Helping Your Parent with Side Effects of Chemo
Chemo: Many cancer patients need to receive chemotherapy treatment while fighting cancer.
Chemo can have multiple side effects and no two patients are exactly the same with how their body will react to the chemotherapy infusions. Reactions can be determined by the size of the dose your parent is receiving, other medical conditions, and the type of chemo she is receiving. And while most side effects will go away once your parent is finished with chemo, as her caregiver, you will be seeking ways to help her manage her side effects to provide relief.
Senior Care in Berwyn PA: Chemo Side Effects
Low Blood Counts
Chemo often causes a loss of blood cells in the person receiving the treatment. Low red blood cells can cause anemia, creating fatigue and low white blood cells can raise the risk of infection. If your parent has low white blood cells, anyone spending any time with your parent, including yourself, your family, and your senior care provider, will need to take extra care to scrub their hands before entering your parent’s home and stay away completely if they are not feeling well. If your parent’s platelets get low, she becomes at risk for extreme bruising and bleeding and will need to take care to not injure or cut herself.
Nausea and Vomiting
Many people who have chemo battle with keeping food down. Your parent’s doctor may prescribe medication to help her manage this side effect. If she does receive medication, help your parent remember to take her medication on time each day no matter how she is feeling at the moment. Your senior care provider can provide reminders to your parent if you leave medications out where she can check on them when she visits. She cannot give them to your parent, but she may be able to help your parent remember to take them. If nausea does strike, eating small, bland snacks throughout the day may help the food to stay down. Dehydration is always a risk with vomiting, so if your parent cannot keep liquids down, check-in often with her cancer team to see if she will need a hospital visit.
Fatigue
As mentioned above, low red blood cells can cause anemia, which may lead to extreme fatigue. This particular side effect may even last past the treatments as her body recuperates. Taking brief naps each day, getting out and walking, and eating well will help her battle fatigue. If she is too tired to perform normal household chores, her senior care provider can help by picking up extra chores.
Hair Loss
Some chemo drugs cause hair loss. Your parent’s cancer care team should be able to let you both know if your parent should expect this. While not a dangerous side effect, for women especially, it can be mentally devastating. Have the discussion with your parent before it begins to help her determine her plan of action, whether it’s shaving her head, buying some wigs, and/ wearing bright head coverings.
Chemo: Mouth sores
Another possible side effect of chemo is mouth sores and dryness. Soft food may help your parent keep eating and have plenty of her favorite beverages on hand for when she gets thirsty.
Your parent will appreciate having you and her senior care provider available to help her deal with these side effects. She may get some or may get none, but having a plan for them will help her manage them better.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Berwyn, PA, please contact the friendly staff at Suma Home Care.
Ibrahim recently completed a Professional Certificate in Management; He is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administrations (MBA) at a prestigious university in the UK.
With their passion for helping others and a strong background in customer services and clinical care, Ibrahim and his wife started assisting individuals in their homes.
Since started and operating Suma Home Care in 2010 in the basement of their home, Suma Home Care has provided professionals who work endlessly in providing clients with the highest quality of care, while enabling clients to maintain dignity, comfort and safety in their homes.
Suma Home Care, serves four counties in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia. Ibrahim is firmly connected to his local community and is always looking for ways to give back whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Ibrahim enjoys spending time with his wife and children, travelling and enjoys sports.
Mariama Suma-Keita BSN RN
Born in Sierra Leone west Africa, relocated to America in 1999 from a civil war and settled since in the U.S.A as a Naturalized citizen Graduated from National school of nursing with an associate , and completed BSN in Nursing from Immaculata University graduated with Honor roll Alpha Lambda sigma, After escaping the war served as a refugee nurse in Gambia and Guinea to other displaced refugees before coming to America.
In the states started in Homecare then then transition into hospital, worked in Jefferson hospital as a Registered nurse on Tele and general medsurg floor, also worked in Einstein hospital as an oncology transplant nurse , I realized that I enjoy working with patients so much and believe in quality and compassionate care one at a time dealing with an holistic approach in caring for patients and family in a familiar environment called home , I see the impact and progress when they’re home , it makes them feel relax and progress fast with recovering at home. As a nurse and entrepreneur I understand that dedication to meeting people and families needs is a priority, and able to foster relationships with family and patients that is professional and friendly to help them stay and settled home as a desire.
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