How to prepare for chemotherapy - practical advice

The best way to prepare to start chemotherapy is to gather all the necessary information to help you plan and stay organized. The stress experienced prior to therapy is partly due to the fact that the course of treatment is a great unknown. Here are practical advice on how to prepare for chemotherapy, taken from the book "Chemotherapy. A guide for a patient and his family" by Judith McKay and Tamery Schacher (Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne).

Preparations before chemotherapy

The optimal preparation for chemotherapy consists mainly of: gathering the necessary information, good organization and own readiness. They allow you to avoid stress, as well as the loss of time and energy in the later period.

Necessary information before starting chemotherapy:

• Try to understand the overall plan and schedule of the treatment steps. You agree on the overall plan with the attending physician. Make sure you know how many chemotherapy steps are foreseen (if predetermined), how often the steps will be, and how long each step will take. Also find out if any laboratory tests or additional visits to the doctors will be necessary between the stages. This will make it easier for you to choose convenient times and make necessary appointments.

• Try to understand your insurance conditions. Your attending physician will provide you with the necessary information or suggest where to find it. You need to determine which expenses will be covered by the insurer (costs of treatment, tests, visits to specialists, etc.) and which you have to pay for yourself.

• Find out about the solutions proposed by your employer. Ask your boss if you would consider, for example, part-time, home work, reduced responsibilities, flexible working hours. Also find out if it is possible to move you in the company to another place where the risk of catching an infection from one of your colleagues will be lower.

• Get to know the remuneration solutions in case of reduced working capacity. You can raise this topic in an interview with an employee of the HR department or with a trade union representative. Will you keep your working conditions despite your temporary absence? Who will get youreplace? What benefit can you count on, from when and for how long? When applying for unemployment benefit, remember that you will not regain your full strength until a few weeks (or more). Take this into account when determining when you are scheduled to return to work. It's better to give a later date and come back earlier - if of course you feel good enough.

Good organization

• Make a list of questions to ask the doctor and nurse. Meetings with the attending physician can be stressful, they are rushed, and then it is difficult to remember to ask all the questions. So wear a notebook so that you don't miss any questions that arise between appointments with the doctor. Before the next visit, organize the list of questions so that the conversation goes smoothly. If you have someone with you during your visit to the doctor, that person can add more questions on your list, note down certain information, and then help you remember it.

• Put a binder or briefcase on everything related to chemotherapy. Put in it any papers that you receive over and over again. A binder with an appropriate division will facilitate finding documents that are important at the moment, as well as preparation for subsequent visits to the doctor.

• Agree to whom you can turn to for help or support (family and friends). Once you have figured out what help you will need, talk to your immediate family and friends to know who you can count on. At the same time, try to realistically assess the availability and abilities of individual people. Be specific about what you expect. Transport to and from the clinic? Keeping you company during the next stages of therapy? Childcare? Shopping benefits? Preparing meals?

• Start writing a journal or diary. Some patients find that keeping a diary or diary makes it easier to keep track of how you feel, record new messages, and collect helpful book titles and website addresses. Some people believe that writing down their feelings relieves the psyche. Moreover, it facilitates introspection and relieves stress. Some keep a diary of sorts, writing letters or e-mails to loved ones describing their experiences. If you choose to do so, keep copies of the letters to yourself. It will be your journal - documentation of everything that happened to you during your treatment.

Self-readiness

Before your chemotherapy starts, there are many different things you can do to help keep you going during your treatment. Here are some suggestions.

• Visit the dentist. Make an appointment to get tartar removed and donenecessary dental procedures. Some chemotherapy drugs reduce resistance to infection and blood clotting. Of course, the teeth can take its toll unexpectedly, but during chemotherapy it is worth avoiding situations that would require more serious oral surgery, which could expose you to infection or hemorrhage.

• Stock up. Buy food, juices, and anything else you'll need for a few days after the first stage of chemotherapy. You will probably hear a suggestion to drink plenty of fluids and eat lightly digestible foods. So stock up on drinks and food. Also have a thermometer, a soft toothbrush, baking soda, paper towels, and sunscreen ready. After your first chemotherapy session, you'll have a better understanding of what foods, drinks, and other things you find useful.

• Confirm arrangements made in advance. Make sure someone picks you up or accompanies you to the first stage of chemotherapy. Some medications cause drowsiness, and then it is not advisable to drive and travel on your own.

• Buy headgear. If hair loss (or thinning) is one of the side effects of the chemotherapy you are undergoing, it is worth preparing for it. Many people shorten their hair before the first stage of treatment. If you plan to wear a wig, choose it in advance, i.e. before losing your hair, to find the one that is the closest in color or style to your current hairstyle. In addition to the wig, it is worth getting other headgear, such as a hat or a scarf.

• Take advantage of lectures and classes. Find out about support groups and types of activities in your area. The American oncology association organizes a series of classes "Take care of your appearance and feel better", during which specialists in the field of cosmetology teach the patient creative makeup and help choose a hat, scarf or wig. You can also attend meetings with cancer nutritionists, where you will learn what a proper diet should look like before, during and after chemotherapy.

• Make a schedule for your chemotherapy treatment. Certain types of chemotherapy require the patient to stay in the clinic for many hours. During this time, you can, for example, take a nap, watch TV, read, do crosswords, listen to music or knit. If you are accompanied, you can play cards, scrabble or any other game.

• Redeem your prescriptions. It is possible that your doctor will prescribe some home remedies, such as anti-sickness or anti-diarrheal medications, or an antibiotic.Ask for prescriptions to be issued prior to starting therapy to get them completed sooner. Take these medications to your chemotherapy session for the nurse to review the leaflets. Some medications are not available immediately, so it's a good idea to have everything ready in advance.

• Prepare your home. Do the most important household chores before the chemotherapy session, as you may not have the strength for them afterwards. Do the laundry and clean your home thoroughly to reduce the risk of infection. Shop and cook the food, then freeze it. Cleanliness and order in the house and the accumulated supplies will make you feel better.

• The evening before chemotherapy. Unless your doctor has given you specific instructions, you do not need to fast or follow a special diet right before your chemotherapy treatment. You will likely be given antiemetics while you are under treatment so that you can eat and drink normally. Nevertheless, it's better to avoid fried things and foods that can upset your stomach. Eat an easy-to-digest dinner in the evening before chemotherapy, and an equally easy-to-digest breakfast in the morning of the next day. Also, try to get a good night's sleep.

During chemotherapy

• Dress comfortably - loosely, layered. You will feel warm in colder weather, and in warmer you just take something off. Wear a blouse that has easy sleeves rolled up for injections, drawing blood or taking blood pressure. If you will have a vascular port in your chest, wear a button-down blouse.

• Take everything you need to the clinic: things that keep you busy (books, music, games); food (including snacks); drinking; a binder or folder containing photocopies of laboratory test results; calendar of visits to specialists; a list of questions for the doctor and nurse; medications you take; important phone numbers.

• Be aware of what is happening. Always ask the nurse to explain what is happening. Promptly report on sudden reactions in your body (pain, itching, nausea) as well as things that will increase your comfort (for example dim the lights, change TV channel, warm blanket, more juice, help in reaching the toilet). If you are going to spend a few hours in the clinic, unless you feel sleepy, you can talk to a psychologist or nutritionist during this time.

After chemotherapy

After returning home, you can take care of your comfort in many different ways and prevent or alleviate the side effects of treatment.

• Keep your body hydrated. Drink 8-10 glasses of various fluids daily. Reach for juices, soups and broths, herbal teas, as well as watermelons and ice cream made from frozen juice. Thanks to thisyour body will eliminate the effects of chemotherapy more easily and you will feel better.

• Take your medications as directed. If your doctor or nurse recommends a measure to prevent a specific problem (for example, nausea, constipation, diarrhea), take your medicine exactly as you should to actually protect yourself from any unpleasant side effects. If for any reason you are unable to take these measures, contact the appropriate specialist to find out what to do. The effectiveness of drugs in eliminating the side effects of chemotherapy is the greater the sooner you take them after a specific problem occurs, so do not wait for a significant deterioration in well-being.

• Take note of any side effects you experience. Write down when a reaction occurred, what helped you and what made the problem worse. In addition, write down the name of the drug taken, the time of taking it and its effectiveness. Thanks to this, your attending physician will be able to possibly change the drug or dosage to make the effect better.

• Control your body temperature. Your doctor or nurse will likely recommend two temperature measurements a day for a specified length of time. However, if you feel unwell (headache, cold, cough, general soreness, chills), take the temperature (before brushing your teeth, before eating or drinking a drink), and then contact your doctor, even if you do not have a fever. Notify the doctor or nurse of any rise in temperature, especially as temperature approaches 38 ° C. It could be an infection signal.

• Reduce the risk of contamination. You are more susceptible to infections during the course of chemotherapy, so try to protect yourself against them. Wash your hands often and thoroughly, without skimming soap or water. Also, encourage your loved ones to wash their hands frequently (before preparing meals). Avoid close contact with sick people, crowds, closed spaces, places where people coughing or sneezing may be.

• Keep your mouth clean and he althy. Clean your mouth frequently and gently. Use a soft toothbrush and rinse your mouth with a solution of a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a cup of warm water. This way you will get rid of the sour aftertaste and speed up the regeneration of the mucous membranes. Inform your doctor about sore mouth, sores, and white or patchy surfaces. There are medications that can help with these conditions.

• Avoid alcohol, spicy foods, and acidic foods and juices. They irritate the stomach wall and can also cause or worsen nausea, heartburn, and stomach pain.

• Get a lot of rest. The most common side effectAll cancer treatments are fatigue, so listen to your body. He has to struggle to remove unnecessary chemotherapy products and for the regeneration of he althy cells to take place. In moments of fatigue, sit down with your feet raised and close your eyes. Intertwine leisure with activity.

• Take care of physical activity. If possible, stay active and continue exercising. Despite being tired or even exhausted on a given day, be sure to take a walk around the house or somewhere else. Physical activity relieves nausea, improves appetite, makes it easier to sleep through the night and gives you encouragement. It also promotes proper breathing and reduces the risk of blood clots in the legs.

• Report any problems. Tell your doctor or nurse about any problem, no matter how trivial: when you suffer from vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or if you are concerned about dehydration because you are unable to drink fluids. Report a sore mouth, difficulty swallowing, pain or bleeding, and any sign of infection: fever, chills, sore throat, productive cough, difficulty urinating, swelling or redness on the skin. Don't wait until your next appointment, which may not be until a week or so later. As chemotherapy has reduced your resistance to infection, you may need to take an antibiotic.

• Keep to the deadlines for examinations and visits to specialists. Your doctor will most likely order certain laboratory tests and invite you to another appointment approximately one week after the end of each stage of treatment to see your blood test results and find out how you are feeling. Keep to the dates of such visits and examinations to enable him to quickly detect possible complications.

This will be useful to you

What is chemotherapy? Is it worth giving up? How effective is it? How to prepare for it? What side effects may arise? How to eat during chemotherapy? How To Work And How To Live With Cancer? How to deal with loneliness and regret? How to behave in everyday contacts with people?

These and many other questions bothering patients and their families are answered in an understandable and empathetic way by the authors of the book " Chemotherapy. A guide for the patient and his family " (Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne). Judith McKay and Tamera Schacher, who deal with cancer patients on a daily basis and overcome the hardships of treatment with them, wrote a book especially for them. The guide will help patients to get used - as much as possible - to a difficult situation and understand everything that isis a mystery to them.

The authors present basic information on chemotherapy, sharing their extensive experience as well as numerous practical tips and advice. They explain how the sick person can help himself, but also how he should use the help of others. They show, step by step, how to survive the demanding period of illness, while maintaining the best physical and mental condition.

Poradnikzdrowie.pl is the media patron of "Chemotherapy" - we recommend it!