7 facts about chemotherapy
Introduction
Usage of drugs to kill cancerous cells is what we call chemotherapy. There can be no simpler definition than this one, and unfortunately, that is all some of us know about chemotherapy. You can understand why misconceptions and myths have enshrouded the phenomenon that chemotherapy is. People just don’t read enough! But in this discussion, we talk about some of the lesser-known facts about chemotherapy that we can bet our life not all of you are aware of. This is not just another discussion about chemotherapeutic drugs, this is much more than that! You are going to learn a lot of 7 facts about chemotherapy if you stick with us till the very end!
1- You can get chemo at home as well!
Most patients think that the only way to get chemotherapy is by lying in a hospital bed as the IV drugs do their thing. Wrong. You can get chemotherapy at your home as well. Surprised much? Let us tell you that you can get chemotherapy at your doctor’s clinic as well as at any outpatient wing. The point in telling you all that? You don’t necessarily have to stay overnight at a hospital for your chemo. However, several factors decide this. Which type of cancer is the patient suffering from? Is it the patient’s first-ever chemo? Subjective goals also influence the location, but take the silver lining, will you? Chemo is possible at home!
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2- It is not always in IV!
Another misconception that is associated with chemotherapy is that it is always via the intravenous route. Again, a wrong assumption, since the scope of chemotherapy is much more than just an IV drug. Will it surprise you very much that chemotherapy can be carried out by rubbing a cream or gel on your skin? And that is not all! You can even pop pills or drink up liquids as well, which are chemo drugs by the way! Medicine has progressed so much that you can be administered chemotherapeutic drugs via an infusion port as well. These are the devices that are put under your skin, which are connected to veins. But of course, a patient needs the doctor’s opinion and approval before he or she can try any of these routes.
3- You can work during chemo and we are not fibbing!
An interesting point, which stuns most people! Admittedly, chemotherapy is an intensive process, however, it is not always an intensive process. In cases where there is some sort of breathing space for a patent, one can be clever enough to devise a schedule of sorts. How about having chemo on weekends only? You can work for the rest of the week. However, we must advise you not to overexert, since it can do more damage than good. But again, the good thing to know is that one can chemo and work simultaneously!
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4- The bit about side-effects you don’t know!
We are sure that you must have read tons of articles about 7 facts about chemotherapy since you are looking for the facts that will blow your mind! It logically follows that you are aware of the most common side effects of the process as well. However, what you might not have read about these side effects is that they can vary! For example, not everyone undergoing chemotherapy is likely to suffer from hair loss. Also, not everyone who has had a whiff of chemo drugs is bitter and moody all the time. It varies from person to person!
5- Diet can help big time during chemo!
By diet, we don’t mean the junk that you have been eating all your life. No, we refer to the healthy diet that you need to switch immediately if you are undergoing a chemotherapy session. The first thing that you need to do is to amplify the protein content in your diet. And you can do that by adding more chicken and eggs for starters. Then, more of those soups that you have been avoiding all your life if you will please. In case the taste of these solid and liquid proteinaceous food items doesn’t appeal to you, you can add something like milkshakes or yogurt to sweeten up your life just a wee bit! The main goal behind devising a new diet plan should be to find a way that keeps you energized all day long!
6- It is not for just cancers!
This is going to be wild but we got to share this with you anyway! Chemotherapy is not just for cancer treatment. Yes, we know the image that pops up in your mind every time you hear the word is that of a cancer patient lying on the bed as he stares at the IV drip helplessly. But that is not all chemo is about. In fact, this treatment is used in tackling other immune system disorders as well. An example of such a condition is rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, chemotherapies are also a must in case you are undergoing a bone marrow transplant soon.
7-Why visiting the dentist is important!
Weird but the patient has to visit the dentist! And it makes sense too! You might be harbouring unknown bacteria inside your oral cavity that could complicate the process. Washing hands all the time is also important for the patient, although we get that is a given normal post-global COVID-19 pandemic! In case you are wondering about the rationale behind these steps, let us mention it here that chemo kills normal immune cells as well. As a result, you are more prone to bacteria and viruses, which can cause all sorts of infections and inflammations!
Conclusion -7 facts about chemotherapy
Well, folks that would be all from this discussion. We wish we could go on a bit more, but the discussion is bound by limitations of time and space. There are plenty of myths that still need debunking, but we got to go! On an optimistic note that you learned something new from this discussion, we bid you farewell!
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