Skin cancer and its various therapies have different side effects. It is essential to know these before you go in for therapy. What are these side effects?
1. Anemia
Cancer patients often suffer from anemia. Symptoms of this condition are tiredness, lightheadedness, and being short of breath. Your skin might get paler, and you may experience headaches. Anemia is majorly caused by the lack of red blood cells in your body. These cells carry oxygen to the various parts of your body.
2. Loss of appetite
Various patients have reported a loss of appetite while undergoing skin cancer treatment. One may have trouble eating and swallowing food. Cancer-related fatigue can also lower your appetite. When you experience this side-effect, please consult your doctor. It is essential to have a proper diet during your skin cancer treatment; this may help you in faster recovery.
3. Thrombocytopenia (Bleeding or bruising)
This condition arises when your platelet count becomes very low. Platelets are blood cells that help in the clotting of blood. Patients undergoing chemotherapy and targeted therapy often report these symptoms. Sometimes, small wounds continue bleeding for a long time.
Women may bleed from their vagina even when they are not menstruating. Some people may get a dark-coloured stool, stained by blood. Your urine may be red or pink, and your skin may become pinkish. Menstruating women may pass a heavy discharge of blood. You can read more about this side effect by clicking this website.
4. Constipation
You are constipated when your stool is hard and is difficult to pass. Constipated people have irregular bowel movements and get stomach cramps. They may also feel nausea while undergoing skin cancer therapy. If you are undergoing chemotherapy, you are likely to be constipated. Constipation is caused by several factors like- the nature of medicine, not taking enough fluids and water, etc. You can deal with constipation by;
- Leading an active life
- Taking high fibre foods
- Drinking lots of fluids
5. Delirium
Delirium means having a confused mental state. Delirious people have abnormal behaviour, judgment, and sleep patterns. This state happens typically to people in their old age but can also happen to cancer patients undergoing therapy. Symptoms of delirium can appear and vanish suddenly. Many people confuse this state with depression which is altogether a different state. There are three kinds of symptoms associated with delirium.
- The patient becomes drowsy, tired, lazy, and sad.
- He can become excited all of a sudden.
- He can become lazy and excited alternately.
6. Diarrhea
During this state, the body passes lots of loose stool; there are more water and other fluids than the actual stool material in this discharge. When you have diarrhea, your body loses the capability of absorbing excess fluids. This symptom appears when you are undergoing cancer therapy and very common among cancer patients.
If you are losing a lot of fluids in this condition, you need to take a lot of fluids. Continued low levels of potassium and sodium in your body can threaten your life. Keep your anal area clean by wiping it with warm and wet wipes. Eat small meals that are light on your body.
You may also like to consult your doctor if your diarrhea isn’t going away.
7. Edema
Your body might swell up during chemotherapy. This condition is called edema and is caused by the build-up of fluids in your body tissues. Some of the symptoms of this side effect are;
- Swelling of the face
- Swelling of arms and legs
- Your skin can become dented; when it is pressed, your skin doesn’t retain its original shape
- Breathlessness and irregular heartbeat
Leave a Reply