Tips To Prepare for Chemotherapy and Radiation

Select Your Teams, Organize Your Medical Records and Do Your Research

by Margot Malin

Have you or has someone you know recently been diagnosed with cancer? Here are some helpful things to consider before starting treatment.

This post is condensed version of a more detailed post appearing in the Breast Cancer Yoga Blog.

    1. Choose your medical and support teams. Your "medical team" members can include: your surgeon, your oncologist, your oncology nurses, your nurse navigator, and a cancer coach.  Your "support team" can include friends, family and individuals you meet through support organizations.

             Click to learn more about nurse navigators and cancer coaches.

Medical Team - Cancer Support

2.  Do your research so that you thoroughly understand your treatment protocol. Be active in selecting your course of treatment if you are given a series of choices or options. Having some control and “buying in” will help your frame of mind and can even enhance your outcome. Do as much research as you feel comfortable with. Focus on the important facts. The book TheWeb-Savvy Patient: An Insider's Guide to Navigating the Internet When Facing Medical Crisis is a helpful resource.

3.  Ask about side effects. Be sure to review the potential physical side effects that might result from your treatment. Not all chemotherapy drugs cause the same side effects. Being aware of the side effects caused by the medications you will receive can help you to prepare in advance and purchase products which can help reduce these side effects. To view products to help relieve cancer treatment side effects visit the on line store: http://www.lotstolivefor.com/.

  4. Organize your medical records.  An important way to take control of your health is to take control of your medical records. Be sure you have them organized and in one easily accessible location. You will be visiting a number of doctors and facilities and receiving a variety of treatments and tests.  It is unlikely that they will all be coordinated at the practitioner level.  The MinervaHealth Manager helps you organize your health records in a single coordinated location and it is portable and can be carried with you to doctor appointments and treatments.

 5.  Explore Resources.  In addition to your “teams” there are many support organizations that can help.  A good starting point is to look at the “Collection of CancerResources” that we have compiled on the Lots To Live For website. Your treatment facility might also recommend or have list of support groups. 

 6.  Nutrition and Supplements can help.  The right food can make your body stronger.  Carefully selected nutritional supplements can be a valuable tool in rebuilding your body’s immune system. You might also want to consult a nutritionist who specializes in cancer nutrition.  Two books of interest include: American Cancer Society Complete Guide to Nutrition for Cancer Survivors: Eating Well,Staying Well During and After Cancer and The Whole-Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Nutritional Approach to Preventing Recurrence Continue healthy eating during treatment and after treatment is complete.

  7.  Strengthen your body through careful exercise and stretching. Optimize your mobility, strength and conditioning before your surgery or other treatment protocol. This can help reduce your recovery time. 

You can create positive energy by embracing these 7 tips. The key takeaways are to: take control and be proactive, be organized, create support networks using the numerous resources available and make educated choices.

To read the full post click: http://breastcanceryogablog.com/2013/10/31/7-tips-for-preparing-for-chemotherapy-and-radiation/

Just Diagnosed Cancer Kit

Looking for just the right gift for someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer?
The "Just Diagnosed Kit" includes a collection of helpful items to begin a journey towards wellness.
Click here to learn more about this gift: http://www.lotstolivefor.com/just-diagnosed-cancer-kit/

The Power of One "Plus" and Creating the 10 to Thrive eBook



Click here for link: 10 to Thrive eBook 



According to the Livestrong Foundation, one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and three out of four families will provide caregiving to a loved one with cancer.[i] 

The Power of One+...

By Tambre Leighn, MA, CPC, ELI-MP (guest blogger)

One of the most common issues cancer survivors and caregivers face is isolation. Often you feel alone because cancer has changed your lives in so many ways you no longer relate to the one you were living before the experience.

The emotional journey of cancer is complex. Many survivors and caregivers avoid asking for help out of a desire to not burden others or equate asking for help as a sign of weakness.

The reality is no one gets through the experience of cancer on his or her own. It requires the support, cooperation and coordination of a relatively wide circle of people from treatment through into survivorship.

It requires.....

The power of one +.      We're in this together....and we can't do it alone.

As a caregiver, I learned this the hard way. So earlier this year when Nico Juber, one of the founders of Thrive/Survive Los Angeles (link: www.thrivesurvive.org) and I were discussing the huge impact cancer has for young adults in survivorship we created an idea for an eBook…and then we asked for help.

We reached out to the cancer community including medical professionals, health and wellness experts and founders of other cancer non-profits. Would they contribute a list of the top ten insights, resources and action steps in their area of expertise to help survivors take practical action steps to increase their quality of life?

Almost every invitation to contribute was accepted and it was only due to conflicting schedules that anyone took a pass. What does this say about people? This experience and other past evidence as well as the outcomes my clients have shared when they’ve learned to reach out for help is that people, in general, have a strong desire to make a difference for others.

Asking simply creates an invitation for them to choose, or not, whether they have the resources to assist. If I had attempted to undertake an eBook project of the size and scope of 10 to Thrive, it simply wouldn’t be in existence right now. Nico and I couldn’t pull together that much expertise in several life times to write on all ten areas. This project required a team approach.

The experience of co-creating the 10 to Thrive eBook with Nico and the long list of amazing contributing authors models the power of what can be done when you dig into your contacts list and then have the courage to invite people to help. If they can’t, they can’t. But that opens up the chance to ask them if they know anyone they can recommend. 



Tambre Leighn, MA, CPC, ELI-MP



Whether you’re writing an amazing eBook to help AYA cancer survivors, going through treatment, caring for a loved one or struggling with survivorship challenges, building a team makes a major difference in the journey and the outcome. We cannot know, do and be it all in life. To read more about building a team, check out Strength in Numbers (link: http://wellbeyondordinary.com/strength-in-numbers)

Meanwhile, if you or someone you know could benefit from a free copy of 10 to Thrive: a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to life after cancer for young adults please go to www.thrivesurvive.org/10toThrive or pass this link on to someone you know is struggling. Completely free because we believe in…

The Power of One+!

For more insights, tips and resources go to:

http://www.WellBeyondOrdinary.com

---

[i] Lance Armstrong Foundation Annual Report, 2004.

This blog post is part of the Resource Roundup series sponsored by Cancer Blog: Lots To Live For! in which the spotlight is shined on a resource that can help improve the journeys of cancer patients and caregivers. Past Resource Roundup stars have included the Annie Appleseed Project and Caring Bridge.