Research Article

Exploring the Needs and Concerns of Women with Early Breast Cancer during Chemotherapy: Valued Outcomes during a Course of Traditional Acupuncture

Table 1

Summary of main and secondary concerns recorded in treatment logs*.

Main complaintSecondary complaints

Tiredness/fatigue/exhaustion (27)Night sweats/hot flushes (29)
Emotional (stress/distress/anxiety) (18)Fatigue/tiredness/weakness (22)
Night sweats/hot flushes (12)Emotional (stress/distress/anxiety) (17)
Nausea (11)Poor sleep (19)
Pain—gastric, arthritic, tension (9)Heartburn/gastritis (10)
Depression and feeling low (7)Aches and pains including pain in chemotherapy arm, pain due to tension, and chest pain (10)
Ear problems (pain and deafness, tinnitus, and infection) (6)Eyes—blepharitis (dry/pain/infection/red/inflamed) (7)
Anxiety/fear (5)Sore mouth/throat (7)
Poor sleep (4)Nausea/poor appetite (7)
Migraine/headache (4)Breathless/tight chest (5)
Sore throat/mouth (3)Disorientation/“spaced out”/feeling disconnected (4)
Head cold/cough (2)Headache (4)
Constipation (2)Breast pain or tenderness or infection or fluid (5)
Disorientation/“spaced out”/feeling disconnected (1) Diarrhoea (5) constipation (3)
Fluid around wound (1)Oedema (5)
Back pain (4)
Blood glucose erratic (4)
Tinnitus (3)
Low white cell count (1)

The number in brackets is a count of the number of times each was mentioned in the treatment log.