How soon will I start to feel better after a chemotherapy treatment?

How soon will I start to feel better after a chemotherapy treatment?

The truth is, it really is different for every person; but, a general experience of my patients has been the week before the next intended cycle of chemotherapy tends to be the very best, and so I believe our first week of giving chemotherapy for most people is successful because our medicines to prevent nausea are effective in the majority of people, and few chemotherapies cause severe nausea like you've seen on television. So, the first week, while logistically inconvenient, tends to be well-tolerated. I find most of my patients have their hardest week during the second week. Between seven and fourteen days into the cycle, that's when blood counts can fall; it's when the mucous membranes of the mouth or the digestive tract can be irritated, causing mouth sores or diarhhea, and that's a tough week. Usually--and we give chemotherapy on three-week cycles--for most people, the third week is the best. That's when the blood counts start to recover, the irritation of the mucous membranes heals, and you start to think, "Wow, I'm doing good." And then, it's time for the next cycle; but, don't be discouraged--it won't go on forever.