Coping With Common Treatment Side Effects
- Fatigue is a common side effect for patients undergoing the standard chemotherapy and radiation combination after surgery for glioma.
- This exhaustion often intensifies the longer patients take the medication.
- Fortunately, most patients will gradually return to normal after they stop taking chemotherapy.
- While undergoing treatment, Dr. Geoffrey Barger, a neuro-oncologist at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, recommends trying different approaches to deal with fatigue. Scheduling time for naps may work for some, while exercising and getting more active works for others.
This exhaustion often intensifies the longer patients take the medication, especially after completing the standard six-week course of daily radiation and chemotherapy drug Temodar (temozolomibe), followed by the five-day cycles every four weeks. However, patients should know that once chemotherapy stops, most experience a gradual return toward their baseline energy levels.
Read More Dr. Geoffrey Barger, a neuro-oncologist at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, says that the approach to combatting fatigue can vary from patient to patient. “If patients feel refreshed after a nap, then it was a good thing to do, but if they don’t feel refreshed afterwards or they feel worse afterwards, then it’s something that they should try to fight through,” Dr. Barger says. “We want people to be on an up spiral as much as possible, rather than a down spiral.” Maintaining physical activity during treatment can also help combat fatigue rather than worsen it.
Dr. Barger recalls a patient who exercised vigorously during radiation and showed remarkable improvement in both physical and cognitive function. While not everyone needs such an intensive regimen, this case highlights how staying active can positively impact cancer patients.
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