When undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, I’ve experienced several side effects such as chemo gut, nausea, nose bleeds, weight loss and many more! Chemo may be good at killing tumors, but it is also excellent at killing our healthy cells causing all types of damage to our bodies.  Here are a few things I found that helped:

Chemo Infusion “What to Bring”

  • heated blanket
  • Fleece shirt or jacket (Cozy Fleece sells a fleece jacket with zippers making it easy for port access)
  • Chemo port access shirt
  • stocking hat
  • earbuds for listening to audible books and songs
  • snacks
  • ginger hard candy
  • lip balm
  • I brought hot tea bags with me because I don’t like regular hot lipton tea which is what the hospital offered

Nose Bleeds/Dry Painful Nostrils

  • First, try not to blow your nose much or forcefully. Chemotherapy lowers your platelet count, which is crucial for blood clotting. Blowing your nose often and/or forcefully causes irritation and can causse even more nose bleeds.
  • Try a cool mist humidifier as it adds moisture to the air moistening your nasal passages
  • Use an ointment inside your nose. I tried several types (sprays and ointments) and found Maty’s Organic Simply Breathe Nasal Ointment worked the best for me.  I applied it several times a day using a Q-tip. I also like that it uses natural ingredients and is free of petroleum and other harsh chemicals.

Dry Skin

  • Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water
  • Avoid hot showers and baths. This is really hard for me as hot baths and showers have been a routine of mine for years to relax before bed.  I cheat a little by having a hot shower and then turning the water cooler as I get ready to exit the shower.
  • Use plenty of moisturizer. I try and use organic, natural lotions that don’t contain a lot of harsh chemicals. There are several on the market and using an app such as EWG Healthy Living can help you navigate the misleading ads and slogans! Where I live there is a natural “apothecary” store that carries organic products and even carries a skin care line produced by a local who uses all organic and natural ingredients. Check around where you live as you may have something similar.
  • Use a gentle laundry detergent.  I do the same here and switched to a organic, natural laundry detergent free of scents and dyes. Again, I suggest using EWG Healthy Living to help you research products.

Nausea

  • Stay hydrated
  • Eat small meals instead of large meals that completely fill your tummy
  • Avoid food with strong odors
  • Avoid spicy foods
  • Essential Oils – some people find that breathing essential oils helps calm their nausea.  I applied a roll-on to my wrist periodically throughout the day. If it proved too much, I simply washed it off; but it was easy to raise my wrist to my nose and gently breathe in the aroma when needed.  Try UpNature peppermint and see if it helps as it did for me.
  • Add fresh ginger to your diet. You can even cut a small piece and chew on it or make fresh ginger water.
  • If you state has medical marijuana, there are gummies specifically made for nausea.
  • Get plenty of fresh air!
  • Try an anti-nausea band, such as Reliefband or Eme Term bands.
  • Apply a cold compress on the back of your neck when you feel nausea coming on

Low Blood Count
Chemotherapy is notorious for causing low blood counts.  Again, chemo damages more than just our cancer cells, it damages our good cells, as well as our bone marrow. There is not a “magic pill” we can take to raise our blood counts. Our oncologist may prescribe Filgrastim injections to raise your white blood count or Epoetin Alfa injections to raise your red blood count.  Natural methods you can try to raise your blood count include:

  • Healthy diet rich in protein: eggs, nuts, such as almonds; cottage cheese, yogurt, lean meats, fish, dairy, and grains such as lentils and quinoa
  • Healthy diet rich in vitamin B12: eggs, nutritional yeast, yogurt, beef, milk, salmon, tuna, fortified non-dairy milk
  • Healthy diet rich in folate: legumes, asparagus, eggs, leafy greens, beets, citrus fruits, brussel sprouts, broccoli, nuts & seeds, beef liver, bananas, avocados
  • Papaya is rich in Vitamin C (help platelets work properly), Vitamin A and folic acid (help red blood cells form and interact with iron).  Studies have shown that taking papaya leaf extract helps raise platelets and white blood cell counts in chemotherapy patients. Papaya leaf extract can also help stabilize our red blood cell membrane. I like
    Herbal Goodness as they are US made, have the fewest “additives” I found in Papaya Leaf Extract products, and offer the extract in both pill and liquid form.

Resources:

  • A Case Study Using Papaya Leaf Extract to Reverse Chemotherapy-Induced Thrombocytopenia in a GBM Patient. Read More
  • Effect of Carica papaya leaf extract on platelet count in chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenic patients. Read More
  • Delving into the Therapeutic Potential of Carica papaya Leaf against Thrombocytopenia. Read More