Content Overview 
- Summary
- You can travel safely during treatment if your doctor permits travel.
- Don't let emotions bottle up inside.
- How To Live With Chemotherapy
- Cancer Surgery 101
- Radiation 101
- Bone Marrow Transplants
- Other Cancer Treatments
- Keep track of your symptoms. If symptoms are more severe than expected, or if unexpected symptoms appear, call your doctor.
- Consider the practical aspects of being in treatment.
- Reduce your risk of infection while in treatment
- Consider adding non-Western treatments ("complementary" or "alternative" treatments) such as massage therapy to your treatment schedule.
- Emotions may run rampant during treatment. Use time tested techniques to help. Take one day at a time. It's not unusual to see life with a different sense of perspective.
- Share your emotions. Watch for depression. Consider seeking counseling. You may also want to consider getting a pet if you don't have one (yes, a pet).
- Think of family and friends as part of your support team. Ask for help when you need it. Your needs are first, but also consider theirs.
- Work issues: If you are an employee, ask for the accommodations which make it possible to juggle treatment and work. If you need time off, negotiate for it. People who are business owners or are self employed should avoid making important decisions if pos
- Start looking at your insurance and financial situation to determine how you will pay for medical care. Even with health insurance, medical care can be costly. Free or low cost care is available if you are Uninsured or Underinsured
- Do finance basics. Pay your rent or mortgage and mniimums on your credit card. Start keeping track of all medical services you receive and expenses you pay. Don't pay a medical bill just because you receive one.
- Financial assistance is available.
- Drugs and treatments do not work in a vacuum. Think of the food you eat, the exercise you get, rest/sleep and even proper care of your mouth as steps you can take to make treatments and drugs most effective.
- Modify your (hopefully)healthy diet to make up for nutrients your treatment uses up. Get dietary counseling.
- Speak with other people who are going through what you are.
- If you have a spouse or significant other, you will both face challenges from the treatment and side effects. There is no right or wrong way to handle the situation. Cooperative problem solving and mutual support is key.
- If you have underage children, tell them about what is going on in an age appropriate manner. Monitor their behavior. Arrange for their care in case something happens to you.
- Schedule a dental check up.
- When treatment ends, celebrate. Read Survivorship A to Z Post Treatment.
In Treatment For Cancer
Cancer Surgery 101
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Surgery can be scary when you take into account stories of surgeons leaving equipment before closing a patient's incision or people getting disease resistant infections in a hospital and losing a leg. The reason you hear about these stories is because they are the exception, not the rule. You can help assure that your surgery and recovery go well by considering the following:
- Learn about your surgical procedure
- What will the surgeon do?
- Why is the surgery proposed?
- What will the side effects of the surgery be?
- Learn what you should do or not do before surgery. For instance:
- Foods to eat -- or avoid.
- Vitamins, minerals or other supplements to take - or avoid.
- Exercise to help build your body. When asking about exercise, it may help to use the word "prehab" with your health care provider. One way to look at prehab is as armor to help the mind and body prepare for the coming battle.
- Drugs to stop taking - such as anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Ask whether you will need to be given blood during the surgery ("transfused.") If so, you can give your own blood ahead of time. You can also ask family and friends to donate and specify that the donation is for you. This is known as "directed donation." Directed donation saves money and adds further asurance to the safety of the blood you may be given duing surgery. This is known as a "belt and suspenders" approach to our already safe blood supply.
- Tests you need to take. You may need standard surgery tests in addition to the cancer tests you already took. The doctor will let you know whether the tests may be performed ahead of time or the day of the surgery. Common tests include: Blood tests, Electrocardiogram (EKG) to evaluate your heart, and a Chest X ray to check lungs
- Think about what you would want to happen medically if you need medical care and become unable to speak for yourself. You will be asked by the hospital admissions person whether you have a Living Will and other advance directives which cover these issues. If not, you will be offered the form the hospital uses. Completing advance directives doesn't mean that they will be needed. However, they do let you stay in control if the unexpected happens.
- Learn how to stay safe and be comfortable in the hospital. Among other steps to take, even in world class hospitals, it is helpful to have a family member or friend stay with you as much as possible to act as a patient advocate. While you're at it, Survivorship A to Z also has information on how to save money in a hospital and how to make your room feel more friendly.
- Plan ahead for your needs when you are discharged from the hospital. For example, if you will need home care, start putting away valuable items, credit cards and cash. If you will need a hospital bed or other equipment, how will you get it and where will you put it?
NOTE: When you are discharged from the hospital, it is advisable to do the following:
- Check your bill, even if you have insurance. A large percentage of hospital bills have errors which are usually in the hospital's favor.
- Get a discharge plan that tells you what was done in the hospital and what you should be doing and not doing during recovery - as well as a date for a follow up visit with your surgeon and perhaps other doctors.
To Learn More
More Information
What To Do Before You Are Discharged From A Hospital How To Choose A Surgeon How To Obtain Surgery Without Health Insurance How To Prepare For Surgery Questions To Ask Before Agreeing To Surgery Surgery 101Related Articles
How To Review A Hospital Bill And What To Do If You Find An Error How To Enforce A Living Will And Other Advance Directives Healthcare Power of Attorney 101 Living Wills
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