Is Chemotherapy Painful

Chemotherapy is a proven and effective treatment for certain types of carcinoma, like leukaemia, multiple myeloma, lymphoma, sarcoma, cancers of the breast, lung, ovaries, etc. is a cancer treatment where your healthcare provider will inject powerful chemicals into your bloodstream. These chemicals will destroy the cancerous cells in your body.

But is the treatment painful? Read on to know more.

Is Chemotherapy painful?

Chemotherapy itself is not painful but the side effects experienced due to the treatment can be painful. The kind of side-effect experienced after undergoing chemotherapy depends on following factors:

• Type of cancer

• Drug type administered during chemo session

• Your overall health condition

Pain during Chemotherapy

The chemo drugs can be given through an injection, IV, ports, or orally. Some of these methods can cause you mild pain.

• Injection

You will feel some mild discomfort when the drugs are being injected that may last only for a few seconds.

• IV

If you are given chemo through an IV, you will feel a pricking pain when the needle gets inserted. But it goes away once the catheter is secured and the needle gets removed. IV catheters can be left in your arm for up to 3 days.

• Ports

This is an IV line that can be left in your body for much longer allowing the doctor to administer ling-term treatment. The medical expert will give you a local anaesthetic so that you do not feel any pain while the port is being inserted. You may feel some discomfort briefly once the anaesthetic wears off.

• Orally

Your doctor may give you chemo using pills. This method is painless.

If you feel pain during chemotherapy, tell your doctor immediately, as this is not normal. You can also talk to your doctor about pain relief options.

Pain Following Chemotherapy

Below listed are some side-effects you may experience after a chemo session.

• Stomach aches, abdominal pain, and cramps after the chemo session. This is because chemo affects the healthy cells in the intestinal lining.

• Mouth may feel painful and swollen after chemotherapy and sores and ulcers can occur in your mouth, making eating or drinking painful.

• Muscular and Joint pain as chemo makes your bones thinner.

• After the chemo session, you may experience a burning, numb, or tingling sensation in your hands and feet. This is called neuropathic pain, caused by nerve damage.

• Some chemo drugs can cause a dull, sharp, or throbbing pain in the head.

Remedies That Can Help Ease Pain

Your pain levels may differ throughout your treatment. Keep a record of what kind of pain you experience and how intense it is. Speak to your doctor about how the pain affects your quality of life. Your doctor and/or medical team will help you manage the pain.

Apart from the pain medication your doctor has prescribed, other methods can help you manage the pain after your chemo session. These include the following:

• Warm baths

• Massage therapy

• Relaxation exercises like slow-breathing and deep-breathing

• Acupressure and acupuncture

• Hypnosis

• Biofeedback

• Meditation

• Yoga

• Physical therapy