Diarrhea

(May be severe)

What to look for?

• Loose, watery, unformed stool (poo) that may happen days to weeks after you get your treatment.
   

What to do?

If you have diarrhea:

• Take anti-diarrhea medication if your health care team prescribed it or told you to take it.
• Do not eat foods or drinks with artificial sweetener (like chewing gum or ‘diet’ drinks), coffee and alcohol.
• Eat many small meals and snacks instead of 2 or 3 large meals.
• Drink at least 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less.
• Talk to your health care team if you can’t drink 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day when you have diarrhea. You may need to drink special liquids with salt and sugar, called Oral Rehydration Therapy.
• Talk to your health care team if your diarrhea does not improve after 24 hours of taking diarrhea medication or if you have diarrhea more than 7 times in one day.

Ask your health care team for the Diarrhea pamphlet for more information.

Fatigue 

What to look for?

• Feeling of tiredness or low energy that lasts a long time and does not go away with rest or sleep.
   

What to do?

• Be active. Aim to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise (you are able to talk comfortably while exercising) on most days.
• Check with your health care team before starting any new exercise.
• Pace yourself, do not rush. Put off less important activities. Rest when you need to.
• Ask family or friends to help you with things like housework, shopping, and child or pet care.
• Eat well and drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water or other liquids every day (unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less).
• Avoid driving or using machinery if you are feeling tired.

Ask your health care team for the Fatigue pamphlet for more information. 

Nausea and vomiting

(Generally mild)

What to look for?

• Nausea is feeling like you need to throw up. You may also feel light-headed.
• You may feel nausea within hours to days after your treatment.

What to do?

To help prevent nausea:

• It is easier to prevent nausea than to treat it once it happens.
• If you were given anti-nausea medication(s), take them as prescribed, even if you do not feel like throwing up.
• Drink clear liquids and have small meals. Get fresh air and rest.
• Do not eat spicy, fried foods or foods with a strong smell.
• Limit caffeine (like coffee, tea) and avoid alcohol.

If you have nausea or vomiting:

• Take your rescue (as-needed) anti-nausea medication(s) as prescribed.
• Ask your health care team for the Nausea & Vomiting pamphlet for more information.
• Talk to your health care team if:
  • nausea lasts more than 48 hours
  • vomiting lasts more than 24 hours or if it is severe

Low appetite, weight loss

What to look for?

• Loss of interest in food or not feeling hungry.
• Weight loss.

What to do?

• Try to eat your favourite foods.
• Eat small meals throughout the day.
• You may need to take meal supplements to help keep your weight up.
• Talk to your health care team if you have no appetite.

Ask your health care team for the Loss of Appetite pamphlet for more information.

High blood pressure

(May be severe)

What to look for?

• There are usually no signs of high blood pressure.
• Rarely, you may have headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds.
   

What to do?

• Check your blood pressure regularly.
• Your doctor may prescribe medication to treat high blood pressure.

If you have a severe headache get emergency help right away as it may be a sign your blood pressure is too high.

Rash on your hands and feet (hand-foot syndrome)

What to look for?
 

• Tingling or swelling of the skin on the palms of your hands and the bottoms of your feet. This can become painful, red and numb.
• In worse cases your skin may start to peel and you can get blisters or sores.
• This may happen days or weeks after you start treatment.
   

What to do?

To help prevent Hand-foot syndrome:

• Do not do activities that cause rubbing or pressure on your skin, like heavy-duty washing, gripping tools, typing, playing musical instruments, and driving.
• Moisturize your hands and feet often, especially in the skin folds.
• Wear loose, comfortable footwear and clothes.
• Rest and try to keep off your feet.
• Do not let your hands and feet get too hot.

Ask your health care team for the Hand-foot syndrome pamphlet for more information.

Liver problems

(May be severe)

Your health care team may check your liver function with a blood test. Liver changes do not usually cause any symptoms.

What to look for?

• Rarely, you may develop yellowish skin or eyes, unusually dark pee or pain on the right side of your belly. This may be severe.

What to do?

If you have any symptoms of liver problems, get emergency medical help right away.

Constipation

What to look for?

• Having bowel movements (going poo) less often than normal.
• Small hard stools (poo) that look like pellets.
• The need to push hard and strain to have any stool (poo) come out.
• Stomach ache or cramps.
• A bloated belly, feeling of fullness, or discomfort.
• Leaking of watery stools (poo).
• Lots of gas or burping.
• Nausea or vomiting.
   

What to do?

To help prevent constipation:

• Try to eat more fiber rich foods like fruits with skin, leafy greens and whole grains.
• Drink at least 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less.
• Be Active. Exercise can help to keep you regular.
• If you take opioid pain medication, ask your health care team if eating more fibre is right for you.
   

To help treat constipation:

• If you have not had a bowel movement in 2 to 3 days you may need to take a laxative (medication to help you poo) to help you have regular bowel movements. Ask your health care team what to do.

Ask your health care team for the Constipation Pamphlet for more information.

Taste changes

What to look for?

• Food and drinks may taste different than usual.
   

What to do?

• Eat foods that are easy to chew, such as scrambled eggs, pasta, soups, cooked vegetables.
• Taste foods at different temperatures, since the flavour may change.
• Try different forms of foods, like fresh, frozen or canned.
• Experiment with non-spicy foods, spices and seasonings.

Pains or cramps in the belly

What to look for?

• Pain or cramps in your belly.
• Constipation and diarrhea can cause pain in your belly.

What to do?

• If the pain is severe, gets worse or doesn’t go away, talk to your health care team about other possible causes.

Too much or too little salt in your body

What to look for?

• Muscle spasms, cramping, weakness, twitching, or convulsions.
• Irregular heartbeat, confusion or blood pressure changes.
   

What to do?

Get emergency medical help right away for severe symptoms.

Rash; dry, itchy skin

What to look for?

• You may have cracked, rough, flaking or peeling areas of the skin.
• Your skin may look red and feel warm, like a sunburn.
• Your skin may itch, burn, sting or feel very tender when touched.
   

What to do?

To prevent and treat dry skin:

• Use fragrance-free skin moisturizer.
• Protect your skin from the sun and the cold.
• Use sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection and a SPF of at least 30.
• Avoid perfumed products and lotions that contain alcohol.
• Drink 6 to 8 cups of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less.

Rash may be severe in some rare cases and cause your skin to blister or peel. If this happens, get emergency medical help right away.

Mouth sores

What to look for?

• Round, painful, white or gray sores inside your mouth that can occur on the tongue, lips, gums, or inside your cheeks.
• In more severe cases they may make it hard to swallow, eat or brush your teeth.
• They may last for 3 days or longer.

What to do?

To help prevent mouth sores: 

• Take care of your mouth by gently brushing and flossing regularly.
• Rinse your mouth often with a homemade mouthwash.
• To make a homemade mouthwash, mix 1 teaspoonful of baking soda and 1 teaspoonful of salt in 4 cups (1L) of water.
• Do not use store-bought mouthwashes, especially those with alcohol, because they may irritate your mouth.

If you have mouth sores:

• Avoid hot, spicy, acidic, hard or crunchy foods.
• Your doctor may prescribe a special mouthwash to relieve mouth sores and prevent infection.
• Talk to your health care team as soon as you notice mouth or lip sores or if it hurts to eat, drink or swallow.

Ask your health care team for the Oral Care (Mouth Care) pamphlet for more information.

Changes in thyroid activity

Thyroid changes may happen weeks to months after you receive your treatment.

Your health care team may check your thyroid activity regularly with a blood test.

What to look for?

Underactive thyroid:

• Unusual weight gain
• A lack of energy or feeling tired
• Getting cold easily
• Dry skin, nails or hair that breaks easily
• Constipation (having bowel movements (poo) less often than normal)
   

What to do?

Your health care team may give you prescription medication to treat underactive thyroid.

If you have weight changes along with any of the other symptoms listed, talk to your health care team as soon as possible.

Speech problems (hoarseness)

What to look for?

• Your voice may become hoarse or raspy.
   

What to do?

Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.

Cough and feeling short of breath

What to look for?

• You may have a cough and feel short of breath.
• Symptoms that commonly occur with a cough are:
  • wheezing or a whistling breathing
  • runny nose
  • sore throat
  • heartburn
  • weight loss
  • fever and chills
• Rarely this may be severe with chest pain, trouble breathing or coughing up blood.
   

What to do?

• Check your temperature to see if you have a fever. Read the above section "What should I do if I feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever?".
• If you have a fever, try to talk to your health care team. If you are not able to talk to them for advice, you MUST get emergency medical help right away.
• If you have a severe cough with chest pain, trouble breathing or you are coughing up blood, get medical help right away.

Anemia (low red blood cells)

What to look for?

• You may feel more tired or weaker than normal.
• Pale skin and cold hands and feet.
• You may feel short of breath, dizzy or lightheaded.
• This may occur in days to weeks after your treatment starts.
   

What to do?

If your health care team has told you that you have anemia (low red blood cells):

• Rest often and eat well.
• Light exercise, such as walking may help.
• You may need medication or a blood transfusion.
• If it is very bad, your doctor may need to make changes to your treatment regimen.

Headache; mild joint, muscle pain or cramps 

What to look for?

• Mild headache
• New pain in your muscles or joints, muscle cramps, or feeling achy.
   

What to do?

• Take pain medication (acetaminophen or opioids such as codeine, morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone) as prescribed.
• Read the above section: "What should I do if I feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever?" before taking acetaminophen (Tylenol®), ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), naproxen (Aleve®) or Aspirin. These medications may hide an infection that needs treatment or they may increase your risk of bleeding.
• Rest often and try light exercise (such as walking) as it may help.

Ask your health care team for the Pain pamphlet for more information.

Heartburn; stomach upset; bloating

What to look for?

• Pain or burning in the middle or top part of your chest. It may get worse when you are lying down or bending over or when you swallow.
• A bitter or acidic taste in your mouth.
   

What to do?

• Drink clear liquids and eat small meals.
• Do not eat acidic, fatty or spicy foods.
• Limit caffeine (like coffee, tea) and avoid alcohol.
• Avoid smoking or being around tobacco.
• Sit up or stand after eating. Do not lie down.
• Raise the head of your bed six to eight inches. You may need to use extra pillows to do this.

Proteins in Urine (pee)

Your health care team may do urine tests to check for proteins in your pee.
 

What to look for?

• Swelling in your face, legs, or belly.  
• Recent weight gain that is not normal for you.
• Foamy, frothy, or bubbly-looking pee.
   

What to do?

Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.

Dizziness

What to look for?

• You may feel light-headed and like you might faint (pass out).

What to do?

• Lay down right away so you do not fall.
• Slowly get up and start moving once you feel better.
• Do not drive a motor vehicle or use machinery if you feel dizzy.

Low platelets in the blood

When platelets are low, you are at risk for bleeding and bruising. Ask your health care team for the Low Platelet Count pamphlet for more information.
 

What to look for?

• Watch for signs of bleeding:
  • bleeding from your gums
  • unusual or heavy nosebleeds
  • bruising easily or more than normal
  • black coloured stools (poo) or blood in your stools (poo)
  • coughing up red or brown coloured mucus
  • dizziness, constant headache or changes in your vision
  • heavy vaginal bleeding 
  • red or pink coloured urine (pee)

What to do?

If your health care team has told you that you have low platelets:

• Tell your pharmacist that your platelet count may be low before taking any prescriptions or over-the-counter medication.
• Check with your healthcare team before you go to the dentist.
• Take care of your mouth and use a soft toothbrush.
• Try to prevent cuts and bruises.
• Ask your health care team what activities are safe for you.
• Your treatment may have to be delayed if you have low platelets. Your health care team may recommend blood transfusion.

If you have signs of bleeding:

• If you have a small bleed, clean the area with soap and water or a saline (saltwater) rinse. Apply pressure for at least 10 minutes.

If you have bleeding that does not stop or is severe (very heavy), you must get emergency medical help right away.