Sunday, December 13, 2009

How To Cope With The Stress Of Mesothelioma Chemotherapy

Posted by mesothelioma victims as ,

Chemotherapy can be a grueling experience for most mesothelioma patients, most of the anti cancer drugs have dreadful side effects that you will experience during the work of the therapy. These following steps will help you cope with the stress of chemotherapy:

-Focus on the goals of your treatment in your mind. This will help you keep a positive attitude on days when the going gets rough.

-Try & eat nice food, though in tiny & moderate quantities, your body needs all the necessary food nutrients to rebuild tissues & remain strong.

-Learn as much as you require to know about mesothelioma cancer & its treatment. This will help you to cope better with the fear of the unknown & increase your feeling of control.

-Keep a journal or diary while you are being treated. A record of your activities & thoughts can help you understand the feelings you have as you go through treatment. It can also help you highlight questions you require to ask your doctor or nurse. You also can use your journal to record the side effects. This will help you when you talk about them with your doctor & nurse. You can write down the steps you take to cope with side effects & how well those steps work, . That way, youll know which methods worked best for you in case you have the same side effects again.
-Do not over exert yourself physically; you require to take things easy as your strength will be depleted by the effects of the powerful drugs that you are taking, so try to get as much rest as you can. Let the small stuff slide & only do the things that are most important to you.

-Try new hobbies & learn new skills.

-Exercise if you can & if your doctor says you can. Exercise helps to make you feel better about yourself, help you get rid of tension or anger, & build your appetite.

-Devise means of coping with stress & relaxing. There's simple techniques that you can practice that can help you cope with stress & help you relax. You ought to discuss with your doctor before you start using these techniques, if you have lung problems.
These are a quantity of the method that can help you deal with stress & relax:

Lie down in a calm room.

As you breathe in, tense a muscle or group of muscles. For example, clench your teeth or stiffen your arms or legs.

Take a slow, deep breath.

Keep your muscles tense for a second or 2 while holding your breath.

Then breathe out, release the tension, & let your body relax .

Repeat the process with another muscle or muscle group.
Another way to do this is called progressive relaxation. You work your way up your body beginning with the toes of six foot. Contract then relax all the muscles of six leg. Do the same with the other leg. Work your way up your body, contracting then relaxing each of the muscle groups in your body, including those in your neck & face. Recall to hold your breath while briefly contracting your muscles & to breathe out when releasing the tension.

Rhythmic breathing:

Close your eyes or focus on a distant object if you prefer to keep them open.

Get in to a comfortable position & relax all your muscles.

Feel yourself relax & go limp each time you breathe out.

Breathe in & out slowly & comfortably through your nose. If you like, keep the rhythm steady by saying to yourself, "In, six, one. Out, six, one."

Other forms of relaxation techniques that you can use include biofeedback, distraction, mental imagery, visualization & hypnosis.

You can continue this for a few seconds or for up to 10 minutes.

read the other article here :

Mesothelioma Support Groups-how To Find The Best Two For You



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