1. Fatigue This is another vague symptoms, but this could indicate cancer. Obviously, it can be caused by other health problems. As fever, fatigue may occur after the cancer has spread. But according to the American Cancer Society, may occur in the early stages, as is the case of leukemia or cancers of the colon Read more
Depression, tension and stress are common contributors to sleep problems, causing early waking or difficulty dropping off when thoughts race around the brain. If stress is making you or your relative sleep badly, don’t rush for medication; instead, try practising the relaxation techniques. Be aware that older people naturally take longer to fall asleep, are Read more
Great advances have been made in the field of breast surgery; however, for some cases (male and female) the most appropriate treatment remains a mastectomy. Such a decision would be made where the cancer is close to, or includes the nipple, or where a large tumour is present in a person with a small breast. Read more
Caring at home for a relative with a terminal illness is a time of great emotional and physical strain. It is not easy to make predictions about how long the final stages of an illness will last or how much care a person may need. People whose health is deteriorating have good and bad days Read more
People who have known each other and/or lived together for a period of time often become very close after a diagnosis of cancer, offering each other tremendous support through the bad moments and sharing joy and relief when times are good. In the early days the illness may take over your lives and as a Read more
Use of radiation is not totally free of side effects. Clear explanations about what to expect will be given to you and your relative before the treatment starts and there will be opportunities throughout the course of treatment to talk over any problems. The main side effects to be aware of (apart from fatigue) depend Read more
The information given here is intended only as a brief outline of the main drugs used to control pain so that you and your relative understand why the medication is so important and what effects it can have. It can be confusing for a non-medical person when the words ‘drug’ and ‘medicine’ are used to Read more
Exercise is good news for everyone, even for people who are recovering from a serious illness. However, the level of physical activity that a person undertakes (including planned exercise) must be tailored to suit their capabilities. Information in a book can only be written in a general way, so before taking any form of exercise, Read more
The conventional treatments are relatively well known. Some patients also seek out other less well documented therapies, especially when they feel that established treatments have failed. It must be stressed, however, that the examples of alter¬native treatments are not ‘miracle cures’. Occasionally accounts of spectacular results are reported in the press or promotional books written Read more
The terms ‘alternative therapy’ and ‘complementary therapy’ are used to describe a range of treatments available from practitioners and therapists who work to treat the whole body, either alongside, or instead of, treatments offered by conventional medicine. To help make clear the differences in meaning, the following descrip¬tions are commonly accepted. – Conventional medicine covers Read more
One of the difficulties faced by carers is how to talk to their relative about the cancer. Likewise, the problem of how to communicate with relatives may also be bothering the person with the cancer. In truth, cancer remains a topic that many people find hard to broach and are awkward at discussing. There seems Read more
A ‘carer’ is defined as anyone who spends time and energy looking after another person who needs extra attention because of their age or physical or other disability. This could be a friend or neighbour but it is most likely to be a close relative. The word ‘carer’ in this context refers to an ‘informal’ Read more
People who are ill with cancer usually lose weight and they may have problems regaining their appetites. If this is affecting your relative, check the list below to identify the reasons why they might be struggling to regain an interest in food. – Too tired to eat. – Too weak to manage to feed themselves. Read more
A diagnosis of cancer means just that – a form of cancer has been found somewhere in the body. A diagnosis of cancer is not an immediate death sentence. It is possible that your relative’s life will end sooner than you had imagined but it is also possible that the cancer will be cured or Read more