5/10/11

Realistically speaking, how much pain is some one in when radiation/chemo is needed? How bad is treatment?


Realistically speaking, how much pain is some one in when radiation/chemo is needed? How bad is treatment?
A friend was recently diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia but said that hopefully it'll be in a chronic stage. I'm not sure on details right now, he and his wife are dealing themselves. Which is understandable. Myself and my friend were talking and he's worried about treatment. He has small children and is worried they'll see him in pain, or that he won't be as able to be with them as much. Has anyone been through this? I know there are different treatments for different stages, but worst case scenario, how bad is this going to be for him?

- julie d
It all depends on what kind of treatment he is getting. My dad had lung cancer and they only treated it with radiation because they found it early. He complained of being tired and nauseated somewhat but it was not severe. He also had some redness and slight pain on the skin where they did it. They cured the cancer, but he later died from an unrelated disease.

I have known several people with different types of cancer where they used chemo. They use different kinds of drugs depending on the type of cancer and how aggressive it is. One lady i knew had late stage liver cancer...they didn't think she would live...and her chemo treatment almost killed her. She was VERY sick and tired, lost all her hair and had blisters in her mouth and a lot of pain from that.

I have also known two people who had non-Hodgkins lymphoma where it was caught in the early stages. One lady had a port inserted into her chest, as that was where the tumor was located. She received treatments and was still coming to work every day and didn't seem too sick. The other patient I knew was a man who also had lymphoma and his was late stage, so his treatment was a lot worse and took longer. But he is ok now and very grateful.

So my conclusion from all of these cases of people I knew that had it is, that it all depends on what kind of cancer it is, how early they diagnose it, and how strong the chemo or radiation is.

Hope this is helpful to you.

- Dave
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments will vary from person to person. What is one consideration is the age of the patient and their general health. The older the patient the more difficult the treatments could be for them.

My wife went though 15 treatments of two chemotherapy drugs; Adriamycin and Cytoxin. Adriamycin is considered harder on the system and my wife did pretty good on it. All these drugs have a "cumulative" effect. They build on each other and towards the end she had more difficult time with the symptoms. They took the form of mouth sores, constipation, watery eyes, and her nails came loose.

She never experienced any type of nausea. Her red blood cells were lower so she became fatigued. Now, she is on her second treatment of Taxol. Taxol is known to be not as hard as Adriamycin, but is known to do more damage to nerve endings and cause muscle aches and pains. We have been told by her oncologist to let her know if the treatments are getting hard on her.

What is helping us through all phases of her treatments fighting cancer is the use of a naturopathic doctor. He advises her on which supplements to take so that her body is more able to fight the symptoms of what her body is experiencing as she goes though her battle with cancer. What he prescribes does not conflict what her oncologist is prescribing for her.

Your friend has valid concerns. He needs to let his oncologist be aware of any discomforts he experiences. usually some changes could be made to give him more comfort. Again, the original condition of the patient is of importance, so if he is in good health, then it would be easier for him than someone else who is not in good health.

All chemotherapy drugs affect each person differently. My wife is doing pretty good with her chemotherapy. I understand radiation could make you fatigued. Again, her naturopathic doctor says he has something to combat the effects of the radiation on her body when we come to that phase of her treatment.

Good luck to your friend and to yourself. I see you are already helping him by gathering information. Information is a good tool to have fighting cancer.

- april
While I was getting my treatments for a brain tumor, I was in the waiting room with several people getting treatments, mostly men. They all seemed to be doing well, in no pain, weren't running to the toilet to throw up. One man had hodgkin's; one had prostate and an older lady had a brain tumor from metastasizing breast cancer. Taking a good anti nausea med does wonders. He needs to get plenty of rest also. His tastebuds will change; that's almost the worst part!

- bloop_bloop4
First, Chemo and Radiation affect each and every person differently, but I will say that I'm sorry, it WILL be painful. So, here's a lowdown on what most likely will happen when he starts treatment:
~ His hair will fall out.
~He most likely will vomit back up everything he eats
~He won't be up to doing much aside from sleeping and other quiet stuff.
~ If you can, find drugs to lessen the nauseous effects of his treatment, such as:
Aprepitant (Emend)
Dolasetron (Anzemet)
Ondanestron (Zofran)
~Anemia
~Blood Clot issues

I'll Be praying for you, and remember to leave him alone when he wants to be alone, because relaxation is part of the healing process.

<3 solo.chika@gmail.com

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