All you need to know before Starting Cancer Treatment

Being diagnosed with cancer is an easy event to handle. The disease can take a toll on you not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally as well. Not to mention the sorrow that your family members will also go through.

But cancer does not necessarily mean the end of life as you know it. With proper precautions and preparations, you can approach the treatment and recovery period in a positive manner and make the battle with the disease easier for you and your loved ones.

Here are a few things that you need to know before you start cancer treatment.

Your dietary needs

You need to switch completely to a healthy diet before the treatment is started. Take lot of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Reduce your intake of sugar, salt, fat and alcohol.

You may have eating problems during cancer treatment which may be caused due to loss of appetite, constipation, diarrhoea, and difficulty in swallowing, nausea and vomiting.

Discuss with your doctor about the kind of foods that will be the best for you during and after treatment. If you are on a special diet because of other health problems like diabetes or heart diseases you must discuss the same with your doctor.

You must see your dentist before starting chemotherapy

After chemotherapy you may have problems like dry mouth, burning sensation in the mouth, mouth infections and change in taste. Your dentist will check and clean your teeth and will tell you how to take care of your mouth so that you can prevent the side effects of treatments.

Talk to your doctor about any fertility issues that you may have

• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy may affect your reproductive organs and can cause sterility.
• The sperm quantity and motility may be affected by chemotherapy or radiations.
• In women the hormone levels and the ovaries may be affected. Women on chemotherapy or radiotherapy may achieve early menopause.
• Women who have to undergo cancer treatment may opt for embryo cryopreservation. The harvested and preserved eggs can be later combined with the sperm from the partner or the donor.
• Men can opt for sperm cryopreservation. Semen samples are used to extract sperms which are then preserved by freezing.
• Shields may be placed to protect your reproductive organs from radiation exposure.
• Protecting fertility may be important from the perspective of preventing emotional problems.

Know your options for cancer treatment centres

You must decide that which cancer centre would you like to approach? Which doctor do you think should handle your case? You must make an informed decision.

Do an initial research on the best cancer treatment centres of America before finalizing on the hospital for your treatment.

Talk to your doctor for any treatment related queries that you may have

You may like to ask the following questions:

• What are the treatment options?
• What treatment does your doctor recommend for you?
• What are the expected results?
• How safe is the procedure?
• How many days of hospitalization will be needed?
• What are the treatment side effects that you can expect? What will be the cost of the treatment?
• How long will it take to recover?