Common side effects of chemotherapy and countermeasures

  Nausea and vomiting: After receiving chemotherapy, nausea is more obvious 1-2 days after treatment, and poor appetite may last for about 1 week. Try the following countermeasures: (1) adopt a “small and many meals” way of eating to reduce the load on the gastrointestinal tract; (2) avoid spicy, strong-tasting or greasy food; (3) drink soup or juice to replenish lost water; (4) rinse your mouth frequently to avoid hard food or nauseating smells; (5) try to relax. Wear comfortable clothes, do some fun activities to distract yourself, and try to rest as much as possible.  (2) Myelosuppressive chemotherapy kills malignant tumor cells and also destroys normal hematopoietic cells, resulting in a decrease in whole blood cells. This may cause anemia, fever, bleeding and other symptoms. The following countermeasures can be tried: (1) Rest quietly and avoid strenuous exercise; (2) Wash hands with running water or wipe with quick-drying no-rinse disinfectant, especially before and after meals and stools. Caregivers should wash their hands after handling vomit, sputum, and excreta; (3) Keep rooms clean and ventilated, preferably with mobile UV lamps for regular disinfection, avoid going to places with many people and dirty environments such as supermarkets, vegetable farms, chess rooms, and Internet cafes, and avoid contact with pets and flowering plants; (4) Avoid eating unclean, overnight, hard, and indigestible foods, and avoid overeating; (5) Keep the eyes, nasal cavity, mouth, genital and rectal area clean.  Hair loss: Hair loss usually occurs after several sessions of chemotherapy, you will feel that your hair is falling out more than usual, your hair is thinning and you can easily see your scalp. At the end of the course of treatment hair will start to grow again and the new hair will be softer and darker than before. Try the following countermeasures: (1) Cut your hair short or shave it before chemotherapy, this will make you feel in control of your hair and at the same time easy to handle; (2) Protect your scalp by wearing a hat or scarf when you go out and try not to expose your scalp to the sun or blow cold air; (3) It is recommended to use Silk satin pillow because of its low friction, not only comfortable and conducive to the protection of hair.