Severe reactions to chemotherapy
Severe reactions to chemotherapy are rare, but can happen. The good news is that your medical team is highly experienced in preventing, recognising and treating them quickly.
Reactions can happen during your first treatment, or sometimes after several cycles. Your team will be closely monitoring you throughout.
Potential signs of a reaction include:
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Throat tightening
- Facial swelling
- Paleness or flushing
- Hives, dizziness
- Low blood pressure
- Changes in heart rate
- Anxiety
To reduce the risk, you might be given medication before your treatment such as steroids and antihistamines. During your treatment, your medical team will keep a close eye on you and are trained to spot even the earliest signs of a reaction.
If a reaction happens, they’ll have a plan in place to act straight away. These may include stopping the chemotherapy infusion, laying you flat, giving you oxygen and providing medicine such as adrenaline to help calm the reaction.
It’s also important to remember that even if you have a reaction to your chemotherapy, it doesn’t mean you cannot have any more treatment. Your team will carefully review your situation and discuss next steps with you. This may include trying the same treatment but slowly and with extra monitoring, or you may be able to try a different type of chemotherapy.
Always let your team know of any side effects you’re experiencing while you’re having chemotherapy, even if it’s small. Keeping them informed means they can support you best and keep you as safe as possible.
