Precautions and Counseling of Cancer Patient, during Treatment of Radiation Therapy

Precautions & Counseling of Cancer Patient, during Treatment of Radiation Therapy – What to do or what not to do, during Treatment of Radiation Therapy:

When the patient treatment is started by radiation therapy modality alone or in combination with other modality, then patients must follow some precautions. Most of the time, the patients are counselled by the Radiation Oncologist and by the Radiation Therapist before and on the very first day of treatment.

First, the patient must be aware, that if the patient’s treatment is going on through the radiation therapy modality, then the patient does not become radioactive, and there is no harm to the patient family due to the patient. However, the patient must use their daily routine things separately (such as soap, towel, oil, lotions, bed, bedsheet, food etc.).

Head & Neck treatment: 

• The patient should never use any soap, shampoo, lotions or oil during taking bath and after taking bath (due to radiation, the patient’s skin got softened, and due to rubbing the skin, the skin may be peeling off).

• The patient should use normal water to take bath, however, in the winter season, the patient should use lukewarm water to take bath.

• The patient should wear a loose cotton dress, especially in head & neck cases, the patient should never wear collar one dresses such as T-shirt or shirts etc. (as these dresses may rub the patient skin).

• The patients should not do the brush in teeth, as it will create mucositis in the patient’s mouth. It is a painful situation and may cause basic problems in eating and in swallowing.

• The patient must do the gargles by mixing baking soda (cooking soda), and salt in the water, around 15 to 20 times a day to keep their mouth germs free. Sometimes the radiation oncologist allows using mouth freshener.

• For eating, the patient may eat anything hygienic except spicy, oily and sore food to save from the gastritis issue.

• The patient must eat something whole the day, even if the patient doesn’t feel to take anything (solid or semi-liquid etc.).

• During radiation therapy, the patient must care about their weight. If weight loss is more, it may happen, the oncologist may hold the treatment for a time being.

• During the radiation therapy treatment, the patient may face many problems due to radiation, so the patient follow-up is continued every week. If the patients face any issues throughout the treatment, the patient must inform to the radiation oncologist about the issue.

• One of the most important suggestions, the patient should never do the gaps during treatment, otherwise, treatment will not be so much effective due to radiation biology, as it must be.

Breast, Chest Wall & Axilla Treatment Sites:

• The patient should follow the above precautions.

• The patient must do the physical activity or exercise hands movement as per the Radiation Oncologist’s suggestion.

GI and GU Treatment Sites:

• The patient should follow the above precautions. Apart from this, sometimes the patient skin is marked during simulation, then the marking should not be removed or cleaned from the patient’s body throughout the treatment.

• The patient must maintain hygiene and cleaning.

• The patient must care about their weight.

• The patient should hydrate their body by taking more water.

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Tags: how to reduce side effects of radiation therapy, precautions after radiation therapy, radiation therapy side effects on head and neck

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