Tips for Caring for Someone After Breast Cancer Treatment
Breast cancer is a scary disease. If someone close to you has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you might want to stay by her side and offer help. You would want to do all that you can to see your loved one healthy and free from the disease.
The below guidelines will help you take care of your family member or a loved one diagnosed with the disease.
Accompany Your Loved One During Medical Visits
The first thing that you should ensure is to accompany your loved one during her medical appointments. This will help you understand the disease and the treatment procedure. It will also give a lot of emotional support to the patient.
Administering Medication
Help your loved one take medicines on time and as prescribed by the doctor.
Managing the Side Effects
Treatment of breast cancer is accompanied by many side effects. Reduction in the number of white blood cells is a very common side effect of chemotherapy. This can result in low immunity and make the patient more prone to infections. You should know the signs of infection and also when to call the doctor or go to the hospital.
Your loved one might suffer from decreased appetite as a result of cancer treatment. If you notice your loved one is suffering from a low appetite ask the doctor about medicines to stimulate the appetite.
Irritation in the mouth and throat, nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy and skin irritation due to radiation therapy are also common during the treatment period. You need to take care of these and talk to the team of doctors to learn how to manage these.
Taking Care of Meals
Make sure that the patient has a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and proteins. This will aid in speedy recovery. You can consult the dietician at the hospital for foods that are good for breast cancer patients.
Day-to-day Responsibilities
As a caregiver, you will also need to look after the day-to-day needs of the patient which might include personal care, preparing meals, transportation, and several other daily chores.
You can assist with certain responsibilities while encouraging your loved one to get involved too. This will help her keep busy and avoid emotional turmoil. Try to make the patient’s life as normal as possible.
Emotional Support
Breast cancer can cause a lot of stress, and negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, depression, and anger in the patient. Therefore, the patient and her family need to develop a positive attitude during these tough times. Allowing your loved one to express her emotions in healthy ways and listening to her patiently will help her overcome her emotions and deal better with the situation.
If someone close to you has been diagnosed with breast cancer, try to get her treated at one of the best cancer hospitals in India. It may not be an easy task to find out the best cancer hospitals in India, but getting treated at such a hospital will ensure higher chances of survival for the patient and also a speedy recovery.
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