Unfortunately, hair loss is a common side effect of these drugs. People who lose their hair often wear wigs, hats or scarves. You may be entitled to a free wig from the National Health Service. Ask your doctor or the nurse looking after you if a wig specialist is available to visit you. Although they may be hard to bear at the time, these side effects will disappear once your treatment is over, and if you do lose your hair it will grow back surprisingly quickly.
Chemotherapy affects people in different ways.
Some find they are able to lead a fairly normal life during their treatment, but many find they become very tired and have to take things much more slowly. Just do as much as you feel like and try not to overdo it. Most children manage to go to school in between their courses of chemotherapy. It is important to talk to the teachers about your child's illness and to ask them to let you know when there are any infections, such as chicken-pox or measles, in your child's class. It is also advisable not to let your child get overtired, so games and PE are probably best avoided during the period of treatment.