By: Juliet Taylor
Radiation therapy for ovarian cancer is a long recognized tool in destroying the tumors that are threatening your life. Unfortunately, this realization does not make dealing with side effects of radiation therapy for ovarian cancer any easier. The most commonly reported side effects of this therapy are three fold:
1. Nausea. This is felt almost immediately after radiation treatments and may last as long as five to eight hours. In some cases the body may begin by having preemptive nausea when you are ready to go to a radiation treatment appointment and you will already feel queasy even before you set foot into the treatment center. While there is little that may be done to prevent the nausea, there are some steps that may make it a bit easier to deal with: first and foremost, consider eating only bland foods sparingly on the day of your therapy appointment. Saltine crackers, Jell-O, or even thinned oatmeal may be sufficient to keep you from being overly hungry and from keeping your stomach to give you too much trouble. In severe cases, your doctor may prescribe medication to control your nausea.
2. Vomiting. When nausea progresses to vomiting, you will find that the worst part of dealing with this side effect of radiation therapy for your ovarian cancer is the absence of feeling better once the content of your stomach has been purged. Instead, you may continue to suffer from dry heaves and feel very little relief until much later in the evening. Limit your food intake on days that you are scheduled to undergo radiation therapy to only include bland foods that will cause the least rise in bile. Plain toast, white bread, cooked chicken, or even just a glass of milk may be your best bet. While you know that vomiting will happen, the absence of increased levels of bile will prevent the painful throat burn. In addition, make sure that you carry discrete bags to catch your vomit. Women have reported that the fear of vomiting without having a suitable container is about as bad as vomiting itself.
3. Diarrhea. It is noteworthy that this is a side effect that comes on slowly during your ovarian cancer radiation treatment. You may think you are home free until suddenly a couple of weeks into the treatment you develop persistent and painful diarrhea. At this stage it is crucial to switch to a clear diet, such as Jell-O, clear broth, and any other food you can see through. In addition, switch your food intake to several small meals throughout the day instead of the customary three sit down meals. By giving your intestines time to process the foods, you will find that nutrient absorption is greatly increased.
The most dangerous aspect when dealing with side effects of radiation therapy for ovarian cancer is a failure to recognize the odds of dehydration and nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin and mineral supplementation is crucial and you will find that increasing your water intake dramatically – sometimes actually switching to pediatric rehydration products – is vital to keep your cell functions and organ working.
Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
* About Juliet Taylor
My name is Juliet Taylor, and I decided to create the website http://www.bodytalk1on1.com when I discovered the many problems that I have developed in my body, that many other people themselves are faced with, but become so trouble because of lack of knowledge about that condition. So, I decide to create this website to inform people on different types of conditions that affects our body. People say what you don't know won't hurt you, but I beg to differ, because know that you have a condition in the development of it's early stage will make a ton of difference.
By: Alex White
Cancer is such a devastating disease that it takes an intense toll not just on the physical well being of the patient, but the emotional and social aspect as well. This may lead to other health problems during and after treatment or even during recovery from cancer. Cancer is an aggressive disease and the treatment is also aggressive. Radiation and chemotherapy treatments are physically exhausting and also severely affect the mental state of the patient.
If the treatment is administered without taking into consideration the emotional impact or even the physical repercussions, the patient’s suffering will unduly increase and their resolve and motivation to follow through with the treatment will also get affected. Sometimes the focus seems to be just on eliminating the tumors, but now reports from reputed medical institutes propose that cancer therapies have to be administered using new guidelines for oncology care.
The new standards proposed intend to accomplish three goals: identifying if patients are distressed and unhealthy otherwise, helping patients treat these secondary problems, and periodically evaluate the patient care standard and be flexible enough to accommodate new changes. This could lead to a better way of compassionately administering cancer treatment, not just with the specific intent to kill cancer cells alone turning a blind eye to all else. It is recognized that existing cancer treatments have some very strong side effects. And if the adverse effects of the therapy itself weaken the gains of treatment, the patient finally ends up suffering, not just via the disease, but also during the course of treatment and during the recovery stages even after the treatment stops.
Though some resources already exist to help patients through the excruciating and exhausting phase of treatment, oncology care providers may not give enough importance to identifying the individual needs of patients and helping them utilize these resources.
Some of the common needs for patients include access to information about cancer and treatment for depression and other mental conditions that are but natural side effects of going through such a devastating experience as cancer. During treatment patients may also need help performing daily activities. They also need to be provided with easy access to transportation, medication and other supplies that they can either not afford or do not have access to.
It is not just cancer, but other serious debilitating diseases also cause tremendous strain on all aspects of an individual’s life. New standards in patient care need to address this specific area to improve the quality of care provided to patients.
Alex White is a free lance writer and a health & fitness expert who has been associated with several health care providers across various specialties. Through his articles, Alex White wishes to inform and educate public about Cancer. which will benefit those who are looking for resourceful information regarding health
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
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