Adapting your lifestyle to complement ongoing chemo

"It's a huge blow when cancer reoccurs and you find yourself back in treatment again," explains Dr Yastira Ramdas, A Clinical and Radiation Oncologist. "Many patients find that they can lead an almost normal life during chemotherapy but for others everyday life becomes more difficult when faced with the prospect of ongoing chemo. Besides physically being unwell, it's not unusual to feel a myriad of emotions and to experience a whole range of side effects that you'd thought, hoped and prayed were finally behind you. The best way to cope is to identify your biggest challenges and then to put together an action plan to help restore routine."

What are the challenges of ongoing cancer treatment?

Dr Ramdas highlights a number of physical and emotional issues you may be dealing with right now:

• Feeling tired

This is perfectly normal during chemo treatment and there may be several reasons why this happens:

- The drugs themselves and your body fighting the cancer

- A drop in your blood count

- Lack of sleep due to stress and anxiety

- Poor nutrition due to lack of appetite

This can be extremely challenging especially if you are used to having a lot of energy. However it's important not to fight the tiredness and to listen to your body and rest, so you may need to make a few changes in your normal routine so that you don't get too exhausted.

- Try to reduce your hours at work if you have a job

- Ask family and friends to help with chores, such as shopping, cooking, picking and dropping kids of at school

- Spend time with your loved ones. This is very important but you need to involve them in doing quiet things such as playing board games or watching a movie together, so you can lie on the couch and rest

• Work-related considerations

The effects of chemotherapy vary from patient to patient. Some treatments are harder than others. Some chemotherapy regimens have a long infusion time. Depending on your personal experience, you may need to make changes to your work routine. You may want to continue working because it distracts your mind and helps you to cope but opt for working only half days or only between treatments. Alternatively you may decide to stop working so you can focus on getting well. Remember that, as an employee you should be entitled to certain sick-leave related benefits, as well as other financial-cover related benefits and this should be arranged and discussed with your company's human resource department. Most patients will need time off, whether it's due to prolonged chemo sessions, feeling unwell, or being hospitalized due to side effects. Letting your employer know you are undergoing treatment is important so an arrangement can be made.

• Maintaining a social life

There's no need to completely stop your social life during ongoing chemo. But you do need to accept that some days you may not be up to or able to keep up with your normal social routine and that it's important to plan ahead for any social engagements.

• If you are going out at night, rest during the day to conserve your energy
• Take your anti-nausea pill before going out for a meal
• Try to avoid getting an infection by eating freshly cooked food
• Avoid family and friends who may have infections
• If you are planning to go away, do so a few weeks after treatment ends. This will allow you time to rest and return slowly back to normal so that you'll be able to enjoy your trip a whole lot more.

• Problems with eating and taking in adequate nutrients

Chemotherapy comes hand in hand with diet-related problems such as taste changes, loss of appetite and nausea. But there are many ways to help control diarrhea, to help prevent constipation and to prevent nausea and ensure that every bite one takes during a chemotherapy journey is a nutritious bite. All of this needs to be addressed with your oncologist as there are different ways to restore and correct these changes. Your oncologist will also refer you to a dietician who will provide you with a high kilojoule diet as well as a structured meal plan designed especially for you.