Lula is already feeling the first side effect of chemotherapy.
After five days of continuous application of chemotherapy drugs against laryngeal cancer, the former president is fatigued and has not yet been able to return to work at the Lula Institute, as he intended.
The first of three chemotherapy cycles is already producing its first side effect in former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: fatigue. After five days of continuous application of chemotherapy drugs to fight laryngeal cancer, the former president has still not been able to return to work at the Lula Institute, as he had intended.
According to his doctors, Lula tolerated the first chemotherapy session well, received the full dose of treatment, and did not experience nausea or any other serious reactions. "He had minimal side effects. Only tiredness, which is normal. He didn't have nausea or any other serious impairment," said oncological surgeon Luiz Paulo Kowalski, from the team that is monitoring the former president.
According to Lula's doctors, the reaction to the treatment is within expectations. "The first week after chemotherapy has its side effects. This is expected," assessed oncologist Paulo Hoff. "All patients feel weak in the following days," agreed Kowalski. In general, patients undergoing this type of treatment suffer from malaise and loss of appetite. "Five days of chemotherapy is tough; it takes a few days for the patient to physically recover from the fatigue produced by the treatment," Kowalski reinforced.
According to doctors, Lula's minimal reaction to the treatment is a good sign. "This is good because when the patient can tolerate it, he can receive the full dose, the treatment isn't delayed, and that makes a big difference in the long-term outcome," explained the surgeon. Lula will undergo a total of three chemotherapy sessions, with a 21-day interval between them. Starting in January, the former president will undergo seven weeks of radiotherapy.
Doctors say the former president is cleared, in moderation, for "all activities he feels well enough to do," but recommended that Lula remain secluded. "This moment is for focusing on recovery," Hoff emphasized. Starting in the next few days, the former president should notice a significant loss of hair, as the strands become weaker with the treatment. "At some point he will appear bald, you can be absolutely sure. But not now. Right now, certainly, his comb has more hairs, like any patient," Kowalski stated.