How to Reduce the Pain Caused by Chemotherapy

Intravenous chemotherapy is often uncomfortable--and the side effects can produce additional pain. Follow these steps to ease the discomfort of your treatment.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• Telephone

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Instructions

Understand Side Effects Caused by Chemotherapy

• 1

  Familiarize yourself with possible side effects and learn to recognize their signs. Common chemotherapy side effects include fatigue, nausea, hair loss, infection, mouth sores and irregular bowel movements, among others.

• 2

  Check with your physician to determine the specific range of side effects associated with the drugs you are taking. A number of drugs may be used for chemotherapy, and in most cases your doctor will only be administering a select combination to you.

• 3

  Make appropriate changes in your diet or lifestyle habits in order to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. For instance, eating healthy foods reduces the risk of getting mouth or throat sores, which can cause pain. To help prevent infection, wash your hands frequently, steer clear of people with colds or other contagious illnesses and thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables.

Treat Pain Caused by Chemotherapy

• 4

  Keep your doctor abreast of any pain you feel due to chemotherapy. Describe your pain fluctuations on a scale of 1 to 10 to give others a concrete sense of what you are experiencing. Be specific when describing what hurts and where, so that your doctor can prescribe the appropriate medication to reduce symptoms.

• 5

  Take prescribed medication exactly on schedule and notify your doctor immediately if you notice a drop in a medication's effectiveness. Don't wait until pain starts to take your medication unless your doctor has specifically advised you otherwise.

• 6

  Explore alternative therapies. For example, hypnosis has been reported to reduce pain and could be effective for chemotherapy patients. Acupuncture and acupressure can also be effective in some cases. Meditation and relaxation exercises can have a very beneficial effect when used in conjunction with your existing medication.