Coping with Physical Changes After Cancer Treatment

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After being diagnosed with cancer, undergoing treatment is the vicitm’s main area of concern and worry. Once he settles for the type of treatment he wants to opt for, the treatment begins. And after the patient undergoes the treatment successfully, the immeidate next worry is again right at the door step. That of dealing with the physical changes or appearance after the treatment. Which ever type of treatment may the patient opt for, side effects will always be there. Because the treatment is very harsh in case of cancer and therefore it is bound to leave scars.

The possible side effects of treatmetn cancer are; swelling, scars, wounds, weight change, hair loss, change in skin color to name a few.  It’s time to see a doctor if patient experieces the following things during the day. Inability to eat continuously for one or two days, Shortness of breath, Difficulty in urinating normally for one or two days, Severe swelling, Blown-up belly, gaining or losing weight more than 5 pounds in 1 week, Dizziness, Excessive thirst, Dry skin, Swollen ankle.

Hair loss is another such physical changes after cancer treatment experienced by majority of people after and during cancer treatment. This happens because during chemotherapy, drugs reach various parts and organs of the body to destroy cancer cells, and some of these drugs cause damage to hair follicles, causing the hair to fall. Hair loss starts to occur in two-three weeks after chemotherapy treatment is started and goes on increasing till 1 to 2 months after the therapy starts. It sometimes also comes out in clumps overnight or while shampooing or brushing hair. Re-growth of the hair lost, in majority of the cases begins before therapy is over.

Like chemotherapy, radiation therapy also results in scalp hair loss. But there is a difference. Unlike hair loss during chemotherapy treatment, hair loss as a result of radiation treatment may not grow back naturally. A wig is such cases are the most common solution. It is very normal for a patient undergoing cancer treatment to feel distressed and disturbed about the loss of hair. And in case of chemotherapy the patient takes solace in the fact that the hair in all probabilities will grow back.