Is chemotherapy painful

It is normal to feel worried or even overwhelmed when you learn that you will need radiation therapy. However, learning more about this type of cancer treatment may help you feel more prepared and comfortable. This article will help you prepare for your first treatment. It will cover who is on your radiation therapy team and what will happen before, during, and after your radiation therapy treatment. Learn more about the Who is on my radiation therapy team? A highly trained medical team specialized in giving radiation therapy will work together to provide you with the best possible care. This team may include the following professionals: Radiation oncologist. This type of doctor specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist oversees radiation therapy treatments. They work closely with other team members to develop the treatment plan. Radiation oncology advanced practitioners. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are also called advanced practitioners. This type of provider meets with patients and will collaborate with the radiation oncology team, including a supervising radiation oncologist. Radiation oncology nurse. This type of nurse specializes in caring for people receiving radiation therapy. A radiation oncology nurse plays many roles in your treatment, including: • Answering questions about treatment • Monitoring your health during treatment • Helping you manage side effects of treatment Medical radiation physicist. This prof...

Here, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) 1. How does chemotherapy sometimes cause peripheral neuropathy? Chemotherapy treatments cause peripheral neuropathy by damaging the nerves in the extremities — the fingers, hands, arms, feet, and legs. The term “peripheral” refers to nerves that are not part of the brain or spinal cord. Certain classes of chemotherapy drugs are more likely to cause nerve damage than others. The most harmful are the taxanes, the alkaloids, and platinum-based drugs. Back to top 3. What are the symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy? The main symptoms are pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness. Many of my patients describe feeling “pins and needles” or a burning sensation. Patients who experience numbness in their hands and fingers may have difficulty buttoning buttons, typing on a computer, or holding a pen or fork. Those with numbness in their legs and feet may have difficulty walking, especially on stairs or uneven surfaces. Weakness occurs when the nerves that carry information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscle fibers are damaged. Having a problem with balance is another common symptom. This occurs because the brain is not getting normal sensory signals from the feet and legs, which may change the way the person walks (to adjust to loss of feeling) or may reduce one’s ability to sense location or movement (also known as proprioception). All these symptoms can make it difficult to carry out basic everyday tasks. ...

Your cancer treatment is over, but the effects of treatment might continue. The treatments that may have saved your life may also cause side effects going forward. As more people live longer after treatment, more is being found out about late side effects. Find out all you can about late effects of cancer treatment. Use this information to help manage your health. Treatment Late effects Chemotherapy • Dental problems • Early menopause • Hearing loss • Heart problems • Increased risk of other cancers • Infertility • Loss of taste • Lung disease • Nerve damage • Memory issues • Osteoporosis • Problems with digestion • Reduced lung capacity Radiation therapy • Cavities and tooth decay • Early menopause • Heart and vascular problems • Hypothyroidism • Increased risk of other cancers • Increased risk of stroke • Infertility • Intestinal problems • Lung disease • Lymphedema • Memory issues • Osteoporosis Surgery • Lymphedema Hormone therapy • Blood clots • Hot flashes • Increased risk of other cancers • Menopausal symptoms • Osteoporosis • Sexual side effects Immunotherapy • Joint or muscle problems Targeted therapy • Blood clots • Heart and vascular problems Not everyone who has cancer treatment gets each of the late effects. Some people might not have any late effects. Different chemotherapy medicines cause different late effects. So if you didn't receive the chemotherapy medicines that can cause infertility, you aren't believed to be at risk of that late effect. Late effects ...

Medical professionals typically administer chemotherapy medications in cycles. The duration of each cycle depends on several factors, such as the types of chemotherapy drugs used, the type of cancer a person has, and its response to the medication. Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that involves administering medications to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. This article outlines some common types of chemotherapy, and provides information on the duration of chemotherapy treatment and cycles. We also outline some of the different methods for administering chemotherapy medications and possible side effects. Share on Pinterest Isaac Lane Koval/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images For chemotherapy to start working, the medications must first reach the cancerous cells. Scientists do not know exactly how long this process can take. Some forms of chemotherapy may be faster-acting than others. For example, a person must ingest and digest oral chemotherapy medications before the drugs can enter the bloodstream. By contrast, a person can rub topical chemotherapy medications directly onto cancerous cells. Chemotherapy often involves several sessions or “cyles” of treatment. A cycle of chemotherapy is the amount of time that elapses between the start of one round of chemotherapy to the start of the next. A single course of chemotherapy will typically involve A doctor will decide the length and structure of a person’s chemotherapy cycles. Since chemotherapy drugs can harm healthy cells, ...

Many people ask, "Does cancer hurt?" The answer is not simple. There are many different types of cancer pain, and some people with cancer will have a lot of pain, whereas others experience minimal pain. Cancer causes pain in different ways, and several factors can affect the degree of pain. It's helpful to communicate with your healthcare provider about your pain so that you can get effective pain relief with the fewest side effects. KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images What Determines Cancer Pain Levels When cancer is in the early stages, and especially those cancers that are detected on screening exams, pain is very uncommon. Most people with advanced cancer, however, experience moderate to severe pain at some point in their journey. • Tumor growth: Cancer can cause pain by compressing organs and nerves adjacent to the tumor. • Metastases: Metastasis (spread) of cancers to other regions of the body can cause pain. • Bone metastases: The spread of cancer to bones can be very painful. Pain from bone metastases is often treated with radiation or bone-modifying medications. • Substances secreted by the tumor: Some cancers secrete proteins that lead to pain.This includes some • Neuropathic pain: Neuropathic (nerve) pain is usually severe and may come from nerve damage from chemotherapy or tumors putting pressure on nerves. Describing Cancer Pain Symptoms Healthcare providers use several terms to describe cancer-associated pain. Learning about these descriptions, as well as ho...

Table of Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Why it happens: Chemotherapy may cause painful side effects like burning, numbness and tingling or shooting pains in your hands and feet, as well as mouth sores, headaches, muscle and stomach pain. Pain can be caused by the cancer itself or by the chemo. How much painful is chemotherapy? Does chemotherapy hurt? IV chemotherapy should not cause any pain while being administered. If you experience pain, contact the nurse taking care of you to check your IV line. An exception would be if there is a leak and the drug gets into surrounding tissues. Is chemotherapy very painful? Chemotherapy is a drug-based treatment for cancer. It’s commonly administered intravenously, although some chemotherapy drugs are injected or taken orally. While this treatment may cause discomfort, it isn’t typically painful. Pain caused by nerve damage is a potential short-term effect of chemotherapy. What does getting chemo feel like? Feeling tired and lacking energy. Feeling tired and lacking energy (fatigue) is the most common side effect of chemotherapy. Fatigue can include feeling exhausted, drowsy, confused or impatient. You may have a heavy feeling in your limbs, get worn out quickly, or find it difficult to do daily activities. Recent post: How Soon After A Cancer Diagnosis Do You Start Treatment? Why does chemotherapy hurt so much? Chemotherapy drugs target rapidly-growing cancer cells. But they also target the healthy, fast-growing cel...