Do you feel ill with cancer?

Some people in the advanced stages of cancer may feel or be sick a lot. This type of sickness is very different to that of people having chemotherapy or radiotherapy. It can severely affect your day to day life and make you very tired and depressed.

cancerresearchuk.org - Cancer as a cause of sickness | Coping with cancer

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Cancer as a cause of sickness

Cancer itself could cause you to feel or be sick. There are many different reasons why.

Chemicals made by the cancer

Some types of cancer can make chemicals in your body that affect the way your cells work. Cancers that stop your kidneys and liver working properly can make you feel or be sick.

Raised pressure from a brain tumour

A brain tumour or a cancer that has spread to your brain (secondary brain tumour) can cause increased pressure in the head. As the skull is made of bone, there is a fixed amount of space for the brain. The growing tumour increases the pressure inside this fixed space. This is called raised intracranial pressure (raised ICP).

The increase in pressure causes:

sickness

headache

drowsiness

Tumours blocking the digestive system

Cancer that grows in the digestive system (for example, in your bowel or stomach) can stop food from passing through. This is a common cause of feeling sick. As with any symptom, the best thing to do is try to treat the cause. For example, if constipation is causing the sickness, then treating the constipation should control the sickness. Sometimes it isn't possible to treat the cause. In this case, anti sickness drugs are the next best choice.

Too much calcium in the blood

Sometimes cancer can make calcium leak into your bloodstream. This can happen if cancer cells in the bones start to break down the bone cells. It can also happen because the cancer has upset the body's normal system for controlling calcium levels. Calcium is important for keeping your bones strong and your nerves working properly. Normally, the body regulates calcium levels very closely. Too much calcium in the blood is called hypercalcaemia. It makes you feel very:

thirsty

sick

constipated

drowsy

You might also pass a lot of urine as your body tries to get rid of the extra calcium. You might feel confused or like your thinking is muddled. Hypercalcaemia can be dangerous if is not treated, it can make you drowsy and difficult to wake. If it is left untreated, you could eventually become unconscious.

Slow gut

The digestive system can sometimes slow down due to:

cancer in the abdomen pressing on the muscles of the bowel

cancer pressing on the nerves that supply the bowel (called the coeliac plexus) As food does not pass through the bowel as quickly as normal this can make you feel sick. This is sometimes called a slow or sluggish gut.

Emotional effects

Emotional pain, being very nervous or worried about cancer and its treatment can make you feel sick or even be sick. Sometimes talking about your situation can help to reduce your worry and so reduce sickness.

Sickness in advanced cancer

the cancer itself

a blockage in the bowel (bowel obstruction)

side effects of drugs such as painkillers

constipation

too little fluid in your body (dehydration)

too much calcium in the blood

slow gut

kidney or liver problems

stomach ulcers

There are different ways of controlling sickness in advanced cancer to make you feel more comfortable.

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What is one of the first signs of cancer?

But to be safe, talk to your doctor about these five signs and symptoms. Unexplained Weight Loss. When you lose weight for no reason, call your doctor. ... Fatigue. This isn't fatigue similar to how you feel after a long day of work or play. ... Fever. ... Pain. ... Skin Changes.

hopkinsmedicine.org - Early Cancer Warning Signs: 5 Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore

Unexplained Weight Loss When you lose weight for no reason, call your doctor. A loss of 10 pounds or more could be nothing to worry about. However, in rare cases, it may be the first sign of cancer. Fatigue This isn’t fatigue similar to how you feel after a long day of work or play. Extreme fatigue that doesn’t get better with rest can be an early sign of cancer. Cancer uses your body’s nutrients to grow and advance, so those nutrients are no longer replenishing your body. This “nutrient theft” can make you feel extremely tired. There are lots of underlying causes of fatigue, many of them not cancer-related. If your symptoms are severe enough to affect your quality of life, call your doctor. Fever Fever can be a common symptom of colds and the flu, and clears up on its own. Certain characteristics of recurring fever can foretell a possible cancer connection. You should pay particular attention if: A fever happens mostly at night.

You have no other signs of infection.

You experience night sweats.

Pain Pain is another symptom that can be caused by a multitude of health issues, most of which are not cancer. But persistent pain, can also hint at an underlying disease. Cancer can cause pain in different ways, including: A mass or tumor pushing on other areas of your body

The chemicals a cancer releases

Metastasis, or spreading from where a cancer started If you’re experiencing pain that doesn’t go away — and you’re not sure where it came from — your doctor can help with the best next steps.

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