Chemotherapy side effects - Questions for your doctor

1. What side effects could the chemo cause?
2. How soon will the side effects start?
3. How severe might they be?
4. Are there any ways of reducing the side effects?
5. How to prepare for the side effects? (diet, exercise, emotional?)
6. Is my hair likely to fall out?
7. Would a 'cold cap' help to reduce or stop hair falling out?
8. Are there any risks from using a cold cap?
9. Who can help me manage the side effects?
10. Who should I phone if I get a high temperature or notice bleeding or bruising?
11. Is there anyone I can talk to about diet plan during the course of chemo?
12. Should I worry of weight loss during the course of chemo?
13. Can you give me anything to help keep my weight up?
14. Can I have diet supplements on prescription?

Hypoglycemia - What happens during a hypo? (Symptoms)

Some of the hypo symptoms are:
a. paleness
b. shaking
c. perspiration
d. feeling weak
e. rapid heartbeat
f. hunger
g. agitation
h. difficulty to concentrate
i. fatigue
j. blurred vision
k. irritability
l. confusion
m. convulsions
n. temporary loss of consciousness
o. coma


Most people do get some warning signs that hypo is happening. But for some, hypo may cause few or none of the milder symptoms before the start of sudden unconsciousness or convulsions, especially if you've had diabetes for years. What this means is that loss of consciousness can occur without warning.

Hypoglycemia - What can I do about it?

1. Be familiar with the warning symptoms - This way, you can get treatment quickly. When in doubt, measure your blood sugar levels.

2. Always carry sugar - preferably glucose in a rapidly-absorbed form such as glucose tablets.

3. Measure glucose levels regularly - Frequency depends on your lifestyle: it's soft of a combination of practical experiences and expert advice to determine. It can vary from 1 or 2 readings per week, to several readings per day. Knowing how your blood sugar levels change with various activities would help you to adjust your insulin level and minimise hypo risk.

4. Follow the dietician's advice and maintain regular eating habits - Some people experience symptoms of hypo just before a main meal. To avoid, have snacks between meals to prevent sugar levels from dropping drastically.

5. Take care when exercising - workout lowers glucose levels in blood. To counter this, you can take less insulin than usual beforehand or by eating more before/during/after workout.

6. Carry an identification card - to let others know you have diabetes.

Chemotherapy side effects (general)

Do understand that people react to treatment in different ways so not everyone going through chemotherapy will have all the side effects caused by the drug.

Chemotherapy damages diving cells (be it healthy or cancer cells), so the body parts where normal cells divide frequently are likely to be affected. These parts are: mouth, skin, hair, digestive system and bone marrow.

Different chemo drugs have different side effects. It is helpful to ask your doctor about the SPECIFIC side effects which may be caused by your own treatment. It is important to remember that you probably would not get every side effects listed by the doctor.

KEEP IN MIND, everyone taking chemotherapy has (a) different drugs, (b) different doses, and (c) their own treatment plan.

Info sharing - ESWL (treatment for kidney/ureter stones)

ESWL - Extracorporeal ShockWave Lithotripsy; is the most frequently used treatment procedure for kidney/ureter stones. ESWL uses shockwaves that are created outside of the body to travel through the skin and body tissues until the waves hit the dense stones. The stones become sand-like and are easily passed through the urinary tract in the urine. In some cases, ESWL may be done on an outpatient basis. Recovery time is short, and most people can resume normal activities in few days time.

Complications may occur with ESWL. Most patients have blood in the urine for few days after treatment. Bruising and minor discomfort on the back/abdomen due to shockwaves are also common. To reduce the chances of complications, doctors usually tell patients to avoid taking aspirin and other drugs that affect blood clotting for several weeks before treatment.

In addition, the shattered stone fragments may cause discomfort as they pass through the urinary tract in the urine. In some cases, the doctor will insert a small tube called a stent, through the bladder into the ureter to help the fragments pass. Sometimes the stone is not completely shattered with one treatment and additional treatments may be required.


I came to know ESWL when my dad was diagnosed with ureter stone few weeks back. Main objective I want to share here is to enquire the ESWL fees from different hospitals. There was 1 hospital in PG island that charges RM3.2k for 1st treatment alone, and RM850 for 2nd treatment. I call the treatment 'blasting' as it is some sort of blasting the stone with shockwaves. Anyhow, I came to know another hospital that offers a package ~RM2.9k that consists of 1st blasting, day-care and necessary medicines. 2nd/3rd blastings would be covered, but with only additional RM20/blast. These are private hospitals... I only have knowledge of 2 of them. Pls be wise to ask around for the fees... I have financial concerns as my dad does not have medical insurance coverage at all!

Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar)

Hi all. I would like to share on this topic "Hypoglycemia" that actually took my mother's life 2.5yr ago.

My mom had diabetic, and she also undergone surgery and chemotherapy for her breast cancer. There was no doctor that educated my family about possibility of hypoglycemia, which is low blood sugar. All the while, our common understanding is that high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) IS the only major concern.

There are many other complications she suffered, but here I would only like to educate on the symptoms she suffered that was linked to hypoglycemia. One morning, we (dad & I) found my mom still sleeping until near afternoon. We tried to wake her up many times, but we finally managed to. We did not seek any doctor consulation over that as we thought there's nothing serious. She was "normal" throughout the day and I had even fed her a scope of ice cream during dinner.

The following morning, again she could not wake up and we could not wake her up as well. We tried and tried and failed, thus we had her sent to hospital. She was warded few days, connected to a machine....I don't know it was for. She never woke up at all... And one unfortunate morning, we received the bad news from hospital that my mom had passed away. The COD was hypoglycemia! I surfed the net for info and learnt of it.

Until today, I still feel slight anger that no medical experts educated my family of potential hypoglycemia. We thought there possibility of hyperglycemia is under control as my mom was taking medicine for diabetic.

Anyway, the key message here is for those with family member(s) having diabetic, and without any family doctor, to get educated on all potential difficulties that could occur and how to prevent them. Feel free to go to the links I am sharing here and learn more, if applicable.

Thanks for your time to read my post, appreciate it.