Welcome to my World of Side Effects
A side effect is an unintended or secondary consequence of an action, treatment, or policy.
Nausea from medical treatments is a manageable side effect that requires a combination of strict medication adherence and targeted lifestyle adjustments. Treatment-induced nausea—whether from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or standard prescription drugs—occurs because these treatments can irritate the sensitive cells lining your gastrointestinal tract or directly stimulate the brain's vomiting center
Nausea
This side effect happens inside your stomach making you feel sick.
Stomach/Abdomen: Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea or constipation .
My stomach felt like I received punches to my gut. Almost wanting to through up all day long. Would feel very weak and fatigued. Not wanting to eat anything at all.
Take medications
- Take medications on a strict schedule: According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), you should take your prescribed anti-nausea drugs exactly as directed, even if you feel perfectly fine at that moment. Skipping a dose can allow breakthrough symptoms to set in.
- Do not mix or skip doses: If your oncologist or physician has prescribed a combination regimen (such as a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist like ondansetron/Zofran alongside a steroid like dexamethasone), use them exactly as paired.
- Report failures immediately: If your current anti-nausea prescription is not controlling your symptoms, call your healthcare team. They can easily swap or add a different class of medication (such as Compazine or Phenergan) to better block the specific receptors causing your distress.
Extreme Fatigue
Extreme tiredness, often medically referred to as fatigue or exhaustion, is a lingering, relentless state of low energy that is not entirely completely relieved by a good night of sleep. It can manifest physically, mentally, or both, severely impacting your ability to function normally throughout the day.
SYMPTOMS
Chest pain, pressure, or an irregular/fast heart rate
- Severe shortness of breath
- Feeling faint, dizzy, or like you might pass out
- Unexplained, severe headaches or sudden muscle weakness
- Thoughts of self-harm or severe, debilitating mental distress
Feeling exhausted after radiation therapy is a very common side effect known as cancer-related fatigue. It happens because your body uses massive amounts of energy to repair healthy cells damaged by the treatment, triggering an ongoing immune response and stress.
FATIGUE CAUSES
- Cell Repair: Your immune system works overtime to heal healthy tissue affected by the radiation.
- Hormonal Changes: Radiation can cause skin cells to release the hormone \(\beta \)-endorphin, which has been linked to post-treatment exhaustion.
- Blood Counts: Radiation can affect blood cell production, sometimes leading to anemia or a reduction in red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body.
- Stress and Travel: Daily clinic visits, emotional stress, and poor sleep quality compound the physical toll.
Radiation fatigue usually builds up over the first few weeks, peaks near the end of your treatment, and typically improves within a few weeks to months after therapy finishes.