Potential Symptoms and Tips for Management

You may feel tired and have difficulty concentrating during or after cancer treatment.

Tips:

• Work out a day plan, prioritise and do the most important things first.
• Take a nap when needed.
• If you wish to resume your job, you are highly recommended to take gradual steps and avoid pushing yourself too hard.
• Open up to your family and friends, tell them your difficulties and ask for help such as housework.

Cancer treatments may cause long-term side effects which may affect your daily life, such as nausea and vomiting, depending on the type of cancer you are diagnosed with, the type of cancer treatment you are receiving, as well as your response to the treatment.

Tips:

• Inform the medical team of the symptoms you are experiencing. The doctor will prescribe medications as appropriate.
• Try changing your eating habits to relieve the symptoms. For example, you may try eating several small meals throughout the day, say five to six meals in small portions, instead of three large meals. At the same time, you should beware of food that is high in sugars, fats, salt or with strong flavour. Make sure you get enough water.

Some cancer patients may feel pain during or after treatment. As the body gradually recovers, the pain may also be subsided. If the pain persists, patients can consult the medical team to discuss ways to relieve it.

Tips:

• Describe symptoms of the pain to doctors, including its duration, location, severity, whether it is a sharp pain or numbness and reflect its impact on daily activities such as difficulty in movement.
• Consult the medical team to find out ways to help relieve the symptoms.

Side effects of cancer treatment, such as pain and stress, may affect your sleep quality.

Tips:

• Reduce noise, dim your lights, turn on your air-conditioner or heater to keep yourself comfortable, or use pillows to support your body.
• Wear soft and comfortable pajamas.
• Take a bath or shower before going to bed.
• Avoid caffeinated beverages such as coffee and black tea.
• Take a short nap for 15 to 30 minutes in the daytime.

Some treatments for head and neck cancer may lead to oral ulcers or difficulty swallowing.

Tips:

• Maintain good oral hygiene.
• Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol, sour or spicy foods and sweets. You may choose moist food, cut food into tiny pieces or use a blender to puree the food.

Lymphedema is swelling caused by the accumulation of lymph fluid in the body that often occurs in the arms, legs, face or neck. If your lymph nodes are removed during surgery, or damaged thanks to radiotherapy or cancer, you may experience lymphedema. It may occur right after the operation or months to years thereafter, and may recur. Common symptoms include:

• Swelling of arms, legs, or trunk of body parts.
• Reduced mobility of hands, wrists, arms or ankles, or general.
• Difficulties in wearing clothes, particularly long sleeves or trousers.
• Your rings, watches or bracelets feel tight.
• Your skin feels tight.
• The swollen area is red or feels hot, which may indicate an infection.
• Infection persists or recurs at the same site.

Tips:

• Check your body regularly.
• Inform your doctor for early treatment if symptoms appear.

Some cancer treatments can damage the nervous system. In that case, you may feel tingling, burning, numbness, pain, or muscle weakness in your hands and feet, affecting the sense of touch, balance, and your ability to walk. Besides, your sensitivity to heat and cold may be different, which may affect your daily activities and quality of life.

Tips:

• Install handrails and night lights at home to prevent falls.
• Properly place household objects that may cause falls, such as carpets or loose wires.
• Use knife, scissors and other sharp objects carefully.
• Wear rubber footwear.
• Use a walking stick or other assistive devices for walking.
• Place non-slip mat, install armrests or shower chair in your bathroom.
• Avoid extreme temperatures. If possible, you may lower your water heater’s temperature. However, you should avoid checking the temperature of bath water or food with bare hands to prevent burns.
• Participate in safer sports such as riding recumbent exercise bike. You can also consult the medical team about ways to help relieve symptoms.

Cancer and related treatments may affect your sexual performance or desire. While hormonal therapy, pelvic surgery or radiotherapy, and premature menopause may affect sexual life and reduce sexual desire for women, men who have undergone surgery for prostate cancer or colorectal cancer may have difficulty in getting an erection or ejaculation.

Tips:

• Open up to your partner and tell him/her your feelings.
• If you feel too embarrassed to do so, you can seek help from a counsellor.

Certain cancers or cancer treatments may affect the ability to speak, leading to difficult pronunciation.

Tips:

• Write the message on a card and show it to others whenever experiencing difficulty speaking.
• Seek help from the medical team, social worker or counsellor, or request a referral to speech therapy.