The common R-CHOP side effects, that most patients experience with this type of chemotherapy, didn’t begin to hit me until after my third treatment. The effects began to take root slowly, and increased as time went on. In this post, I’ll talk about some of the different side effects I experienced during my R-CHOP treatment.
One of the first R-CHOP side effects to take place, was hair loss. I noticed some of my hair falling out when brushing it. It started slowly, so it wasn’t really noticeable until much later. Of all the side effects that people experience during chemo, this one was of the least concern to me.
Nausea is something that effects almost all chemotherapy patients, and is probably the most annoying of all the common R-CHOP side effects. Not being able to eat, without the urge to vomit, makes it difficult to keep up your strength. Nutrition is important during chemo, and not being able to eat without getting sick, makes it very difficult.
Loss of muscle mass and body fat also occurs with most patients. Out of all the R-CHOP side effects, this one has a major effect on a person’s ability to function normally, and also alters your appearance. I didn’t experience this in a serious manner, until my next oncologist switched my treatment (which is the subject of another post).
Loss of full immune system functionallity is the most concerning of all the side effects. Patients typically wear filter masks when going outside, and need to be careful of any germs. A simple cold virus could be fatal to someone experiencing this side effect, and is the one that doctors are most concerned with.
Those are just some of the side effects I experienced during my R-CHOP treatment. Doctors do whatever they can to alleviate some of the discomfort. However, they have yet to find a way to completely eliminate all “R-CHOP side effects”.