isolation after chemo

Hi Val7

Thanks for getting in touch, my name is Sarah one of the nurses on the Macmillan support line.

I can see you have joined our travel insurance forum which I hope you have found helpful. We also have a lung cancer forum and chemotherapy forum, a place to talk with others going through treatment.

Chemotherapy can affect your immune system. The time you are most at risk of infection is 7 to 14 days after having chemotherapy, this varies depending on each drug. There are ways to protect yourself such as avoiding people who are unwell and busy places where there may be people with infections.

Once chemotherapy has finished your immune system starts to improve as it has done before each cycle. Most immune systems improve within 4 to 6 weeks, but can be affected for longer, this again varies from person to person. We would encourage you to speak to your team so they can be more accurate about your own situation.

A healthy lifestyle can help your body recover after treatment. We have information on life after cancer treatment which you may find helpful. Your team will share information about further support and our in your area page has a list of local support near to where you live.

All the best Val with the rest of your treatment and feel free to get in touch if we can help with anything else.

Best wishes,

Sarah

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref/ SS/PW