Getting a cancer diagnosis can seem like the end of the world. You may have lots of thoughts and fears swirling through your mind. It’s important to start treatment early to increase your survival chances. Here are some ways that you can prepare to start treatment.
Develop Your Support Group
Talk to your friends, family, and coworkers. You may be surprised at the amount of support that you receive. Other people may have gone through a similar experience and be able to help you through it. Having this support structure in place can making receiving chemotherapy easier. You will need to have transportation to and from your treatment sessions. Make these arrangements ahead of time so that you won’t have any more stress in your life.
Select the Right Clinic
You have a lot of options when it comes to selecting a clinic to help you fight your cancer. There are cancer care services in many areas of the country. This will allow you to stay close to home while receiving treatment. Chemotherapy is only one aspect of combating cancer. Your clinic will be able to walk you through other things that may help. Talk to your doctor so that you can feel in control of the situation. This may help you to cope with any other issues that crop up.
Arrange for Help at Home
After your treatments, you’ll need some help around the house. You’ll most likely not be feeling up to taking care of other things right away. Plan for someone to help you get your household tasks done. Make arrangements for any care that your pets or children will require. Have someone help with meal planning and preparation. You need to focus on getting better right now. All of the little things can be handled by someone else until you feel like yourself again.
Take Time off
Stressing yourself out trying to maintain your schedule may make the side effects worse. Plan to take some time off of work. This will allow you to focus on your treatments without the worries of work. Your employer may be understanding of your situation. This is why is it’s important to talk to them before starting chemotherapy. You may be able to take some leave from your job so that you can focus on your recovery efforts.
The side effects of chemotherapy are different for each person. Have a plan before you start treatment. This will reduce the amount of stress that you have going into it.