Chemotherapy can be a grueling experience for most mesothelioma patients, most of the anti cancer drugs have terrible side effects that you will experience during the course of the therapy. These following steps will help you cope with the stress of chemotherapy:
Focus on the goals of your treatment in your mind. This will help you keep a positive attitude on days when the going gets rough.
Try and eat good food, though in little and moderate quantities, your body needs all the necessary food nutrients to rebuild tissues and remain strong.
Learn as much as you want to know about mesothelioma cancer and its treatment. This will help you to cope better with the fear of the unknown and increase your feeling of control.
Keep a journal or diary while you re being treated. A record of your activities and thoughts can help you understand the feelings you have as you go through treatment. It can also help you highlight questions you need to ask your doctor or nurse. You also can use your journal to record the side effects. This will help you when you talk about them with your doctor and nurse. You can write down the steps you take to cope with side effects and how well those steps work, too. That way, you’ll know which methods worked best for you in case you have the same side effects again.
Do not over exert yourself physically; you need to take things easy as your strength will be depleted by the effects of the powerful drugs that you are taking, so try to get as much rest as you can. Let the small stuff slide and only do the things that are most important to you.
Try new hobbies and learn new skills.
Exercise if you can and if your doctor says you can. Exercise helps to make you feel better about yourself, help you get rid of tension or anger, and build your appetite.
Devise means of coping with stress and relaxing. There are simple techniques that you can practice that can help you cope with stress and help you relax. You should discuss with your doctor before you start using these techniques, especially if you have lung problems.
These are some of the technique that can help you deal with stress and relax:
•Lie down in a quiet room.
•Take a slow, deep breath.
•As you breathe in, tense a muscle or group of muscles. For example, clench your teeth or stiffen your arms or legs.
•Keep your muscles tense for a second or 2 while holding your breath.
•Then breathe out, release the tension, and let your body relax completely.
•Repeat the process with another muscle or muscle group.
Another way to do this is called progressive relaxation. You work your way up your body starting with the toes of one foot. Contract then relax all the muscles of one leg. Do the same with the other leg. Work your way up your body, contracting then relaxing each of the muscle groups in your body, including those in your neck and face. Remember to hold your breath while briefly contracting your muscles and to breathe out when releasing the tension.
Rhythmic breathing:
•Get into a comfortable position and relax all your muscles.
•Close your eyes or focus on a distant object if you prefer to keep them open.
•Breathe in and out slowly and comfortably through your nose. If you like, keep the rhythm steady by saying to yourself, In, one, two. Out, one, two.
•Feel yourself relax and go limp each time you breathe out.
•You can continue this for just a few seconds or for up to 10 minutes.
Other forms of relaxation techniques that you can use include biofeedback, distraction, mental imagery, visualization and hypnosis.
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