How to manage the side effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer

  Chemotherapy is an important tool to control breast cancer lesions, especially to deal with systemic metastasis, and generally, breast cancer patients need to complete 6 cycles of chemotherapy. However, because chemotherapy drugs often cause many adverse reactions, many patients are unable to persist to the end. Unbeknownst to them, this is likely to be a foregone conclusion, which not only cannot control the disease, but even may cause great damage to the body. The chemotherapy reaction will be different for different body types and different chemotherapy drugs, so active and effective measures should be taken to control the side effects after chemotherapy for different situations. Nausea and vomiting: Nausea and vomiting are the most common gastrointestinal reactions to chemotherapy. In addition to overcoming the reflex vomiting caused by fear, some antiemetic drugs can be used according to the situation. The reaction to vomiting varies with different chemotherapy drugs. The most commonly used antiemetic drugs in clinical practice are two types of fast-acting antiemetics and long-acting antiemetics, which should be used first before chemotherapy and then 1-3 days after chemotherapy, while appropriate sedatives or hormones can be added. Diarrhea: Diarrhea is also a common reaction after chemotherapy, at which time the patient’s diet should be adjusted first. Patients should eat foods that are easy to digest and absorb and rich in nutrients, avoid eating raw, cold and foods that contain a lot of coarse fiber, and should also be treated with symptomatic medication. Poor appetite: Some patients often have a poor appetite and do not want to eat after chemotherapy. This is the time to choose some light, non-greasy food, and pay attention to eat less and more meals, you can use some drugs to help digestion. Hair loss: patients can wear an ice cap to deal with hair loss caused by chemotherapy, this special cap can keep the scalp temperature below 15 ℃, and can shrink the head blood vessels, thus reducing the damage to the scalp, hair. Skin reactions: Chemotherapy drugs can cause skin reactions under the action of light, making the skin darker, so too much sun exposure should be avoided during chemotherapy. Leukocyte and platelet reduction: Leukocyte and platelet reduction may occur within 7-14 days after chemotherapy, at this time, you should check the blood routine 1-2 times a week and observe the blood picture at any time. If leukocyte and platelet reduction is found, it can be controlled by drugs, and if necessary, blood or platelet transfusion can be used to solve the problem. Abnormal heart, liver and kidney function: Some chemotherapy drugs may cause heart side effects. Before and after chemotherapy, electrocardiogram or echocardiogram should be done to monitor the heart condition and use cardioprotective agents, and liver and kidney functions should be checked regularly to take measures according to the situation.  Some breast cancer patients get dizzy when they walk into the hospital and become uncomfortable when they see the vials of chemotherapy drugs, which is an adverse conditioned reflex caused by excessive nervousness about chemotherapy. In fact, for patients who need chemotherapy, their psychological state is very important. If one can overcome the fear, maintain a good state of mind, and accept chemotherapy positively, the adverse reactions caused by it may be much lessened.