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Managing the Side Effects of Your Treatment
Comfort Care
Pain Control
Other Ways To Treat Pain
Fatigue
Nausea and Vomiting
Nutrition
Sleep Problems
Physical Therapy
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
You probably already know about ways to manage the side
effects of cancer treatment. If so, parts of this section will be
a review for you. It outlines some of the support therapies
cancer patients have found helpful.
For more information about side effects, see the NCI
booklets
Radiation Therapy and You: A Guide to Self-Help
During Cancer Treatments and Chemotherapy and You: A Guide
to Self-Help During Cancer Treatments.
You have a right to comfort care both during and after
treatment. This kind of care is often called
palliative (PAL-ee-yuh-tiv) care. It includes treating or preventing
cancer symptoms and the side effects caused by treatment.
Comfort care can also mean getting help with emotional and
spiritual problems during and after cancer treatment.
People once thought of palliative care as a way to comfort
those dying of cancer. Doctors now offer this care to all
cancer patients, beginning when the cancer is diagnosed.
You should receive palliative care through treatment,
survival, and advanced disease. Your
oncologist
may be able
to help you. But a palliative care specialist may be the best
person to treat some problems. Ask your doctor or nurse if
there is a specialist you can go to.
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"For me personally, the challenge
is not to let the treatments get the
best of me. I make sure if I have
any new aches or pains I tell my
doctor right away. He's great
about working with me to handle
these things." - Edna |
Having cancer doesn't always mean that you'll have pain. But
if you do, you shouldn't accept pain as normal. Your doctor
can control pain with medicines and other treatments.
Managing your pain helps you sleep and eat better. It makes
it easier to enjoy your family and friends, and to focus on the
things you enjoy.
Have regular talks with your health care team about your
pain. Let them know what kind of pain it is, where it is, and
how bad it is. These talks are important because pain can
change throughout your illness. And your pain may show
where cancer has returned after remission. Many hospitals
have doctors who are experts in treating pain. Tell your
doctor if you would like to talk to a pain specialist.
Treatments can be used for all types of pain, including:
- Mild to medium pain
- Medium to very bad pain
-
Breakthrough pain
- Tingling and burning pain
- Pain caused by swelling.
There are different ways to take pain medicine, such as:
- By mouth
- Through the skin (with a patch)
- By shots
- Through an
I.V.
pump.
Your medicine, and how you take it, will depend on the type
of pain and its cause. For example, for constant pain you
may need a steady dose of medicine over a long period of
time. You might use a patch placed on the skin or a slow-release
pill.
You may want to keep a pain diary to help you explain your
pain to your doctor. In the diary, write down:
- The time of day you had the pain
- What you were doing when you felt the pain
- What it felt like
- Where you felt it.
Your doctor may also ask you some questions about how your
pain affects your daily routine (see Controlling Pain: What to Tell Your Doctor).
Having your pain managed means that you can focus on
living your life and not be distracted by pain.
To learn more, see the NCI booklet Pain Control: A Guide for
People With Cancer and Their Families.
| Controlling Pain:
What To Tell Your Doctor |
When describing pain to your doctor, give as much detail
as you can. Your doctor may want to know:
- Where exactly is your pain? Does it move from
one spot to another?
- How does the pain feel - dull, sharp, burning?
- How often do you have pain?
- How long does it last?
- Does it occur at a certain time of day - morning,
afternoon, night?
- What makes the pain better? What makes it worse?
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| Using Strong Drugs To Control Pain |
|
People with cancer often need strong medicine to help
control their pain. Don't be afraid to ask for pain
medicine or for larger doses if you need them. And the
drugs will help you stay as comfortable as possible.
People with cancer hardly ever get addicted to these
drugs. Sadly, fears of addiction sometimes prevent people
from taking medicine for pain. The same fears also
prompt family members to encourage loved ones to
"hold off" between doses. But people in pain get the
most relief when they take their medicines and
treatments on a regular schedule. |
Cancer pain is usually treated with medicine and other
therapies. But there are also some nondrug treatments. They
are types of
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
Many people have found the methods listed below helpful.
But talk with your health care team before trying any of
them. Make sure they are safe and won't interfere with your
cancer treatment.
-
Acupuncture
is a form of Chinese medicine that
stimulates certain points on the body using small
needles. It may help treat nausea and control pain.
Before using acupuncture, ask your health care team
if it is safe for your type of cancer.
-
Imagery
is imagining scenes, pictures, or experiences
to feel calmer or perhaps to help the body to heal.
-
Relaxation techniques
include deep breathing and
exercises to relax your muscles.
-
Hypnosis
is a state of relaxed and focused attention.
One focuses on a certain feeling, idea, or suggestion.
-
Biofeedback
is the use of a special machine to help
the patient learn how to control certain body
functions. These are things that we are normally not
aware of (such as heart rate).
-
Massage therapy
brings relaxation and a sense of
well-being by the gentle rubbing of different body
parts or muscles. Before you try this, you need to
check with your doctor. Massage is not recommended
for some kinds of cancer.
These methods may also help manage stress. Again, talk to
your health care team before using anything new, no matter
how safe it may seem. Ask your health care team for more
information about where to get these treatments. To learn
more, see the NCI booklet Thinking About Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Guide for People With Cancer.
Fatigue is more than feeling tired. Fatigue is exhaustion -
not being able to do even the small things you used to do.
A number of things can cause fatigue. Besides cancer
treatment, they include anxiety, stress, and changes in your
diet or sleeping patterns. If you are having some of these
problems, you might want to:
- Tell your doctor or nurse at your next visit. Ask about
medicines that can help with fatigue.
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Plan your days and do only what is important to you
- Take short breaks every day to rest and relax
- Take naps
- Ask others for help.
Nausea is feeling sick to your stomach. Vomiting means
throwing up. Both can be a problem for cancer patients.
Untreated nausea and vomiting can make you feel very tired.
They can also make it hard to get treatments or to care for
yourself. There are many drugs to help you control nausea
and vomiting. Ask your doctor which medicines might work
best for you.
You also may want to make these changes to your diet:
- Eat small amounts of food five to six times a day.
- Avoid foods that are sweet, fatty, salty, spicy, or
have strong smells. These may make nausea and
vomiting worse.
- Have as much liquid as possible. You'll want to
keep your body from getting too dry (dehydrated).
Broth, ice cream, water, juices, herb teas, and
watermelon are good choices.
For some patients, it's hard to eat the foods they normally
enjoy. For others, it's hard to eat anything at all. Are you
having trouble eating or digesting food? If so, you may want to
talk with your doctor about your diet. They may suggest:
- A special diet
- Other ways of getting the nutrition you need
- Tips on eating during treatment
- Seeing a dietitian.
For more information, see the NCI booklet Eating Hints for
Cancer Patients.
Illness, pain, stress, drugs, and being in the hospital can
cause sleep problems. These problems may include:
- Having trouble falling asleep
- Sleeping only for short amounts of time
- Waking up in the middle of the night
- Having trouble getting back to sleep.
To help with your sleep problem, you may want to try:
- Reducing noise, dimming lights, making the room
warmer or cooler, and using pillows to support
your body
- Dressing in loose, soft clothing
- Going to the bathroom before bed
- Eating a high-protein snack 2 hours before bedtime
(such as peanut butter, cheese, nuts, or some sliced
chicken or turkey)
- Avoiding caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, hot cocoa)
- Keeping regular sleep hours
- Avoiding naps longer than 15-30 minutes
- Talking with your health care team about drugs to
help you sleep.
Sometimes people with cancer feel pain in different parts of
their body. Others feel weak and tired. And some feel stiffer
than they used to. So it can become hard to move different
body parts. If you are having any of these problems, your
health care team may suggest you see a physical therapist.
The therapist may use heat, cold, massage, pressure, or
exercises to help you. Physical therapy may reduce tiredness
and help your body function better. It may help with
strength and balance as well. It also may help with stiffness
and other side effects of radiation therapy.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)
treatment
can be helpful for some people. And some CAM treatments
are safe, such as those listed in Other Ways to Treat Pain. But you may
have read about different diets, vitamins, and herbs for
treating your cancer or symptoms. Talk with your health care
team before you try anything new. Here's why:
- Some CAM treatments are not proven to work and
could actually harm you.
- You may have a dangerous reaction. Or the CAM
treatment could interfere with the medicine your
doctor has prescribed.
- A "natural" product doesn't mean that it's a safe
product.
Seek information about CAM treatments from trusted
sources. Federal agencies and nonprofit cancer groups are
good sources. You might also want to read the NCI booklet
Thinking About Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Guide
for People With Cancer.
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