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
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).
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Let the people closest to you know what you are experiencing, including about stress and fear. Talking helps.
Consider getting a pet. Pets are not a substitute for communicating with other people in a similar situation, support groups or therapists. However, they are good for emotional health and have been shown to increase longevity. The pet doesn't have to be a dog or a cat, and it doesn't have to be an attention requiring puppy or kitten. Survivorship A to Z provides advice about how to live with a pet including how avoid getting an infection from them. Please see "To Learn More."
As we've already seen, your emotions may be all over the place due to the stress of dealing with the issues at hand as well as the unknown. Do what you can to relieve the stress. For example:
- Define your fears. If you define your fears specifically, you can come up with solutions to each of them so that so you don't feel so powerless and overwhelmed by them.
- Eat foods that are comfort food for you, even if they're not the healthiest. (Of course, don't make them the only fod you eat.)
- Start doing things to make you feel in control or that help you feel centered. For instance, think of a small project you can start and finish quickly.
Waiting for test results can be agonizing. There are time tested ideas that can help you get through this period. For instance:
- Keep busy.
- Take advantage of your support systems.
- If you need help sleeping, get it.
- Use relaxation techniques.
- Exercise.
If you get stuck in a down mode:
- Talk with your doctor. He or she may prescribe anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications. AND
- Join a support group.
- Consider seeking professional counseling. Counseling is for anyone who wants to sort out what they're feeling. Counseling is usually done in person. If that is not possible, you can arrange for therapy on the telephone, or even on line. If your insurance doesn't pay for counseling, many therapists work on a sliding scale and charge according to your means.
Consider getting a pet. Pets are not a substitute for communicating with other people in a similar situation, support groups or therapists. However, they are good for emotional health and have been shown to increase longevity. The pet doesn't have to be a dog or a cat, and it doesn't have to be an attention requiring puppy or kitten. Survivorship A to Z provides advice about how to live with a pet including how avoid getting an infection from them. Please see "To Learn More."
To Learn More
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