Having prostate cancer and prostate cancer treatments may cause side effects that require the immediate attention of your doctor or health care team, but it is hard to know when to call the doctor as opposed to knowing when to let it ride.
- Infection
It can even be difficult to know when all you have is a common cold versus a more serious infection, but responding properly can save your life. An infection occurs when bacteria, viruses, and less commonly, fungi (such as yeast), invade your body’s tissues and the immune system cannot control them. Prostate cancer and many of its treatments may increase your risk of develop infections. Treatment for prostate cancer, such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy will weaken the immune system, laying us more open to get an uncontrolled infection.
When you are at home, there is no way to know for sure when you are fighting an infection, but some common symptoms typical of an infection can include a fever (a temperature of 100.5°F or higher), chills, sweating, and a general sense of feeling poorly. A good rule of thumb is that if you feel good one day and t