Coping with cancer can be physically and emotionally draining. There’s a big chance that you’ll feel anger and question why you have been singled out by the disease, something we see frequently at the Mesothelioma Group. And for most cancer patients, the feelings will approximate what Kubler-Ross described as the ‘five stages of grief’- the familiar feeling of denial, anger up to acceptance. And most of the time, the magnitude of the feelings felt will depend on the health condition that one is harboring. If the disease is something that is rare and misunderstood like Mesothelioma, the denial, and finally the acceptance, can take a long time.
Developing cancer can be heartbreaking, but it’s important to remain on top of things in order to win the battle against cancer. It may be confusing and upsetting at first, but it’s highly recommended that you take charge of the situation to at least slow down the cancer or prepare the body for a long period of treatment. Keep in mind that treating cancer often requires the use of aggressive medications and treatment options including chemotherapy that can weaken the body, thus it pays to be ready and to prepare the body for its battle against cancer. One smart strategy that cancer patients like you can do is to adopt a carefully-planned diet that can make you feel healthy and strong even when undergoing chemotherapy or taking medications.
Adopt a Diet That Can Help Provide Enough Energy to Fight Off Cancer
Some medications used in fighting off the tumors like Alimta (Pemetrexed) are known for the side effects like nausea and dizziness. Together with other treatment options like chemotherapy and radiation, these treatment options can cause different kinds of side effects that can influence the patient’s appetite and in the process weaken his body. This is one thing that you should try to avoid when managing cancer, you need to make sure that you are healthy and strong enough to fight this cancer. One simple rule in medicine: if you don’t nourish your body, then you can’t help your body help itself. Here are some things to keep in mind when trying to nourish your body.
- Nausea is a familiar side effect for many cancer patients. If you are feeling this, make sure you avoid eating some food. You will have trouble keeping the food down, and it will not help motivate you to eat more the next day.
- As soon as you feel good, make it a point to eat nutritious food items including the ones rich in protein and vitamins.
- Eat multiple meals in a day, and take advantage of the times when you are feeling well to eat your meals.
- If you are prone to nausea after every chemotherapy session, then make it a point to eat hours before the planned session.
It takes time to know how your body will react to medications and chemotherapy sessions. Different patients will react differently to medications and chemotherapy sessions, so it’s best to be patient and to take a wait-and-see attitude. Once you have figured out your body and the side effects, then that’s the time you can customize your eating habits and boost your body to effectively fight cancer.
