Dealing With the Side Effects of Cancer Treatments
No one ever wants to learn that they are dealing with cancer. Cancer can mean many things, but it often brings up feelings of fear and concern. Once you are diagnosed with cancer, you know that you have a long road ahead of you. You have to try out numerous treatment options and hope that one works. You may work with multiple prostate cancer specialists, looking for the one treatment that helps. In addition to the lengthy prostate cancer treatments, you have to deal with the common side effects.
Fatigue
Fatigue is extremely common in most cancer treatment therapies. Cancer treatment therapy essentially fights your body. It is important to remain active during this time. Continue your exercise routine, if possible. Understand that your body is tired and that it does need rest. Allow yourself to take naps throughout the day. Attempt to go to bed earlier and sleep in later. Be prepared to cancel your plans on days that you are simply too tired. Rest allows the body to heal, so it is crucial that you get as much rest as possible.
Sexual side effects
Many cancer treatments, especially treatments for prostate cancer, affect the body?s sexual desires and motivation. Additionally, medications can further affect this. Getting appropriate rest can help to deal with this often undesired side effect. The type of treatment also affects this. Proton cancer treatments, for example, are known to affect this to a much less degree. Due to proton therapy?s targeted approach, studies have found that prostate cancer patients treated using this method have a significantly reduced risk of impotence, with 94% of men reporting that they remain sexually active after treatment. If you find that this is a side effect, work with your prostate cancer specialist on understanding your options.
Lack of appetite
A lack of appetite is also very common with different cancer treatment options. Because the body is focused on healing, it often forgets about hunger. However, it is important to keep up with a healthy diet for added energy. Your body needs these nutrients now, more than ever. Your prostate cancer specialist might even recommend a nutritionist specialist. This is a person that will examine your current eating habits and provide recommendations, based on your current dietary needs.
You might also be advised to eat specific foods that assist with the cancer proton therapy. This is because some foods might make you feel more nauseous or cause other health problems, when going through proton beam radiation. Fortunately, proton radiation therapy tends to have the least effect on this area of the body. Proton therapy decreases the radiation dose to gastrointestinal structure by at least 59% compared to Xrays. This could also contribute to a decreased amount of stomach irritation during the treatment.
The importance of working with a specialist
A specialist will be your go to person during treatment procedures. It is helpful to have one person to monitor and evaluate your treatments. If you are constantly taking advice from multiple physicians, it can become overwhelming to understand what is working and what is not. Also, multiple physicians make it harder to keep track of negative side effects and the plan to treat them. Always work with your prostate cancer specialist before trying a new treatment option, or before making changes to your diet or daily exercises.
Side effects are unfortunately, a common problem with many of today?s cancer treatment options. Working directly with your prostate cancer specialist can better help you to deal with your side effects, while also finding ways to improve them. Some treatments, like proton radiation therapy, have fewer side effects on the body. At the beginning of 2015, more than 30 particle therapy centers, with a total of about 80 treatment rooms, were under construction worldwide. We are likely to see a significant increase in the usage of proton radiation therapy.
