Your First Chemotherapy Appointment: What You Need to Know
Chemo day. No one looks forward to it, but it is a necessary evil in cancer treatment. For the first timer, chemo day can bring on anxiety, apprehension, and fear. Before having cancer, no one really tells us what it's like to have chemo and even though our doctors go over what's going to happen, it still feels like we are walking into uncharted territory. Moments like these can jump start the autonomic nervous system, sending that fight or flight response into overdrive for some....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Why Your White Cell Count is Important During Cancer Treatment
"My oncologist always talks about white blood cell counts and how they can be dangerous to my health. I have tried asking my doctor questions about it, but I just don't understand his answers. Can you explain in simple terms what it means to have a white blood cell count and how it affects my health?"...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Alcohol and Your Cancer Risk: How Much is Too Much
It's no secret that consuming alcohol can increase your risk of developing several types of cancer. Experts warn us of the risk, but often don't elaborate on how much alcohol actually increases our risk. Is it a daily wine glass? Or a 12 oz bottle of beer? What about liquor?...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Combating Chemo Brain with Brain Games
If you have gone through chemotherapy and are experiencing problems with memory and focus, know you are not alone. It is estimated that up to 75 percent of people treated with chemotherapy experience a condition called mild cognitive deficit, also known as chemobrain...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Will Cancer Treatment Make You Feel Worse?
Don't you just love it when friends and family give medical advice, even when you don't ask for it? When it comes to cancer, it seems like everyone has an uncle or boss who was diagnosed with the exactly same type of cancer as you. This revelation in conversation is usually proceeded by a highly descriptive horror story that involves medical mistakes or the tale of an untimely demise. Either way, when you have cancer, friends and family are going to share their "expert" medical advice and opinions. Sometimes the advice is good and supportive, other times, maybe not so much....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Using Sunscreen in a Tanning Bed: Does It Make It Safe?
Around May of each year, emails start pouring in from readers who want to know how to get a "safe" tan. Recently, a young woman wrote to ask whether using a high level SPF sunscreen in a tanning bed would make tanning beds any safer. Right off the bat, I would like to stress that using a tanning bed is never safe. There has been countless research on the subject and it all concludes that tanning beds greatly increase your risk of skin cancer and melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Avoid tanning beds -- there are much healthier ways to get that sun-kissed glow than tanning....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Thyrogen 101
If you have undergone treatment for thyroid cancer, you may dread follow-ups to check for recurrence. It's not the scans or even the radioactive iodine therapy (if needed), but the effects of "going hypo". I have heard patients describe being hypothyroid as "pure hell" and feeling like a "long and torturous death". I have witnessed it firsthand in my husband, who has been treated several times for recurrent thyroid cancer. By the 4th week of being hypo, he literally could drive or go to work during the last follow-up process. His reflexes slowed considerably, his vision became blurry, and he couldn't concentrate or remembe...
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Sunscreen: Separating Fact From Fiction
Did you know that skin cancer is the most diagnosed type of cancer in the United States? It's also one of the most preventable types of cancer! Sunscreen is the key to preventing skin cancer, but people just aren't applying it like they should. Either they make a common mistake when applying it, not applying at all, or not reapplying it. A few minutes of sunscreen application is worth the effort!...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Your Post-Thyroidectomy Diet
If you are having a thyroidectomy, you may be concerned about your diet following the procedure. As many of you know, my husband is being treated for thyroid cancer and just underwent a total thyroidectomy. While researching the internet, he found conflicting information about what he could and couldn't eat after having the surgery. One site said he would be on liquids for two weeks, while another said even liquids could be hard to swallow. It wasn't exactly the most encouraging information, to say the least....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - April 30, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Dry Mouth During Radiation Therapy: How to Cope
Anyone undergoing radiation therapy to the head and neck area will tell you that the most troublesome side effect is dry mouth. During radiation therapy, the salivary glands become exposed to radiation, causing mild to severe damage. The result is a decrease of saliva production. While we all have experienced dry mouth at one time or another, it does not compare to that of a person who has undergone radiation therapy. Foods are hard to swallow. Water doesn't moisten the tongue or inside of the mouth. Mouth sores can form. As you can see, it can be both frustrating and devastating....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - March 31, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
7 Tips to Help You Save on Prescriptions
In the uncertain economic times that are among us, every penny has to count. Many Americans are choosing between buying groceries and paying for their prescription medication. It shouldn't be that way and it doesn't have to be! There are so many ways to save on your prescriptions - you just need to know how. Check out these 7 tips to help you save on your prescription medications....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - March 31, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Low Iodine Recipes For Thyroid Cancer Treatment
If you have any experience with thyroid cancer as a patient or caregiver, you know know about the low iodine diet. For those who are out of the loop, it's not a weight loss fad diet, but a a diet meant to deprive the body of iodine to prepare for a radioactive iodine scan or ablation. You spend 2-3 weeks eating foods that are low iodine. This means no eating out, commercial baked goods, dairy, iodized salt, and other foods that we all have come to rely on. Some call it 14 days of hell, but it doesn't have to be!...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - March 31, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Your Post-Thyroidectomy Diet
If you are having a thyroidectomy, you may be concerned about your diet following the procedure. As many of you know, my husband is being treated for thyroid cancer and just underwent a total thyroidectomy. While researching the internet, he found conflicting information about what he could and couldn't eat after having the surgery. One site said he would be on liquids for two weeks, while another said even liquids could be hard to swallow. It wasn't exactly the most encouraging information, to say the least....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - March 31, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Brain Tumor Symptoms
When you have chronic headaches, it's natural to think of the worst. A brain tumor is often the first possible cause that enters a person's mind, but they are usually wrong in most cases. Contrary to popular belief, headaches usually aren't an initial symptom of a brain tumor, although people with brain tumors do suffer from headaches as their condition progresses. What are the symptoms that raise red flags for doctors? Read more about brain tumor symptoms to find out...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)
Source: About.com Cancer - March 31, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Angelina Jolie to Have More Cancer Prevention Surgery
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actress Angelina Jolie revealed that more surgery is needed to reduce to her risk of cancer because of a genetic disposition to breast and ovarian cancer. The actress underwent an elective mastectomy last May to reduce her risk of breast cancer and may undergo surgery to remove her ovaries in the future. She told EW, "There's still another surgery to have, which I haven't yet," .
Genetic testing showed that Jolie had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, according to her Op Ed column, published in the NY Times last year. After unde...
Source: About.com Cancer - March 15, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
