Fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and plants are not permitted in the patient's room, since they may harbor fungi or bacteria that could cause a serious infection. Special air filtering devices are often used to remove possible infectious agents from the room. Patients are usually given antibiotics, even if no infection is present, to prevent infections from developing. The high-dose chemotherapy also irritates the lining of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, causing sores similar to canker sores. Patients usually require morphine-based pain medication while the sores persist, as well as intravenous feeding, since chewing and swallowing food can irritate the sores.
Most patients also experience diarrhea caused by sores in the intestines.
Patients are carefully monitored for changes in organ activity that may have occurred as a result of the high-dose combination chemotherapy. Examinations are performed daily and tests are administered frequently to determine whether the patient's heart, lungs, kidney and liver are functioning properly. Occasionally patients experience partial hearing loss due to carboplatin in the high-dose combination chemotherapy or antibiotics. After returning home, patients are closely monitored for several months to ensure that no life-threatening infections or any other late complications develop. Occasionally a patient may be readmitted to the hospital to treat a late complication or infection.