How to prepare for Cancer Journey
Know exactly what your treatment involves
It can take several days or weeks before you meet with a specialist to learn more about your diagnosis, and this time can be filled with anxiety and fear. To help you cope, you should learn the following:
- How to prepare for treatment
- What to expect during treatment
- Learning how to cope and control anxiety and depression
- How will you take care of yourself?
- Practice healthy habits
Speak to your Cancer Care Team
With a few simple steps, you can feel stronger and more prepared, even if you seem like you have no control. One of the most important things you can do is to make sure you and your cancer care team understand what your treatment entails. Stress can worsen if you do not know what treatment is like, what your options are, and where to get help.
Discuss the following points
- What will happen during treatment?
- How long will the treatment take?
- What are the potential side effects?
- What is the ultimate goal of your treatment?
Practice Healthy Habits
The waiting for treatment can be stressful. The way you feel before treatment influences how you feel during treatment, which can impact your recovery and worsen side effects. To ensure you feel your best, it is important to keep your mental and physical health in good condition before treatment begins.
It can be an anxious time when you are waiting to start treatment. How you feel before treatment can affect how you feel during treatment. This can affect your recovery and even worsen side effects. You should pay attention to your mental and physical health before treatment starts to ensure you feel your best.
Consider changing a few things in your daily life
Eat Healthy |
Healthy cells can be killed by treatment, so it is important to begin treatment as strong and healthy as possible. This will help you cope with the side effects more easily. |
During treatment, you may not be able to exercise as much. Starting treatment fit and healthy will help you regain strength more quickly when treatment ends. |
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Learn different de-stress techniques like meditation or yoga. Or you may want to try talking to a therapist. |
Practical Concerns of cancer treatment
There are times when frustrations and anxieties aren't actually related to cancer, but to practical concerns. It can be difficult to accept that you might not be able to do everything, but remember to ask for help when you need it.
It can be very helpful if you think about how you will take care of yourself at home. What might you need assistance with? By doing this, you can plan around your day-to-day life and make things easier.
Plan Ahead
Housework |
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Shopping |
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Preparing Meals |
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Washing & Dressing |
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Ask for Help |
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Speak to Someone |
If you need to ease uncertainty, anxiety, or fear, connect with other people who have cancer. This can be through a charity, fb groups or any other social media. |
Things to prepare before treatment starts
Before treatment starts there are some things you need to know. For instance, if you are having chemo the first 48 hours after treatment, small amounts of chemotherapy drugs will leave your body through urine, vomit and other body fluids. It is important to keep these chemicals away from yourself and others in your home.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions or check out our 'Chemotherapy Safety at Home' blog post for more info.
See a Dentist |
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Expect Changes in Your Appearance |
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Create Recovery Space |
Think about where you might need to recover, like your living room or bedroom.
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For tips read - 'How to Create a Chemo Kit' or 'How a PICC Line is Fitted'