Before her chemotherapy treatment, Amy had a port surgically installed on her right side, just above her breast and below her collarbone. Ports provide an easy way to administer the chemo drugs.
As part of each cycle, Amy received the chemo drugs along with medications to combat nausea and to help beef up her immune system, as well as IV fluids for dehydration.
During the chemo infusions, Amy's nurses gave her Fudgesicles to prevent mouth sores, which she never experienced. She also never had chemotherapy side effects such as nausea or vomiting, which she attributes to the anti-nausea medications, including aprepitant (Emend). (She did, however, have diarrhea for about a day during each chemo cycle.)
Anti-nausea drugs provided by oncologists work for most chemo patients, Dr. Schwab says.
"A patient really should never vomit on chemo," he says.
If nausea does occur, he adds, doctors are able to "adjust the [anti-nausea] regimen to something stronger" to counteract it.
Other chemotherapy side effects vary, depending on the type of cancer a patient has and the drugs he or she is given.
"Each drug has its own side effects," says Edith Mitchell, M.D., clinical professor of medicine and medical oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. "Also, when combined with other chemotherapy drugs, there can either be worsening of a side effect or development of new side effects."
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