How will I know if my first chemo session is working?

You cannot tell if chemotherapy is working based on how you feel during or after a session. Side effects — or the lack of them — are not a sign of how well treatment is fighting your cancer. Feeling very tired does not mean the chemotherapy is working extra hard, and feeling fine does not mean it isn't working at all.

Instead, your care team checks how treatment is working over time using exams and tests, which are planned into your overall treatment schedule rather than judged after a single session. This is one reason why it helps to focus on getting through each session as comfortably as possible, rather than reading meaning into every symptom.

If you are anxious about not having a clear signal after your first session, that is a completely normal feeling. Ask your doctor or nurse when and how they will check your progress, so you know what to expect and when you will next get real information about how treatment is going.