Care Cancer Patient During Holidays GFLCCO

The holiday season brings with it each year a little hope, a little magic and can make memories that last a lifetime. For a cancer patient, he can add some snowdrifts "Extra" that must be waded through.

I offer you, the person about to start, in progress or recently concluded with cancer treatments tips hopefully useful to help you and your families through the coming months the family, friends and meetings job.

When I asked my wife, what advice she would give, a number of what it offered was: "Seek help." Fairly easy to say but not always easy to do. Do not try to do everything you own. Do not try to be everything to everyone. Do not be afraid you'll leave someone if there are things you simply can not do this year. The cancer that I am is familiar to lung cancer small cell, it was radiation and chemotherapy and took a heavy toll on my energy level and appetite and I felt drained at times and in the 'inability to concentrate. It took some time for me to admit that I sometimes need help just put my socks, but once I started asking for help, not only did he' s help enormously, it also gave the people around me a sense of purpose that they could contribute in some way.

Accepting Help is a bit of pressure and stress on you and become a part very helpful in your recovery plan.

If you are a parent, there is a certain amount of stress naturally falls on us all to make the holiday season a happy and memorable for our children. If you go through treatment you may end up over-compensating for your condition on a certain self-imposed guilt of the effect on your children. This will lead you to push your body harder and farther, then you should and could be harmful to your health long term. Depending on the age of your children, their level of understanding about what you are going through will not only help relieve your stress, but theirs too. Be as immediate as possible on how you feel. Children are remarkably resilient and most can cope with things better then we give them credit for, the key is to not overwhelm your child with too much at once.

Watch your levels. Make sure you stay hydrated and your white blood cells and red blood cells are remaining consistent. Dehydration is a huge nemesis for me as I passed by the treatment.

Make sure you have things you need. If you have had radiation treatment that came into contact with any part of your throat, then you are familiar with a substance called "magic mouthwash" and you will not find yourself without it for a long weekend. If they advise you to use an emollient for the medications you take while doing it. You do not bother to climb on you while junior school pageant.

This brings up the next tip. If you know you have a function to attend school, make sure you get enough rest before hand so that you can make it through. If there will be an office party, you can inform people in advance of your intentions. "Sally, you come to the feast of the patron?" "Yes, I am. I'll be there at 7:00 pm and plan to stay and visit everyone until 8:30, at that time I think I'll be ready to call one night. "You have now set limits for your appearance and person will leave at 8:30 asking "Have you seen Sally? "I hope nothing is happened. And it should not be a hindrance to leave at a time that suits you. Be prepared for the endless barrage of questions you will receive your health and your condition and remember you are in a festive evening of holiday and not your own wake so keep the drama to an appropriate level. It is sometimes difficult enough for people to find the right thing to tell you when you have cancer, let s 'drawn by turning the conversation on their way. Ask about their children, what are their plans for the holidays, etc. You'll find some people who are not comfortable talking about themselves are more at 'then you comfortable asking your state.

Family reunions are a little different I think you can walk into a room full of family members and say up front "Hey gang I am here, I feel pretty good tonight and I understand the concern of everyone but let us have a good time and not worry about such things now. "You can work the room a little differently with their families and with colleagues.

The important thing here is that you try out different functions that you are guests and programs for children at the church if you attend. These things are the same for you as for them. Will you want to go, probably not. Will you be able to host and prepare the big dinner this year? Not by yourself you have to do what? That's right, ask for help.

Do not miss important things because of something trivial, like a lack of hair on the head. Ladies this is for you too. You have a hat, wear a hat. Cancer is nothing to be ashamed, you are not weak, you've done nothing wrong. Cons cancer treatments have some side effects and that's all there is to it. People do not point and look at you. Be prepared, because they get themselves and wonder "I wonder what is wrong with this guy?" Followed by "I wonder how I look with more hair? But this is usually not more than that, a glance in passing curiosity. If you survive, you need to get beyond that to begin with.

It is a time to be with your friends and family do not deprive yourself of this pleasure, just plan better than you ever have before. Get plenty of rest, plenty of fluids and define your boundaries.

These things are your obligations to fulfill. You may have to seek help this year, you may not be the butterfly raging social you've been in the past.

Do not make your entire disease.

Do not try to be everything to everybody.

Do not compromise your health for any reason. Having cancer is like a heavy weight battle is rarely won the first round, it is generally decided at the end of the fight and won by boxer who is best able to go the distance. save much of your energy for the fight.

Ask for help, it will help the people closest to you face your disease if they feel useful. It is important, do not deny that.

If you have cancer, the best gift you can give this year are memories. Tell your children or grandchildren stories of holidays past (please ignore the walk up the hill to school in a snowstorm two stories means) but the share who you are with people you like and whatever your destiny, you'll live forever.

My Christmas gift to you is to tell the story of the year you've beaten cancer for Christmas many years by a healthy generation of great grandchildren who do not even know what the word "cancer."

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Tim Giardina is the founder and president of the GFLCCO and a course of cancer survival in small cell lung. The Gflcco is a nonprofit organization formed to raise funds for research on lung cancer, promote public awareness and serve as an advocate for patients with lung cancer and their families. The GFLCCO is based in Florida, but also has offices in Illinois and Wisconsin and stretches out his hand in the world via the web.