Some practical and helpful tips to help you or a loved one cope with a cancer diagnosis.
Sometimes, cancer cannot be cured. When that is the case, patients and families are faced with complex emotions and a variety of end of life issues.
Palliative care focuses on improving a patient's quality of life by improving the symptoms of his or her illness, such as pain, shortness of breath, and difficulty sleeping. It's used with a variety of ailments, including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney failure, or congestive heart failure.
The biggest problem with palliative care is that many people are referred for care too late. By starting this type of care early, and by using the right type of pain management, nearly all pain problems can be relieved or reduced.
Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is a type of pain management that allows you to decide when you will get a dose of pain medicine. You don't need to wait for a nurse, and you can get smaller doses of pain medicine more often.
Many people with cancer benefit from taking a break from their condition from time to time. This “vacation” from cancer can come in many forms.
When your body is unable to remove waste in the normal way, you may need an ostomy. This is an opening that is created surgically somewhere on the body to help the body get rid of stool or urine.
A cancer diagnosis often brings up extreme emotions. Those feelings are often eased as you learn more about your cancer and treatment, and get support from those around you.