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Advice please - scared about side effects of treatment

Taylor23
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Hi I am new to the site - I was oagnosed with a small lung tumour early this year and receved a course of radiotherapy, my latest test showed that cells had spread to my lymph nodes (chest) they re now going to give immunology with Pembrolizumad - upon reading about the side effects Im terrified has anyone had this?

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    Hello Taylor23,

                             l cannot comment on your specific chemo,but if you are terrified about its effects,how do you feel about having no treatment in comparison.Personally l had more concerns about the condition not the cure,and whilst my radio/chemo treatment taught me how to climb mountains with my hands and feet cut off,at least l can look back at all the peaks l conquered the hard way.Try not to beat yourself up and turn a positive into a negative,accept the treatment as a friend,albeit one with a hard attitude that will push you to the limit,l suspect like most of us that have been through it,you will surprise yourself with how much tenacity and sheer stubborn bloodymindedness you actually possess, to see you through.

                       Good luck with your journey,and l hope it leads to a good place for you,

                                                                                                                                             David

                                                                                                                                                

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    Hi, and welcome.

    Generally, I believe the side effects of immunotherapy are a lot easier to tolerate than chemotherapy. Also, any side effects will vary from one person to the next - it's an individual thing. Bottom line: don't worry about the side effects, just go with the flow and trust your doctors to get you through this as well as possible.

    The documented side effects of most treatments are usually just legal *** covering by the legal team from the drug company. You might get some of them to varying degrees, hardly anyone gets all of them and hardly anyone gets none of them. If you read my post from 12 Dec 2020 15:36 you'll see that even the side effects you do get can be reduced if you work at it.

    The thing to remember with immunotherapy is that it isn't the drug that's doing you good, it's your own immune system. All the drug does is let your immune system know it has a job to do. What you can take from this is that anything that generally strengthens your immune system will help you get a better outcome. Exercise, whatever you can manage comfortably and regularly, and a good healthy diet will do this.

    kind wishes,
    Steve

     

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