Chemo side effects

[Shawna Pham]

Hello everyone! My daughter just turned 1 on December 22, 2011 and was diagnosed with Leukemia the day before her birthday. We have been in and out of the hospital due to open sores on her bottom because of her chemo diarrhea and multiple other reasons..unfortunetly she is too young and cant tell me what is hurting her. She undergoes chemo once a week and has spinal taps and bone marrow aspirations every monday. I was just wondering if there are any side effects from the chemo or procedures that would cause her pain? Ive heard touching her scalp could hurt her. She also doesnt eat like she use to, she wont stand or even lift her head off my shoulder:( Is this normal??

[Allison DeSoto]

If she had a port put in, it might be a little sensitive right after the surgery, as well as some sensitivity where the bone marrow biopsies and spinal taps are performed.  That was mostly what I felt as far as pain during treatment.  There is a lot of fatigue during treatment which would explain why she won't pick her head up.  I can't imagine how scary it must be to see the difference in energy levels and appetite, but her sleep is vital in recovery so try not freak out too much if she is getting her much needed sleep (; Just be sure to keep communication very open with your doctor so that they can tell you whether it is normal fatigue or if there is an underlying problem.  As far as appetite, there are small things you can add here and there to increase the caloric consumption.  I'm not an expert on babies but talk to your doctor about things to try to increase this for her and to see what she takes a liking to or not.  If you need anything else or have any questions please let me know.  You'll both me in my thoughts and prayers. Stay strong mama <3

[Jennifer Toth]

Hey, Shawna! I was also very young during my treatment (2 1/2 when I was diagnosed), so I don't remember everything about how I was feeling. Like Natasha said, though, I wasn't necessarily in pain all the time other than during procedures, but definitely tired a lot. And not wanting to eat is common for anyone on chemo because of a combination of mouth sores caused by the chemo and  feeling nauseous. During treatment, my parents fed me lots of ice cream and chocolate covered raisins to keep me from losing too much weight since I wouldn't each much of anything else! 

Let us know if you have other questions!

[Natasha Bear]

I did not experience necesarrily pain during treatment, but I lost my appetite to the point that I almost had a feeding tube put in.  If she is not eating she may feel tired, which might explain why she is not lifting her head.  Many chemo drugs cause mouth sores and easy bruising.  I am thinking of you and your daughter, stay strong Shawna!!

[Shawna Pham]

Sorry December 22, 2012*.