Tips for Cancer Care: What NOT to Do During Chemotherapy

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beautiful-lady-with-cancerThe benefits of chemotherapy are indisputable and can save someone’s life. Yet in the process of destroying harmful cancer cells, noncancerous cells may also be in the crossfire, leading to challenging side effects. The physician will provide instructions on what cancer patients need to do to minimize these effects, but it is just as important to know what not to do while undergoing chemo treatment.

What Should You Avoid During Chemotherapy?

  • Strenuous work and exercise: This can include both mentally and physically taxing tasks, which could worsen stress, fatigue, mood swings and nausea.
  • Probiotics: Probiotics contain beneficial yeast and bacteria, but skip them during chemo because of the body’s weakened immune system.
  • Vitamins: A 2019 research study pointed to evidence of a reduction in chemo’s effectiveness and a significant decrease in the desired outcome by people who were taking certain vitamins (including B12, A, and C).
  • Infections: Because the immune system is compromised during chemotherapy, it’s important to stay away from people who are sick.
  • Alcohol: Alcohol can worsen the negative side effects of chemo, even in very small amounts.
  • UV light: Limit exposure to sunlight and stay away from tanning beds, which can have a more severe effect on the skin in an individual receiving chemotherapy.
  • Smoking: Smoking may cause hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) in cancer tumors and other parts of the body, which can impact the efficacy of chemo and worsen side effects.

There are also a number of types of foods to steer clear of during chemo treatment, including:

  • Foods from bulk bins
  • Raw honey
  • Raw or soft-cooked eggs
  • Hard, sharp foods such as potato chips, cookies, crackers, and granola
  • Blue and other moldy cheeses
  • Raw fish and shellfish
  • Seville oranges and their juice
  • Spicy and acidic foods and condiments
  • Fresh salsa and salad dressing
  • Raw nuts
  • Grapefruits and grapefruit juice

Chemo To-Dos

While steering clear of the items above, the following action items can be beneficial during chemotherapy:

  • Reduce the risk of infection by washing hands frequently, avoiding large crowds, and getting flu and COVID-19 vaccinations (if approved by the physician)
  • Protect the skin from dryness and sensitivity through the use of gentle soap and moisturizing the skin often, wearing sunscreen, and selecting loose-fitting clothes and a hat when outdoors
  • Lessen fatigue by arranging for transportation to and from chemo appointments and designating both the day of as well as the day after chemo as days of rest
  • Mitigate appetite problems by eating smaller, more frequent meals (including plenty of protein), drinking at least 8 – 12 cups of water each day, and staying as physically active as you can to help increase appetite

Bear in mind that support is very important during cancer treatment. Build a solid network of friends and family and include a professional caregiver to ensure all needs – physical, emotional, and spiritual – will be met throughout this challenging time.

Cancer care can be complex. Let Generations at Home’s fully trained and experienced care professionals help. Contact us at 727-940-3414 for a complimentary in-home consultation today.

How to Handle the Effects of Chemo Brain

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Elder man holding his head in discomfortShort-term memory problems. Confusion. Inability to concentrate. Could it be Alzheimer’s?

Perhaps; but if you’re a cancer survivor, there’s another common culprit that could be at play: chemotherapy. Known as chemotherapy induced cognitive impairment (CICI) or “chemo brain,” effects such as these can last for months or even years post-treatment.

Chemo brain can occur in anyone receiving chemotherapy as well as radiation, surgery, or hormonal treatments, even without chemo. Additionally, the cancer itself can cause cognitive problems as well, compounding the difficulty with effectively treating the condition.

Dr. Kevin Liou of the Bendhaim Integrative Medicine Center of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center explains, “Cancer-related cognitive impairment is now understood to be a complex, multi-factorial problem with various contributory factors.”

As a result, chemo brain can occur any time during or after cancer treatment, presenting with symptoms such as difficulty with:

  • Multitasking
  • Reading comprehension
  • Finding the right word (i.e., remembering the name of a person or familiar object)
  • Completing sentences
  • Processing information
  • Attention span

A general feeling of fuzziness has also been reported. Taking these steps can help maximize cognitive functioning if chemo brain is impacting you or someone you love:

  • Prioritize getting 6 – 8 hours of sleep each night.
  • Exercise each day for at least 20 – 30 minutes. This can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, choosing a parking space farther away from your destination, or taking a daily walk around the block.
  • Manage stress by incorporating time every day for calming activities.
  • Minimize distractions.
  • Get plenty of fresh air, avoiding exposure to any airborne toxins.
  • Make a realistic list of to-dos, and prioritize them.
  • Use memory-assisting tools such as notifications and alerts on your phone.
  • Create and stick to a routine to help with your particular concerns; for instance, if you’re struggling with misplacing items, make a habit of always placing your keys, wallet, etc. in the same place every single day.

Generations at Home’s caregivers are skilled in caring for those diagnosed with cancer, before, during, and after treatment. We develop a personalized plan of care that addresses any challenges being faced and outlining solutions to help overcome them, through services such as:

  • Planning and preparing healthy meals that are palatable to those receiving chemotherapy
  • Grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions, and running other errands as needed
  • Providing friendly companionship to engage in conversations and fun activities to brighten each day
  • Light housekeeping and laundry
  • Assistance with personal care needs
  • And more

Call us at 727-940-3414 and let us know how we can help.

A New Treatment for All Cancer Types Is Almost Here

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3d illustration proteins with lymphocytes , t cells or cancer cellsWe have no doubt about how amazing our body’s immune system is in fighting invading bacteria and viruses and restoring us to health following an ailment. Even so, the current conclusions from a study by Cardiff University are positioned to bring an innovative and unforeseen development: stopping cancer in its tracks.

Medical researchers discovered a certain type of immune cell, a T-cell, in our blood, which can scan and eradicate threats – including a wide selection of cancer cells: prostate, colon, kidney, lung, cervical, ovarian, blood, and others. And incredibly, all normal tissue is left unaltered.

The discovered T-cell works in concert with a specific molecule on the surface of every cell throughout our body, known as the MR1 molecule. The theory is that the MR1 is notifying the T-cell of any cancer cell malformations. Garry Dolton, who was a part of the research team, points out, “We are the first to describe a T-cell that finds MR1 in cancer cells – that hasn’t been done before; this is the first of its kind.”

While there is currently a comparable type of therapy, called CAR-T, which has shown remarkable results in bringing patients from a terminal status to complete remission, it is only shown to be successful in certain types of cancer, and not “solid cancers” (those that form tumors). This new breakthrough has shown so far to impact all forms of cancer. Here is how it is projected to work:

  • Blood is obtained from an individual diagnosed with cancer.
  • The blood is filtered to remove T-cells.
  • A particular variety of benign virus is injected into the T-cells, allowing them to pick up on cancer cells.
  • These cells are then replicated in a lab, and injected back into the patient.

Studies have been highly effective in animal trials, and with additional safety checks, the next phase is likely to be human trials. According to Daniel Davis, professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, “There is no question that it’s a very exciting discovery, both for advancing our basic knowledge about the immune system and for the possibility of future new medicines.”

As we keep an eye out for more details on this particular breakthrough, you can rely on Generations at Home when it comes to the top quality care for individuals diagnosed with cancer as well as other long-term conditions. Just a few of the many ways we are able to help include:

  • Meal planning and preparation, specific to virtually any nutritional constraints or challenges
  • Warm and friendly companionship
  • Light housekeeping and laundry
  • Running errands, including picking up medications and grocery shopping
  • Transportation to physician appointments/procedures and enjoyable outings
  • And a whole lot more

Make the initial step to an improved quality of life for an older adult you love. Give us a call at 727-940-3414 and request an in-home meeting.

Today’s Most Recent Cancer News Updates You Need to Know

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young adult female hugging her mother who has cancerEach year since 1999, we’ve achieved an increasing decline in cancer-related deaths, an encouraging trend that’s poised to continue as researchers learn more and more about the causes of cancer and are able to develop new and better treatment methods. Yet cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in America, second only to heart disease – making it all the more crucial to continue to press forward with persistence to find a cure.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

  • Diet makes a difference. Although a diet rich in antioxidants can help prevent cell damage (and protect against cancer), a recent study showed that in some cases, cancers take advantage of a nutrient-rich diet, leading to accelerated metastasis. As a result, the recommendation is to avoid antioxidant supplements unless the doctor prescribes them. Get your antioxidants from fruits, veggies, and beans instead, as the additional molecules in the whole food make a difference. Additionally, a link is suspected between sugary drinks (soda, artificially sweetened drinks, and even 100% fruit juice) and an increased risk of cancer.
  • Cancer may develop before birth. In particular, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is believed to stem from a mutation that develops in utero, triggered when infection is first introduced. The recommendation is to ensure children are exposed to germs in the first year of life, to train the immune system to deal with pathogens and prevent the secondary mutation that triggers leukemia.
  • The focus is shifting to immunotherapy. Those who’ve experienced the ravages of chemotherapy’s side effects will be relieved at the latest treatment advances, which focus on immunotherapy that enables the targeting of only the cancer cells themselves. A clinical trial of a “cancer vaccine,” in conjunction with a light dose of radiation, has already shown promising results.
  • The financial impact can be overwhelming. A large study of 9.5 million cancer patients revealed an average financial loss of over $92,000, as 42% of these patients were required to deplete their life savings to cover the cost of just the first two years of treatment. Authors of the study share, “As large financial burdens have been found to adversely affect access to care and outcomes, the active development of approaches to mitigate these effects among already vulnerable groups remains of key importance.”

If you or a loved one is facing the challenges of cancer, let us help. Our professional in-home care team can prepare healthy meals, pick up prescriptions, provide accompaniment to appointments, and offer the emotional support needed to focus on healing. Contact us at 727-940-3414 for assistance.