For many women with ovarian cancer, chemotherapy will have some benefit. But it does have some tough side effects.
The good news is that doctors believe they have gotten excellent at helping women manage these side effects. Many patients concur, but there is nothing easy about chemo.
Read MoreFor nausea, doctors will usually prescribe effective medications, including Zofran to help. “We have many, many, many medications that we give before, during, and after chemotherapy that should minimize the nausea that patients experience,” Dr. Carlson says, adding that there are also quite a few medications available for constipation and diarrhea, though doctors may recommend dietary modifications first.
For fatigue, while there aren’t quite medications the way there are for nausea, Dr. Carlson says that some patients may find it helpful to complement their treatment with alternative medicine supplements such as American Ginseng.
And then there's the chemotherapy side effect that everyone asks about: hair loss.
"When it comes to the hair loss that’s associated with chemotherapy, we can’t keep you with a full head of hair through your chemotherapy," says Dr. Carlson.
So, yes, hair loss can be expected with the chemo drugs commonly used for ovarian cancer, carboplatin and Taxol. But just like with the other side effects, there are methods available to help.
Wigs, scarves, caps, and cutting your hair short can all help, as can scalp-cooling devices, which can prevent some (though not all) of hair loss. Of course, it's really important to remember that hair loss is only temporary, and that your hair will grow back after the treatment ends.
- “For the most part, most patients are back to normal within a year,” Dr. Carlson says, referring to the gradual subsiding of all of these tough side effects.
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