7 Things You Shouldn’t Do During Chemotherapy Treatment

Just saying the word “Chemo” will get you trembling. But nowadays chemotherapy is not something you ought to worry about. Oncologists have greatly studied the biology of cancer and to cancer patients, this means more years of watching the sun.

A few tips have been shortlisted to ensure that the patients get the most out of the therapies. As I have always mentioned in the Cancer series, every patient responds differently to a certain kind of treatment. Two patients suffering from the same type of cancer may respond differently even when they are undergoing the same type of treatment. The same principle applies to these tips. One patient might need to avoid or completely stay away from something. Whereas, that very something might not affect the other patient suffering from the same kind of cancer.

1. AVOID ALCOHOL

Alcohol has different effects on different drugs used during chemotherapy. A shot or two might not affect a certain drug while it’s advisable to avoid alcohol if you are under other types of drugs. In the case of binge drinking, it's not advisable no matter the drugs you are using for your therapy.

Additionally, alcohol might react with the drugs used for chemotherapy hence making the side effects of chemotherapy intense. If you are considering drinking a glass of alcohol a day when still undergoing chemotherapy, then you have to first consult with your doctor.

2. AVOID TOBACCO

As tobacco causes cancer, it's also not good during chemotherapy sessions. Tobacco might result in Hypoxia. Hypoxia is a condition in which someone's body parts aren’t receiving enough oxygen. It has also been discovered that bodies of patients who do not smoke respond two times quickly to chemotherapy compared to their counterparts who are smokers.

3. AVOID STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES

The most common side effect of chemotherapy is fatigue with nausea and vomiting inclusive. So in this case, ensuring more rest that work would be a good bet. Just get as much rest as you can.

4. AVOID CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE INFECTIONS

Cancer weakens your immune system and one of the side effects of chemotherapy is neutropenia. Even though chemotherapy is designed to fight cancer cells, it might end up eliminating neutrophils which are very crucial in fighting infections altogether. Neutrophils are white blood cells produced in the bone marrow. When they get used up at a rate that is too high than the bone marrows can produce new ones, the patient faces a condition of neutropenia. At that point, the patient is rendered prone to infections. Patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are more prone to neutropenia since these cancers affect the immune system and the bone marrows where the neutrophils are produced.

5. AVOID U.V radiations: Effects of Chemotherapy on your skin may include minor rashes and skin peel-off. This means chemotherapy increases skin sensitivity and in that case, ultra-violent radiations from the sun may worsen the side effects of chemotherapy on your skin.

6. AVOID PROBIOTICS

Probiotics are products that contain live bacteria like yeast. These probiotics can fight bad bacteria in the body but on the same note, caution needs to be taken as you use them.

7. GOOD FEEDING IS KEY

Just as health warfare is, good feeding is instrumental during chemotherapy. Some foods will help you improve the body’s response to chemotherapy while others may just worsen the situation.

- Avoid raw and half-cooked foods. The raw and half-cooked foods may contain infectious bacteria. Remember, cancer weakens your immune system. When these bacteria get into a person’s body who is under chemotherapy, they might face less or no resistance. Avoid foods like; raw nuts, moldy cheese, fresh salad, and salad dressing, etc.

-Avoid extremely spicy and acidic foods. Chemotherapy therapy is designed to fight fast multiplying cells in the body. Cells on the lips and intestinal lining are also fast-growing cells meaning that they are also affected by chemotherapy hence eating spicy foods may result in complications. Avoid foods like; chili pepper, hot sauces, ketchup, tomatoes, curries, etc

-Avoid hard foods. Hard foods like biscuits, cookies, and granola might be hard to chew and digest.

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