up. The American C...

Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs that kill rapidly dividing cancer cells to prevent them from growing and making more cells. Many chemotherapy drugs have adverse effects that can be severe. However, if a doctor recommends a person have chemotherapy, this usually means that the benefits are likely to outweigh any adverse effects. An individual will often undergo chemotherapy as part of an overall treatment plan, which may also include surgery and Talking with a doctor will help a person understand what to expect from chemotherapy. Read on to find out more about chemotherapy and what it involves. Share on Pinterest Photo editing by Stephen Kelly; Glasshouse Images/ Getty Images A healthy body constantly replaces cells through a process of dividing, growing, and dying. When cancer occurs, cells reproduce uncontrollably and do not die when they should. As a part of the body produces more and more of these abnormal cells, they start to occupy the space that useful cells previously took up. Chemotherapy drugs interfere with a cancer cell’s ability to divide and reproduce. Drugs vary in how they work. Different drugs attack cancer cells at different phases in the cell life cycle. Treatment can attack rapidly dividing cells throughout the body or only specific substances or parts of cancer cells. In a chemotherapy treatment, a doctor may give a person a single drug or a combination of drugs at a time. Chemotherapy is an invasive treatment that can have severe adverse ef...