Is what I am feeling normal? By Ruti Volk

As people go through chemotherapy, questions come up: Where can I find more information about my treatment and its side effects? Always ask your health-care team first, since some symptoms signal dangerous problems. Side effects are unique to each patient. Only your clinical team can diagnose the problem and help you handle it. If you feel different or have a side effect that is getting worse, call your doctor.

But she declined to be identified because she was worried she had been the victim of employment discrimination.

Ruti Volk, Cancer Center librarian, is the 2009 recipient of the Outstanding Consumer Health Information Service Award of the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association.

To learn more about these and other resources, contact the Patient Education Resource Center, on Level B-1 of the Cancer Center, at 734-647-8626.

To learn more about treatment and side effects, consider these resources:

• Chemocare.com provides very detailed information about chemotherapy drugs and other medications cancer patients use. The overviews describe how a drug works within the body to destroy cancer cells. It also lists side effects reported by people taking the drug.
• Next, learn more about side effects at the National Cancer Institute's site on chemotherapy side effects. This site offers practical advice as well as questions to ask your doctor.
• Read more at Cancersymptoms.org, a site offered by the Oncology Nursing Society. The site covers several chemotherapy-related side effects, including weight loss due to lack of appetite (anorexia), depression, fatigue and sexual dysfunction. The site describes medical and non-medical solutions for each side effect.

None of these Web sites take the place of your doctor's advice. Instead, use this information to start a conversation about what can be done to help you feel better.