If you have chemo, does it normally lower your resistance to other things for a really long time?

[FlightAttendent]

My friend had chemo which finished nearly 2 years ago, for a low grade cancer. It made her quite tired at the time but she wasn't completely knocked out.
Since then she's had problems with a bad cough that wouldn't go away, they told her her mucus membranes had been damaged by the toxins. Now today her husband told me that she has an awful lung infection and may need to go in for some IV antibiotics

I am wondering if it is just down to the chemo, as it seems really really unfair to have all this as a result of an unavoidable treatment.

Is this usual? Is it likely she will have an improvement at some stage? Is there anything she can take or have done, to boost her immunity? She is only 40 with a young child.

yes, chemo can really knock back the immune system unfortunately. if all clear of cancer and other meds then yes there are quite a few herbals that can boost and modulate immunity. I would strongly suggest her going to see a proper qualified herbalist to do this and not self med as with some cancers you do not want to stimulate immunity but to modualte.

NIMH.org.uk to find your nearest qualified herbalist

Thanks Misi (why are you so helpful at the moment!!? Cat fences and probiotics and chemo...do you know everything?!!!!)

I will suggest she see a herbalist. In fact an ex of mine used to use one locally. He had cancer 4 years ago and is still travelling the world - he had secondaries as well.

That's a pretty good advert!

I have a memory that things stick in unfortunately, it is full of useless crap but usefull stuff somewhere in there too!

don't know everything though, I don't know how to carry on as normal while my son is on holiday with his mum and I won't see him for a total of 2 weeks, so am moping around quite a bit at the moment, reading lots and spending faarrr to much time on this 'ere thing!!

Some chemo drugs can damage your lungs permanantly leaving them open to infection. Her immune system could be fine but if she has lung damage she will still get chest infections and coughs more easily. Chemo is revolting and very bad for your health but the alternative is worse.

Oh you are a bloke!!

Sorry I hope I haven't said anything daft assuming you are a female.

I think I would go nuts if my children went on holiday with someone and I couldn't see them for 2 weeks. Stick around, if it helps to take your mind off it!

Thanks Pigleto - cross posted. How is yours going now? Are you back in the UK?

I really hope theycan knock this out with the IV a/b's. I've warned her husband to make sure everyone washes their hands around her if she is having a/b's. I'm washing mine thoroughly at the moment/ keeping strict hygiene at home, because I'm getting over c-diff myself and would hate to pass it on - having a/b's makes a person vulnerable to it and it is the last thing she needs.
Husband and their little boy might come round at the weekend but I'll make sure we stay in the garden to minimise any risk of transmission via them.

don't know of anything you have said that may be daft assuming I am a female flightattendent apart from assuming I am a female . at least you didn't start talking about personal womens bits assuming I was female like someone once did she went into great detail and then said, 'you must know what I mean' so in my deep voice, I said 'no, not off hand, my bits are different to yours' 'oh' she said. 'oh my god, you're a man' 'yes' I said, 'didn't you guess when I said hello in my deep manly voice and then said its XXXXX speaking?' and then it went quiet, she still came to see me after I gave her some advice over the phone, trouble is (well not trouble but occasionally embarrassing for me) she told her friends how I 'cured' her of her problem and from then on most of the women coming into the shop came to me rather than my ex for advice
I drew the line one day when a lady got her boob out for me to have a look at, wouldn't have been so bad if we were in clinic but we were in the middle of the shop and I had never seen her before