Living with chemotherapy
You might not always be able to do the things you take for granted. But you don't need to stop your social life completely. You may just find you need to plan ahead a bit more.
These tips can help:
Get some rest during the day if you're going out at night – you'll have more energy for the evening.
You can take some anti sickness tablets before you go out for a meal if you think you’ll need them.
Drinking a little alcohol won't affect most types of chemotherapy – but check with your healthcare team first.
If you have an important event coming up, ask your doctor whether they can arrange your chemotherapy so that you’re between treatments that week.
Whether you can drink alcohol during chemotherapy partly depends on the drugs you are having.
Some chemotherapy drugs interact with alcohol and could make you unwell. Your healthcare team will tell you if it is safe to drink alcohol with your chemotherapy drugs. Excessive drinking would not be a good idea, whatever type of chemotherapy you are on.
You may lose your appetite during your treatment. If you are able to drink, then small amounts of alcohol may help to boost your appetite.
Some chemotherapy drugs cause a change in taste. So food and drink may not taste as they did before. This can mean that people who used to enjoy alcohol do not enjoy having a drink during treatment. This usually goes back to normal once the treatment has finished.
Some people also develop a sore mouth while having chemotherapy. So you may find that alcohol stings, particularly spirits. If you are feeling sick during chemotherapy, you might find that alcohol makes this worse.
Generally, having the odd glass of wine or beer is not going to affect you while on chemotherapy. Just check with your doctor first to make sure it is all right.
Infections during chemotherapy are usually caused by bacteria naturally present in your own body. So don’t be afraid to live your life as normal.
You do not need to stop seeing family and friends unless they have an infection or feel unwell. You don’t need to avoid crowded places unless specifically advised to do so by your healthcare team.
You should avoid family or friends who might have infections such as chicken pox. Let your doctor know if you think you’ve been in contact with someone who could have chicken pox.
Read more about infections and cancer treatment
You should not have any while you’re having chemotherapy.
It’s safe for you to be around other people who've had live vaccines as injections. But there can be problems with live vaccines taken by mouth (oral vaccines), or as a nasal spray. This includes the rotavirus vaccine that babies have and the children’s flu vaccine. Your healthcare team can talk to you about this.
Your doctor might advise you to have the seasonal flu and COVID vaccines. You usually have these before the viruses starts to circulate in the population. This is most likely to happen during the winter months.
Talk to your specialist about what vaccines you should have, and the best time to have them.
Find out more about vaccines and cancer treatment
Many people like to plan a holiday for the end of their treatment. It’s something to mark the end of your chemotherapy and something to look forward to. This will allow you to rest and begin to get back to normal.
You might enjoy your trip more if you wait for a few weeks after your last treatment. Some people find the end of their treatment quite difficult. Although you'll be pleased the treatment is at an end, it can feel strange to start focusing on other things again.
Waiting a few weeks might help you adjust back to normal home life. You can then go off on holiday without worrying about how you will cope when you get home.
There are a few extra things you need to think about when you’re travelling. You'll find some useful information in our section on travelling and cancer.
Last reviewed: 22 May 2024
Next review due: 21 May 2027
Most chemotherapy side effects are temporary, but some people are affected months or years after treatment.
People usually have chemotherapy either at home, in hospital or at a day clinic. There are different ways of having chemotherapy drugs. Your doctor will talk about the most suitable option for you.
Chemotherapy might affect your everyday life, from the way you feel to socialising and holidays. You can get tips and support to help you cope.
Find out about managing cancer symptoms and possible side effects from cancer treatment. There is information about pain, sickness, diet problems and much more.
Plan a safe and pleasant journey with these travel tips for people who have cancer, are having treatment, or are recovering from treatment.
Chemotherapy is a standard treatment for some types of cancer. It uses anti cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells.
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