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Chemo Comparison Name Institutional Affiliation Chemotherapy is often given in cycles. A cycle consists of a dose of a single or several drugs accompanied by many weeks or days with no treatment. The dose used mostly varies with a person’s weight. Chemo can sometimes be combined with radiation therapy, surgery, or both depending on the purpose for which it is intended, (Engert, et.al, 2003). The side effects of chemotherapy are not the same for everybody. In most cases, the side effects are weighed against the desire of killing the cancer cells, this way the patients may not be discouraged very much. The side effects of this cancer treatment are several and range from short to long-term. According to the patients, one of the most common side effects is the loss of hair. Chemo is capable of damaging the hair follicles and inducing them to not produce new hairs. This hair loss can greatly disorganize the individual even though it is just temporarily. The other side effect as described by the patients is mouth sores. The gums interior to the tongue, cheeks, and throat tend to develop sores. Some of the patients pointed out brain fog as a serious side effect. In this case, the individual exhibits memory problems and foggy thinking. This side effect can sometimes be referred to as “chemo brain”. This particular side effect can stress a patient during the recovery process. Some patients go through depression and anxiety. Chemotherapy adds to the list of everyday stresses that individuals face. This can overwhelm people and lead to anxiety as well as depression. Most patients tend to lose appetite during chemo treatment. This is because the treatment disturbs the
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