1.What do I need to pay attention to in my diet during chemotherapy?
Due to the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, it can cause stomatitis, damage the sense of taste, etc. Therefore, it is appropriate to eat light and easily digestible food, and avoid too stimulating and greasy food. Small and frequent meals, and according to personal taste, pay attention to adjust the color, aroma and taste of food. Foods with acidity are very effective against loss of appetite, but if you have stomatitis, then you should eat less acidic foods, which are too irritating. Don’t get too hung up on what to eat, a balanced diet is most important!
2.Why should I drink more water during chemotherapy?
After chemotherapy drugs enter the body, the drugs and their metabolites have to be excreted through the kidneys. If the drug can not be excreted in time, in the kidneys and bladder stay too long, it will produce strong toxic side effects. Therefore, it is important to drink more water during chemotherapy to reduce the damage of the drug to the kidneys.
In addition, the following points should be noted.
(1) Venous blood sampling before chemotherapy to understand the kidney function;
(2) Drink more water during chemotherapy to keep the urine volume at 2000-3000 ml/day.
(3) If the patient is treated with cisplatin, the doctor will give you a lot of fluids to protect the kidneys;
(4) Record the daily urine volume and observe the color of the urine if necessary.
3.How often do I need to take blood tests during chemotherapy?
(1) From the 7th to 14th day after chemotherapy and within 3 days before chemotherapy, you need to check your blood routine to observe the condition of white blood cells and platelets. If the white blood cells are lower than 3.0*109/L, you must follow the doctor’s prescription for subcutaneous injection of leukostatic drugs. For patients with significant changes in blood count during chemotherapy, the blood count should be closely monitored according to the doctor’s orders. If the white blood cell drops very much, you must go to the emergency room in time.
(2) Each course of chemotherapy should be reviewed once for changes in liver and kidney function. Patients with abnormal liver and kidney function underlying disease need to be closely observed. If the liver function is higher than the upper limit of the normal range, liver-protective drugs should be given as prescribed by the doctor, and the next chemotherapy should be administered only after the liver function is normal.
(3) For patients with low white blood cells requiring leukocyte-raising injection therapy after chemotherapy, the blood routine should be reviewed 48 hours after leukocyte-raising therapy. Based on the routine blood results, decide whether to continue the treatment.
(4) For patients with a more pronounced decrease in white blood cells, self-check the body temperature daily, and if the body temperature is high, seek prompt medical attention and protective isolation.
4.Is fever serious during chemotherapy?
During chemotherapy, if you have a fever, you should seek medical attention promptly and review blood tests to determine if the fever is due to bone marrow suppression caused by chemotherapy. If the infection is caused by lowered white blood cells, it can be treated with drugs to raise white blood cells. It must be treated in time, once the serious infection will be life-threatening.
5.What should I do if I have nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy?
(1) Frequent small amounts of water, but try not to drink water within an hour before and after meals, both meals and water should be slow, small amounts of meals, rest at least 2 hours after meals, preferably not lying down.
(2) During chemotherapy, adopt more light diet and reduce the consumption of fatty and fried foods.
(3) Avoid taking cold and hot foods at the same time. Try to take ginger tablets or lozenges by mouth to reduce the appearance of nausea.
(4) Appropriate physical activity, relaxation, try to imagine, listen to music, watch movies, communicate with others and other ways to distract and relax.
(5) Keep the room scenario neat and tidy, try to avoid disagreeable odors, and wear loose clothing.
6.What should I do if I have diarrhea in chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy drugs affect the normal metabolism of small intestinal cells, causing intestinal dysfunction, resulting in diarrhea. When diarrhea occurs, the following points should be noted.
(1) Drink more water, preferably juice drinks, to replenish the potassium lost in the body. You can also eat foods rich in potassium, such as bananas, oranges, potatoes, peaches, etc., which can reduce the weakness after diarrhea.
(2) Use non-stimulating and less fiber diet. When diarrhea is severe, you can eat fluids under the guidance of a doctor, and after the symptoms are relieved, you can gradually increase fiber foods.
(3) Do not consume milk and soy products to prevent abdominal distension.
(4) Eat small and frequent meals to facilitate the return of intestinal function.
(5) Pay attention to the number and color of stools. If you find that the stools are different from before, keep the specimens for examination.
(6) Intravenous replenishment of lost water and nutrition is needed when diarrhea is severe.