Learn How To Take Care Of Yourself During Brain Tumour Treatment

For many people, finding out that their loved one has cancer can stop their world from spinning. Often, the choices you make after this revelation makes the difference between your loved one successfully recovering. 

Caring for someone that is going through cancer treatment or yourself is an extremely demanding task physically. It also takes a mental and emotional toll on all of those around. So the first step in taking care of someone going through cancer treatment is to build up a solid support system.

Whether you’re a caretaker or a patient yourself, having a support system helps you throughout the brain tumor treatment. This saves you from exerting yourself. This article focuses on how to take care of yourself or your loved one during this journey.

A Few Tips To Help You Look After Yourself Or A Loved One

• Information 

Before starting with the treatment, it is best to collect as much information as you can about the doctor, the treatment, the disease, the staff, and the hospital. This can be overwhelming at first, but research will help you find the best oncologist to help you and your family through this difficult period.

• Understand The Symptoms

There are many symptoms that the patient will exhibit – these can be due to the disease, or they can also be caused by brain tumor treatment. There are three kinds of symptoms, primarily:

• Physical Symptoms

These include headaches, nausea, vision problems, bowel problems, seizures, muscle weakness, to name a few.

• Cognitive Symptoms

When the tumor is in the brain, there are many problems that can occur, like changes in personality, memory loss, impaired judgment, and socially inappropriate behavior. When caring for someone with a brain tumor, you don’t just look after their physical needs; you might also have to look after their social needs. 

• Emotional Symptoms

Medication can often alter the hormonal balance of the body. This can lead to extreme mood swings, depression, anxiety, and anger. This, along with the acute stress undergoing brain tumor treatment can cause, is very taxing on the emotional health of the patient.

• Monitor The Symptoms

Symptoms are the body’s way of telling you something is changing. Monitoring symptoms is crucial; this tells us how the patient’s body is responding to the medication. It is best to keep a journal to monitor all symptoms and how they differ from day to day.

If certain symptoms are too extreme, the doctor can always prescribe additional medication to help alleviate the symptoms. There are many ways to relieve them, not just medicine; there is counseling, assistive devices (such as wheelchairs), rehab, massages, etc.

• Develop A System

When taking care of someone who is very ill or being one, the best oncologist always recommends coming up with a system to take medication, to check symptoms, to eat, and to exercise. It is this routine that makes sure your loved one or you gets the best help with their treatment. 

In the beginning, a system like this may be daunting, but once you work all the kinks out of this, it will be beneficial to all those involved and help you be on top of their care.

• Make Contacts

Making an effort to getting to know the health care team that is helping you through this period is beneficial beyond words. These professionals have been doing this for a very long time. They understand and anticipate all the needs you may have. 

The contacts don’t just include your health care team and hospital; they also include friends and family who are willing to help out. This is a monumental task but remember it is not impossible with the right help.

Identify the tasks you need help with, and don’t be afraid to delegate.

While you look at the home care aspect of looking after someone going through brain tumor treatment, you also shouldn’t neglect the medical aspect. Your or your loved ones’ best chance at getting better lies with the best cancer hospital in India. At RGCIRC, you come first and not profit. 

Therefore, book a consultation today at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, one of the most reputable oncology facilities in India. Get treated with the help of the best oncologists in the country and give yourself another chance at life.