POST-TREATMENT CARE
Completing mesothelioma treatment can be both stressful and rewarding. A huge task had been accomplished but not yet fully achieved such that it is hard not to worry about cancer coming back. On the other hand, this is a very common concern among those who have survived cancer. It may take a while before your confidence in your own recovery is absorbed and your fears alleviated. The right set of attitude is critical to any success so that even with no relapse, people who have had cancer should learn to live with uncertainty.
After Treatment Concern
After your treatment is over, it is very important to follow the doctor’s advice in a series of follow-up appointments. During these regular visits, doctors will inquire to any noted symptom, will perform physical exams, and may order blood tests (such as the osteopontin or MesoMark tests) or imaging tests such as CT scans or PET scans. The time between visits may be eventually extended if there are no problems.
To check for cancer recurrence or spread and possible side effects of certain treatments a follow-up must be done. Almost any cancer treatment has side effects, lasting for a few weeks to several months, and can even be permanent. Don’t hesitate to tell your cancer care team about any symptoms or side effects that bother you so they can help you manage them, otherwise, you might be worrying over nothing.
If the cancer does recur at a certain time, further treatment will depend on the location of the cancer, what treatments were administered, and your general health.
Seeing a New Doctor
It is critical to keep a copy of your pathology report(s) from any biopsies or surgeries, a copy of the discharge summary that doctors must prepare when patients are sent home, a summary of the type and dose of radiation as applicable and the list of your drugs and doses for chemotherapy. Situations may happen that your old doctor may no longer be available for consultation, thus, looking for a new one, may not be as normally hard when you’ve prepared for it.
Healthier Lifestyle
Learning is the best tool to fight off recurrence of cancer. You may have noted what were the things you did that made you less healthy. It may be abusive alcohol consumption, improper diet, smoking, or didn’t exercise as often as you should. You can start making changes today that can have positive effects for the future. Most cancer survivors view their experiences as life-changing and what better way to celebrate this is to work on feeling better and healthier.
One of the best things you can do after treatment is to put healthy eating habits into practice. One cannot do it immediately but as surely slow and safe as possible. Start with learning what are to avoid and not, what to eat more servings. Snacking or indulging with vegetables and fruits each day is the least harm that you can do. Choose whole grain foods instead of simple sugar foods such as white flour. Cut back on meats that is high fat. Avoid processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, and bacon and fast food. Getting rid of them will be better if you can. The combination of a proper diet and regular exercise will help you maintain a healthy weight and will give you more energy to view life in the most positive way.
When treatments are no longer working?
Despair may at first be the major setback when everything has been done but the outlook of cure is still not clear. Everyone has his or her own way of coping with this such as focusing on remaining comfortable during their limited time left. No matter what you decide to do, it is best to be as comfortable as possible. Make sure of what you are asking for and understand the treatment you are getting for any symptom.
Palliative treatment will help relieve symptoms such as pain but is not expected to eliminate the disease; its main purpose is to improve your quality of life. Most of the time, the treatments you get to control your symptoms are the same to the treatments used to treat cancer. These include radiation therapy given to help relieve bone pain from bone metastasis. Chemotherapy may help shrink a tumor and keep it from causing air and bowel obstruction in the lungs or esophagus and colon, respectively.
If you prefer to live life to the fullest you may benefit from hospice care. This is usually provided at home, where comfort will be the most concern if the effort to attend to your cancer that may be causing symptoms or problems. It doesn’t mean you stop having treatment for the problems caused by your cancer or other health conditions, it just means that the focus of your care is on living life as fully as possible and feeling as well as you can.
Keeping hope is as important in any situation. Your chances of being cured may not be fully seen, but there is still hope for quality time with family and friends, good times that are filled with happiness and meaning. You may learn much from the experience of having treatment and that doing away with them will help you more focused on most important things in your life. This may be the perfect time to do some things you’ve always wanted to do.