Hair loss is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy, stem cell transplant and targeted therapy or locally from radiation therapy. Looking back at my first oncology appointment, I remember my husband asking her, “Is my wife going to lose her hair?” He was asking because he knew losing my hair would probably be distressing to me. 

Hair Loss from Chemotherapy May Become a Rare Side Effect for Certain Cancer Patients

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of...

Loss of appetite (due to nausea, fatigue, mouth sores, difficulty in swallowing or taste changes) leads to unintentional weight loss during chemo. Unless your oncology team has recommended that you lose weight, it’s best to maintain your weight and muscle mass during treatment.

Be sure to tell your oncologist about these symptoms and their impact on your appetite.

• Nausea/vomiting . Your oncologist team wants to help you avoid nausea, but they can’t help you if you don’t tell them....

If you were like me, you’ve never heard of neutropenia (pronounced noo-troe-PEE-nee-uh). When I went in for my fourth chemotherapy infusion, my oncologist came in after receiving my lab results. She was always upbeat and had a smile on her face. She said, “No chemo for you today!”

Chemotherapy is a common treatment for many people with cancer. It is not unusual to feel fear and uneasiness before going into one’s first chemotherapy treatment. Being prepared may help you feel less unsettled about going to your first round.  We asked the WhatNext Comunity how they would prepare. The information listed here is how WhatNexters prepared for chemo. This information does not represent medical advice and all input is from WhatNext members themselves.

WhatNexters...

Those of us that have had the displeasure to sit in "the chair" for any length of time know how it can be a long sit, or at least seem like it's taking forever. Some patients report taking 8 hours or more to receive all of their pre-meds, fluids and actual chemo. In other cases, some patients have a slow drip for 24 hours. You're going to need something to keep your mind occupied. Here are some suggestions from patients that have come before you to keep occupied while having chemo.

There are...

Cancer can throw your entire life into disarray. Constant visits to the hospital or doctor’s office can dominate your schedule. Fatigue can sap your energy and leave you unable to enjoy the activities you once did. You and your family may experience stress and anxiety due to uncertainty about your prognosis. This article will help you find the right wig when cancer takes your hair.

Even your outward appearance can be changed by a cancer diagnosis, especially if you’re one of the...

You have been given the three-word sentence that none of us ever wants to hear... YOU HAVE CANCER! For many of us, your head is spinning and you may not even be able to hear anything else that the Dr. tells you after that. The information starts coming at you like water out of a hose drowning you in the face. 

They will tell you the type of cancer, the location, eventually, they will tell you the stage, and maybe a plan of treatment. One common part of treatment is chemotherapy. There...

A chemotherapy port is sometimes referred to as a mediport, cancer port, or port a cath, is a vascular access device that is implanted under the skin so that people with cancer can be given chemotherapy. A power port is a port that enables patients to receive IV therapy as well as contrast CT scans.

For more information on chemotherapy read our guide: How WhatNexters Prepared for Chemotherapy.

Over a thousand WhatNexters have shared their firsthand experiences with chemotherapy ports. We...

The What’s It Like? Blog Series

Obviously, the Internet is often the first stop for any new patient seeking information on what life with cancer is all about. But at WhatNext, we feel that our community offers what many online sites don’t: valuable personal experience from real cancer patients. 

Sure, sites like Cancer.net can offer a comprehensive and dispassionate breakdown of various cancer topics. But WhatNexters delivers straight talk from the patients who’ve lived it.

In our What’...

When you are given that diagnosis of Cancer, one of  the first things that might come to your mind is one or both of the most common forms of treating it, chemotherapy and radiation. You have probably heard all of the horror stories about each of them, ask 100 people that have never had either and you will probably get 100 different stories, and maybe a few of them will have some fact in them. 

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But ask 100 people that have had both types of treatment and they will give you...