Cancer fatigue may be caused by many factors, and the factors that contribute to your cancer fatigue may be completely different from those of someone else.
Breast cancer treatment often causes women to enter menopause prematurely. The change in hormone levels and estrogen depletion caused by stopping hormone replacement therapy or undergoing chemotherapy or hormonal therapy can trigger side effects commonly associated with menopause.
Having regular bowel movements during chemo is important to help detox the body of chemotherapy medications. In doing so, other side effects of chemo can be reduced. Backed-up bowels can also contribute to or worsen nausea and vomiting.
Every year more than 650,000 cancer patients in the United States receive chemotherapy. During their therapy, some of them experience confusion, lapses in memory and attention, and difficulty concentrating, a collection of symptoms known colloquially by patients as “chemo brain” or “chemo fog” and more formally by clinicians as cancer-related cognitive impairment.
Lymphedema is a common side effect of cancer treatment. By learning about this diagnosis and its treatment options, communicating with your health care team, and surrounding yourself with a support network, you will be better able to manage your lymphedema and experience a better quality of life.
For the 3 million U.S. women who are survivors of breast cancer –not to mention the 266,000 women expected to be diagnosed this year –understanding the links between breast cancer and heart disease is critical.
During and following breast cancer treatment some people find it difficult to concentrate or feel more forgetful. This is sometimes referred to as ‘chemo brain’ or ‘chemo fog’.
It usually improves over time after treatment has finished, but for some people it can continue. It can be very frustrating and have a big impact on daily life.
Women who have had breast cancer treatment may be at increased risk for osteoporosis and fracture. Estrogen has a protective effect on bone, and reduced levels of the hormone trigger bone loss.
Exercise and acupuncture use the body’s physiology to relieve joint pain caused by hormonal treatments after breast cancer.
Since chemotherapy knocks down the immune system, are there any foods you would tell people to avoid during chemotherapy?