Treating Breast Cancer: 3 Ways To Reduce The Unwanted Side Effects Of Chemotherapy
Posted on: 8 September 2018
Chemotherapy may be your best option for curing breast cancer, but the treatments can leave you with a few uncomfortable and inconvenient side effects. Here are a few things you can do to reduce those unwanted side effects during and after your chemotherapy treatments:
Enjoy Liquid Meals
After chemotherapy, you may find that you don't have much of an appetite. And as time goes on, your lack of wanting to eat could lead to nutritional deficiencies that make it harder for your body to fight off all the side effects of chemotherapy. So to help ensure that you get the nutrition you need, try drinking your meals instead of eating them whenever possible. When you don't feel like eating breakfast, sip a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Make a smoothie with fresh berries for lunch.
Or enjoy a cinnamon smoothie made of dates and bananas for dinner. By opting for a liquid meal instead of skipping a meal altogether, you'll help ensure that your body is getting the vitamins and nutrients it needs to fight off your breast cancer and the side effects you may experience due to undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
Consider Massage Therapy
Massage therapy can help you manage your cancer symptoms and decrease the uncomfortable side effects you experience during chemotherapy treatment. So it acts as a compliment to your medical treatments by offering a variety of physical and emotional benefits to take advantage of such as:
-
Improved Circulation
-
Improved Sleep Patterns
-
Decreased Fatigue and Anxiety
-
Reduced Pain from Cancer and Treatment
Consider scheduling a massage therapy session on a regular basis with a care provider in your area who specializes in working with cancer patients.
Utilize Cold Caps
Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy, which is something you likely want to avoid if possible. Wearing chemo cold caps before, during, and after your chemotherapy treatments is an effective way to reduce the amount of hair loss experienced. In fact the caps may help you avoid losing any hair at all.
Cold caps help to cool your head and narrow the blood vessels underneath your scalp so less chemo medicine is able to reach your hair follicles and kill them off. You can purchase a cold cap to use if you expect to undergo multiple chemotherapy treatments in the coming months, or you can rent one if you'll only be undergoing one or two treatments in the foreseeable future.
Share