How to Cope with Chemotherapy’s Blood and Nervous System Side
Effects The same properties that make chemotherapy drugs
effective cancer killers also cause them to damage healthy cells
in your bone marrow, blood and nervous system. The damage,
although often temporary, can make cancer patients vulnerable to
a series of side effects and secondary conditions, including
bleeding, anemia, infections, numbness in the extremities, and
memory loss. If you’re experiencing blood or nervous system
problems as a result of undergoing chemotherapy (commonly called
chemo), there are steps you and your doctor can take to weather
the negative aspects of cancer treatment. Everyone responds to
chemo differently and not all chemotherapy will cause the side
effects listed here. Each drug interacts with normal cells in
its own unique way. To help you prepare for your treatment, be
sure and ask your doctor which side effects are common to the
chemotherapy you’ll be undergoing. Bleeding: The cells that make
sure you stop bleeding wh